Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
There are few television shows I hold in higher regard than Parenthood. The critically-acclaimed NBC drama from TV virtuoso Jason Katims was an indefatigable blend of pluck and emotion. No series in the storied history of the television arts was more adept at capturing the essence of humanity, presenting it to the audience, and then saying, “You cry now.” Outside of the film Rudy and those stupid, brilliant Extra chewing gum commercials about love and (I guess) gum, no piece of art has ever made me unabashedly weep like Parenthood. I’m talking a good old-fashioned pull down the blinds and ugly cry until your landlord knocks on the door to ask you when you adopted a very loud, very sick cat.
So, yeah, when I heard about the comparisons between Parenthood and the new NBC series This Is Us, I reacted as if someone insulted my family. Or worse, my taste in television! I didn’t want to believe that a show as sacrosanct as Parenthood could have a compatriot. But then I watched the first two episodes of This Is Us and I felt the internal resurgence of that pesky nuisance known as feelings. Created by Dan Fogelman, the initial elevator pitch for the series — a drama about a group of people with the same birthday — felt a bit underwhelming… but it was underwhelming by design. This is the part of the story where I warn you that spoilers abound past this point.
Parenthood was the most sentimental family drama on television. How can a series about a group of people who just so happen to have the same birthday possibly compare? At the end of the This Is Us pilot, it’s revealed that the seemingly separate stories we’ve been watching have all been intertwined. Sterling K. Brown‘s Randall is the adopted brother of twin siblings Kevin and Kate (Justin Hartley and Chrissy Metz), and all three of them are the children of Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore‘s Jack and Rebecca, whose story takes place thirty-six years in the past.
In this modern age of spoilers and near-instantaneous need for ratings, I applaud NBC’s commitment to that old television chestnut known as surprise. The gambit wasn’t without risk. I’m much, much more interested in following this unique family than a group of disparate strangers connected by coincidence. It also helped that the twist was presented organically. It wasn’t a gimmicky “got ya” moment but rather a truly unique storytelling device. After one episode, I was genuinely invested in this family; mostly due to the show’s pitch-perfect marriage between writing and acting.
At this point, calling Sterling K. Brown a scene-stealer seems repetitive. The guy just straight up capital letter Acts as Randall, an idealistic man attempting to reconnect with the biological father who abandoned him. Hartley and Metz shine as Kevin, an attractive sitcom star who yearns to be taken seriously, and Kate, Kevin’s personal assistant who struggles with her weight as she embarks upon a new romantic relationship. Milo Ventimiglia is predictably terrific and Mandy Moore, who was always a breath of fresh air when she guest starred on Scrubs and Entourage, is a welcome addition to my Tuesday nights. If this is the beginning of a Mandy Moore comeback, I am in. I’ve been missing her like candy.
This Is Us evokes the same feeling I used to have when I would watch Parenthood; a feeling I can best describe as “I should really call my mom more often.” The series not only boasts a similar aesthetic, but it also possesses that elusive quality that all great television shows seem to have: heart.
