This is it – a TV drama with real-life characters
WE’VE just reached the middle of the year and this may be a bold statement to make but here goes: This Is Us is the best TV series to come out of Trump’s United States this year. In three months, when season one ends, send me an e-mail because I know you’re going to be agreeing with me.
The brilliance that is This Is Us premieres on M-Net at 7.30pm tonight. So why is it so great? Over 18 episodes, incredibly interesting and intricate stories are intertwined. Essentially, the series is about three siblings who grew up as triplets. But they’re actually not. On the same day, Kate (played by Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) are born prematurely to Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore). The third child, who would make up triplets for Rebecca and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) doesn’t survive.
While still processing this in the hospital, Jack is approached to take care of another baby who was born on the same day. A black baby. The couple agrees to adopt him and since all the kids were born on the same day, they are raised as triplets. As the same but also different.
Therein lie the exquisite opportunities that the writers of This Is Us take on with both hands. That family dynamic is incredibly complex. There are race issues. There are sibling rivalries. There are romantic relationships that are under immense strain.
This Is Us unfolds in present day America but the viewer is often transported back to the triplets’ childhood in each episode. That provides such invaluable context as to why every character is the way they are. The fact that the characters are revealed as multi-dimensional not only makes for thrilling surprise plot twists but it challenges other TV series to stop giving us the “right or wrong” treatment when it comes to judging the characters.
Michael K Sterling, who plays Randall, the adopted child, was nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series category at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. He is one of the stand-out actors in a cast full of top notch actors. He presents a side of masculinity that isn’t often offered on mainstream television.
This series has been nominated for and won quite a few awards, including the Best Tearjerker Moment at the MTV Movie and TV Awards. Honestly, MTV could’ve chosen several tearjerker moments from this series. It’s the kind of show that just avoids cheese altogether so it doesn’t tug at your heartstrings in the expected ways. The viewer becomes so invested in the actual storylines that it’s the smallest things that are going to make you want to reach for a tissue.
Through merging flashbacks and modern day occurrences, it’s easy to understand the characters on this show. In a way, This Is Us forces you to take a look at your own prejudices because there are plenty of topics that are tackled with a level of normalcy on this series. And you’ll be better for it.
As of tonight, This Is Us is the best American series on South African TV. So let me know if I’m right or if I’m right in a few weeks.
This Is Us
premieres on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) tonight at 7.30pm.