Creator of This is Us surprised by fan interest
If you’d have told Dan Fogelman that a television family drama would inspire the kind of fanaticism usually reserved for genre storytelling — rife with conspiracy theories and connect-the-dots analysis — he wouldn’t have believed that twist.
Even now, it doesn’t quite register.
It’s early April and Fogelman, who created this season’s breakout drama This Is Us, is in the throes of production on his upcoming feature film, Life Itself, starring Oscar Isaac and Samuel L. Jackson — and one question, he said, has emerged as most pressing on that set.
“People are making a beeline for me as soon as I get to work to ask about how Jack died,” he said sheepishly by phone.
This Is Us tracks the stories of a family at different stages in their lives. Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore star as the central parents, Jack and Rebecca Pearson, with twins played by Justin Hartley and Chrissy Metz, and an adopted son played by Sterling K. Brown.
Early in the series, which jumps back in forth in time from the couple’s early days with young kids to the children’s lives now as adults, it is revealed that Jack has died — but when and how exactly it happened have yet to be explained — creating a howdunit element of intrigue amid the exploration of the pleasures and twists of everyday life. So how did Jack die?
“On a slow day, I get asked that question a couple times a day,” Ventimiglia said weeks after the show aired its season finale.
“It’s really mind-boggling all these theories that are popping up,” Moore added.
“It’s funny because I never expected that side. Yeah, there are twists and stuff … but it’s not a movie of the week, it’s not for the sake of shock value. I am constantly surprised that there are articles like, ‘The Five Most Shocking Things About this Episode.’ ’’
But even before making its TV première, the NBC ensemble drama had people talking.
When a 2 1/2-minute trailer for the series dropped last May, it racked up nearly 15 million views in a little over 48 hours after its release — this despite a vague title and concept and a less-than-megastar cast.
The trailer now stands as a home movie flashback in the This Is Us biography.
The series, which is produced by 20th Century Fox TV, has emerged as a rare beacon of hope in an increasingly fractured television landscape by demonstrating that a big network success is still possible. Its freshman season averaged 15.3 million viewers and a 4.8 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18- to 49-year-old demographic when live-plus-delayed viewing over seven days was factored in, according to Nielsen — helping NBC claim the No. 1 spot in the key demographic this season.
Impressive numbers and data are nice, sure. But the cast feels the show’s reach every time they step outside.
“It’s not just handshakes and selfies,” said Hartley, who plays Kevin Pearson.
“It’s four to seven minutes of talking to strangers. People are compelled to share really personal stories — their life stories — with me and, really, I’m a complete stranger. But that tells me the show has touched them in such a profound way.”