Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers for This Is Us.
This Is Us is the most melodramatic, emotionally manipulative show on television. And it is also must-see TV for millions of viewers who have made it the unlikely breakout hit of the season.
A family drama about three siblings told through flashback and voice-over monologue did not seem to be a winning formula for networks spewing out one glitzy superhero show after the next.
The drama from creator Dan Fogelman (Pitch) is a kind of heroic-father fantasy, played by a sterling cast including Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Sterling K. Brown (The People v. O.J. Simpson) and Gerald McRaney (Major Dad).
It airs Tuesdays at 9 on CTV.
Fogelman, to his credit, tells the intertwined stories with great skill, surprising audiences with plot twists and constantly shifting timelines. Although it can seem gimmicky, moving the complicated plot along while delivering the Notebook-worthy tissue quotient is masterful work. And audiences have responded.
Last week, This Is Us was the 10th most watched show in Canada, one of only two new series (including Bull) to make the top 10. The Big Bang Theory held the perennial top spot.
In the U.S., it continues to dominate Tuesday nights in the advertiser-driven 18-49 demographic.
“Every time I think Dan can’t surprise me any further, he does and he keeps doing this every week,” Mandy Moore, who plays Rebecca Pearson, told the Star. “I’ll be reading a script by myself and I’ll just be sitting in a corner crying.”
Moore was nominated for a Golden Globe along with co-star Chrissy Metz for Best Supporting Actress. The show was also nominated for Best Drama series but lost to The Crown.
As Rebecca, Moore plays both a young mother of three and eventually a 60-something grandmother, despite the fact she is younger than the three actors who play her children.
“They keep calling me mom whenever we have a reunion,” laughed Moore. “The aging process itself in the makeup was fine. But what I was really concerned about was how to play a young mother. I’ve been a wife, but I’ve never had kids, so I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing, picking up the babies properly and if I could even be convincing. That for me was scary.
“I really threw myself into this,” she added. “It’s so rare to get this incredibly meaty, well-written role where you’re playing a character over so many decades, where you can really build this person. She goes through so many challenges. Those scenes when she decides not to tell her adopted child about certain things in his life. To be able to hold on to family secrets and bear this incredible burden must be so tough.”
The 32-year-old actress first became prominent with her hit single “Candy” in 1999 before branching out into acting with movies such as A Walk to Remember based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.
After six years of marriage, a divorce from singer Ryan Adams was finalized in June 2016. Moore started looking for projects. This Is Us came at the right time.
“I never really envisioned this level of success for the show in my wildest dreams,” said Moore. “I think people are really responding to seeing something this dramatic on broadcast television.”
The ratings bonanza means there will inevitably be more copycat family dramas in the pipeline. In a rare show of confidence by a broadcaster, NBC has renewed the series for two more seasons.
Fogelman told TV critics in Los Angeles recently that he has a wellspring of stories to tell based on the characters.
“The great thing about the show is the nature of the timeline. We’ll never run out of stories really,” said Fogelman. “I think our audience and our fans will go back with us in time and see (for example) Dr. K (Gerald McRaney) as a 30-year-old man meeting his wife for the first time.”
In retrospect, NBC taking a chance on a heavy drama now looks like brilliant counterprogramming in a TV schedule bereft of family-friendly shows such as the now cancelled Parenthood.
“I think people are really responding because it’s about real life and real life problems that we all have. And it shows that we can also rise above some serious life challenges,” said Moore.
Mandy Moore vs. Mandy Moore
When La La Land director Damien Chazelle accepted his Golden Globe for Best Director, he promptly thanked his choreographer, Mandy Moore. This caused confusion, as many thought that he meant actress and pop singer Mandy Moore, 32. But there is another Mandy Moore, 40, a four-time Emmy-nominated choreographer who was responsible for some of the moves in 11 seasons of So You Think You Can Dance. In case you’re still confused, here’s a primer.
Awards
Awards
Actress: 1 Golden Globe nomination, 1 Teen Choice Award
Choreographer: 4 Emmy Award nominations
Big break
Big break
Actress: First album So Real in 1999 went platinum. So far she’s sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.
Choreographer: First Emmy nomination in 2008 for So You Think You Can Dance
Also known for
Also known for
Actress:The Princess Diaries, License to Wed
Choreographer:Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle
Memorable quote
Memorable quote
Actress: “Here’s your $20 back or here’s your $15.99 back, I have to refund you. I’m sorry.” (Telling The Associated Press she was mortified hearing So Real, recorded when she was 14, in a record store)
Choreographer:La La Land was “the Super Bowl of my career.”
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