This is Us is an exciting, heartful family drama. This is Us had its series premiere on September 20, 2016. It’s about Jack and Rebecca Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore) and their story of raising their 3 children: Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley), Kate Pearson (Chrissy Metz), and Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown). The story starts off in the 1980’s and has recurring flashbacks. The story of this family’s achievements and struggles are widely displayed throughout this show. After the patriarch dies, the rest of the family tries to cope with their loss while continuing on with their lives as best as possible.

This is Us was written by Dan Fogelman, Kay Oyegun, Aurin Squire, and Donald Todd. It was executively produced by Dan Fogelman, Jess Rosenthal, Kenn Olin, and Donald Todd. The show was distributed by 20^th Television, and premieres on the primetime network, NBC. Season 1 had many positive reviews with an average viewer rating of 14.70 million viewers. It got an 1.8/10 from IMDb, 4/5 from Vulture, and a 91% from Rotten Tomatoes.

Season 1 had a great start to the series. The story line was strong, and was executed perfectly. It starts off when the 3 kids were just born. Rebecca Pearson was originally pregnant with triplets, but one was stillborn. That’s when the father, Jack Pearson, saw another baby that was brought into the hospital and decided to adopt it. Even though the young couple was faced with a tragedy, they decided to do what was right. Throughout the children’s youth, the young parents were clueless when it came to taking care of 3 kids by themselves. Although it was a hardship, they always found a way to make things better. As the story jumps to present time, it gives the viewers a little insight into each of the kid’s lives. Kevin Pearson, the oldest, was a sitcom actor who wasn’t proud of his life. He often threw extravagant parties and slept with many women. It seemed he was numb to anything real and sincere in his life. He struggles to find himself, and still be able to feel like he made is family proud. Kevin and Kate Person, the middle child, have a close bond since they were apart of the original triplets. Kate has her own struggles with finding love, and her insecurities with her being overweight. Even though she begins to date Toby (Chris Sullivan), who loves her for her, she still is very insecure, which brings problems into their relationship. They youngest, adopted Randall Pearson has a seemingly perfect life. He is married to the strong-minded Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson), with two beautiful daughters. With Randall being the only African-American in the family, he often felt out of place and unsure of himself in his youth. However, as he got older he embraced himself and turned out to become the most successful child in the Pearson family. Even though Randall has it all, he suffers from panic attacks to the point where he becomes unconscious. Last, the matriarch of the family, Rebecca Pearson also has her story continued. She ends up re-marrying to her husband’s best friend after his death. They have yet to speak on how Jack Pearson passed.

I enjoyed this show because it is so real. They really touch on topics that a lot of families go through. I love how this family is divided, yet so put together. They all have their own struggles that go hand in hand with each other. I felt like season 1 was a great start to the series. I feel that Kevin is still mourning a lot, which has made him make bad choices in his life. Kate should stop being selfish, because she has a man right in front of her, who truly loves her. However, she keeps pushing him away. Eventually, he will stop trying, and then she’ll be lonely. I love how Randall has a strong, black woman by his side to help him stay true to who he is. She is also very helpful when it comes to reminding how strong Randall is. She honestly holds him down. I honestly still don’t understand how Rebecca ended up with her husband’s best friend. I honestly don’t like her character, because she is very pushy and shows favoritism among her children. That’s why 2 of them don’t have a close relationship with her.

Season 2 premiered on September 26, 2017. It is said that this season is going to get into the real feelings and struggles of the family. Everyone will be tested to their limits to see if they’re strong enough to overcome them. So far, it has been good, but very draining. The writers still won’t tell us vital details about the tragic events that have happened so far. Personally, I am puzzled if I want to keep watching this series. Its’s a great show, but certain things are getting dragged on too long.