This is Us on NBC could really be "Us" and that makes it Good

I have to tell you I just read several not so favorable reviews of my new favorite drama: This is Us on NBC and I am a little angry.  I have talked with friends of mine who love it, but unfortunately some of the television reviewers of the world are not on board. One of them went so far as to say it was bad. When I watch I think: This is Us could really be Us, bringing us believable story lines that people can relate to. I guess that same observation could make people change the channel.  It all depends on what you want to watch. Frankly I like a little bit of everything.  This show slows things down for me. It shows me situations that seem real. It makes me feel sadness and struggle, but I also laugh and smile. For an hour on Tuesday nights, or later in the week because I DVRed it, I enjoy watch I am watching.

I know in this day and age it might not be enough. People are turning to cable (me included) to find the television series that WOW. The great actors with the over the top story lines where you don't breath the entire hour because you are so caught up in what you are watching. That is good TV, but I don't think this show should be criticized for trying to wow us in a different way.

The storyline is developing and the acting is there. Mandy Moore is doing a great job. She plays the mother in two different time periods. One she is young and struggling with triplets. The other she is the grandmother dealing with the sins of the past and trying to control the future. Sterling K. Brown is one of my favorites from Army Wives. He plays Randall the adopted triplet. His biological father was on drugs at the time of Randall's birth, so he left him at a fire station. The firefighters brought him to the hospital where Mandy Moore's triplets were being born. One of the triplets dies during birth, so the parents (played by Moore and Milo Ventimiglia) decide to take Randall home with their other two babies. The show jumps back and forth between the time when the three are little to when they are all grown up. Each show so far has ended with a little twist that keeps us thinking, how did they get there? What will happen next?

Mandy Moore Courtesy:NBC

Sterling K. Brown Courtesy:NBC

The negative reviews I read got caught up on the twists, claiming if there is no solid story then the twists will lose their effect. They also criticized the show for not having similar qualities that other shows have, i.e: characters with super powers and crimes to solve. I can agree a little with the first, a show can't be built on twists alone, but I totally disagree with the second. This show is different and I think that's ok. If you can make a minute in your schedule you should check it out.

It does remind me of NBC's Parenthood. It moves slower than most of my other programs I watch, and there are a lot of characters and things going on. After it is over I am still thinking about it, and I like that in a show. The reviews I saw did bring back terrible memories of the articles I remember reading about Parenthood discussing how that show was ways on the bubble when it came time to renew or cancel.  Parenthood lasted 6 seasons. I watched all of them, some of them twice.  This is Us has Parenthood potential.

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