This Is Us (season 1)

The first season of the American television series ''This Is Us'' follows the lives and families of two parents and their three children born on the same day as their father's birthday. The season is produced by Rhode Island Ave. Productions, Zaftig Films, and 20th Century Fox Television, with Fogelman and Don Todd serving as showrunners.

The season stars an ensemble cast featuring Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, and Ron Cephas Jones.

The season, which premiered on NBC on September 20, 2016, and ran until March 14, 2017, over 18 episodes, received generally positive reviews from critics. It was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten television programs of 2016, and received ten nominations for the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series with Brown winning for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as receiving nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Drama Series. The series was renewed for a second and third season on January 18, 2017.

Cast and characters

Main

* Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson
* Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson
* Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson
* Chrissy Metz as Kate Pearson
* Justin Hartley as Kevin Pearson
* Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth Pearson
* Chris Sullivan as Toby Damon
* Ron Cephas Jones as William H. "Shakespeare" Hill

Recurring

* Niles Fitch as teenage Randall Pearson
* Lonnie Chavis as young Randall Pearson
* Hannah Zeile as teenage Kate Pearson
* Mackenzie Hancsicsak as young Kate Pearson
* Logan Shroyer as teenage Kevin Pearson
* Parker Bates as young Kevin Pearson
* Eris Baker as Tess Pearson
* Faithe Herman as Annie Pearson
* Jon Huertas as Miguel Rivas
* Gerald McRaney as Dr. Nathan Katowski (aka Dr. K)
* Jermel Nakia as young adult William H. "Shakespeare" Hill
* Janet Montgomery as Olivia Maine
* Milana Vayntrub as Sloane Sandburg
* Ryan Michelle Bathe as Yvette
* Denis O'Hare as Jessie
* Adam Bartley as Duke
* Alexandra Breckenridge as Sophie
** Amanda Leighton as teenage Sophie
** Sophia Coto as young Sophie
* Jill Johnson as Laurie
* Caitlin Thompson as Madison

Guest

* Alan Thicke as himself
* Brad Garrett as Wes Manning
* Katey Sagal as Lanie Schulz
* Jami Gertz as Marin Rosenthal
* Seth Meyers as himself
* Jimmi Simpson as Andy Fannan
* Elizabeth Perkins as Janet Malone
* Peter Onorati as Stanley Pearson
* Mario Lopez as himself
* Wynn Everett as Shelly
* Ron Howard as himself
* Susan Blakely as Anne

Episodes

Production

Development

Dan Fogelman and Don Todd served as the season's showrunners.

Casting

In 2015, Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Justin Hartley, Sterling K. Brown, and Ron Cephas Jones were the first to be cast in Dan Fogelman’s pilot. Chrissy Metz was later cast in the pilot, followed by Susan Kelechi Watson. Jon Huertas joined the cast in 2016.

Reception

Critical response

The first season of ''This Is Us'' received positive reviews, with critics praising cast performances and series plot. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 91% based on 65 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.67/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Featuring full-tilt heartstring-tugging family drama, ''This Is Us'' will provide a suitable surrogate for those who have felt a void in their lives since '' Parenthood'' went off the air."

On Metacritic, the season has a normalized score of 76 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". TVLine gave the series "A−" saying, "With emotionally resonant dialogue and top-notch performances, ''This Is Us'' should fill that Braverman-sized hole in your heart." ''TV Guide'' placed ''This Is Us'' at ninth among the top ten picks for the most anticipated new shows of the 2016–2017 season and called it, "a well-acted drama about love, life and family."

Writing for ''The Star-Ledger'', Vicki Hyman lauded the series and said, "''This Is Us'' (from ''Crazy, Stupid, Love'' screenwriter Dan Fogelman) methodically weaves four seemingly disparate stories into a believable and emotional whole through tiny telling details, relateable moments, and conversations and confrontations that are funny, tender or painful, or all three at once." ''Entertainment Weekly''s Jeff Jensen wrote, "A 21st century ''thirtysomething'' for a TV generation that likes a splash of high concept in their shows and isn't afraid of melodrama." Gwen Ihnat of '' The A.V. Club'' also reviewed the series positively saying, "The hour accomplishes what it set out to do. It creates characters so compelling that we compulsively want to tune back in to see them again."

In a review for ''The Boston Globe'', Matthew Gilbert said, "The pilot is beautifully shaped, the themes of building your own meaning in life are smart, and the actors already seem to know their characters."

''The Washington Post'' critic Hank Stuever said, "While I'd like to see another few episodes to make sure, there's something comfortably gooey right away about ''This Is Us'', reminding us once more that amid all the high-functioning detectives, emergency-rescue personnel and secret-agent superheroes covered in cryptic tattoos, there are very few network dramas aimed at viewers who are simply interested in everyday people and how they feel." ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''s TV critic Rob Owen (journalist), Rob Owen wrote, "Created and written by Dan Fogelman, This is Us manages the tricky task of telling emotional stories without getting too saccharine. And in each story, the characters are quite relatable." James Poniewozik of ''The New York Times'' also gave the series positive reviews and said, "The first hour works its way efficiently through an economy-size box of tissues with cleverly turned dialogue and well-inhabited performances." The series also received praise from critics at other publications such as ''USA Today'', ''The Atlantic'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and ''The Los Angeles Times''.

Some were more critical towards the show, Daniel D'Addario of ''Time (magazine), Time'' wrote, "The show has promise, but its cynicism in terms of trying to evoke an emotional response is both what viewers will be tuning in for and its least accomplished aspect. If it could work to wring out a real response, not just an easy one, this might be a show worth watching each week. Ben Travers, Chief TV critic of ''Indiewire'', quipped, "'It all works out' seems to be the main takeaway from the pilot, but where things specifically go from here is one whopping question mark. Perhaps if this was an episodic anthology series with new characters flooding in every week and new arcs every season, ''This Is Us'' could repeat the mysterious highs of its subjectively mediocre pilot (depending on how you like that ending)."

In a moderate review for ''Variety (magazine), Variety'', Sonia Saraiya said, "It's deceptively difficult to build a surprising and complete story in just 40 minutes with so many characters. Yet ''This Is Us'' manages to both craft an intimate series of portraits and stitch them together. But at the same time, waves of cloying sentiment threaten to submerge everything."

Critics' top ten lists

''This Is Us'' was included on multiple Best/Top TV Shows of 2016 lists; these are listed below in order of rank.

Ratings

Accolades

Broadcast

''This Is Us'' premiered on NBC in the United States on September 20, 2016. The series premiered on CTV Television Network, CTV in Canada on September 21, 2016, on TVNZ 2 in New Zealand on September 27, 2016, and on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2016. The series premiered on Network Ten, Channel Ten in Australia on February 8, 2017.

References

{{ScreenActorsGuildAwards EnsembleTVDrama 2010–2019, state=collapsed

2016 American television seasons
2017 American television seasons
This Is Us