This Is Us is an American television drama series created by Dan Fogelman that premiered on NBC on September 20, 2016. The series stars an ensemble cast featuring Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, Ron Cephas Jones, Jon Huertas, Alexandra Breckenridge, Niles Fitch, Logan Shroyer, Hannah Zeile, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, Parker Bates, Lonnie Chavis, Eris Baker, and Faithe Herman. The program details the lives and families of two parents, and their three children born on the same day as their father's birthday.
On September 27, 2016, NBC picked up the series for a full season of 18 episodes. In January 2017, NBC renewed the series for two additional seasons of 18 episodes each. The second season premiered on September 26, 2017. Two more seasons were ordered bringing the total of 3 seasons through 2019. On May 12, 2019, NBC renewed the series for three additional seasons.
Premise
The series follows siblings Kevin, Kate, and Randall (known as the "Big Three") as their lives intertwine, and their parents Jack and Rebecca Pearson. It is shown in both present day and in flashbacks.
Kevin and Kate are the two surviving members of a triplet pregnancy, conceived after Super Bowl XIV at "Froggy's" in Pittsburgh. Their due date is October 12, 1980, but they are born six weeks early on August 31 (Jack's birthday); their biological brother is stillborn. After losing their third baby, Jack and Rebecca decide to adopt Randall, a black child born the same day and brought to the same hospital after his biological father abandons him at a fire station.
Episodes weave through the stories of the past and present of the characters, with most scenes taking place in four periods: c.1980–1981, c.1988–1990, c.1995–1998, and the present day (2016–2018). Most flashback scenes occur in Pittsburgh, where the "Big Three" are born and raised. Current scenes are typically split among Los Angeles, New Jersey, and New York City. In each episode, most flashback scenes, relate to current scenes, shows Jack, who dies when the "Big Three" are 17—and Rebecca when they are either babies, ages 8–10, or ages 15–17.
Cast and Characters
Episodes
Reception
The series has received positive reviews since its premiere, and has been nominated for Best Television Series – Drama at the 74th Golden Globe Awards and Best Drama Series at the 7th Critics' Choice Awards, as well as being chosen as a Top Television Program by the American Film Institute. Sterling K. Brown has received an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a Critics' Choice Award, and an NAACP Image Award for his acting in the series. Mandy Moore and Chrissy Metz received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress. In 2017, the series received ten Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, with Brown winning for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Notes and Trivia
- The show was originally titled '36,' which is the age the three main characters are turning at the beginning.
- Sterling K. Brown, Denis O'Hare, Chrissy Metz, and Alexandra Breckenridge have all appeared in TV shows produced by Ryan Murphy. Brown was in American Crime Story (2016). O'Hare, Metz and Breckenridge were in American Horror Story (2011).