‘A Million Little Things’ goes heavy on the tears

This might not be “Us,” but it’s pretty darn close. It’s clear from its tragedy-laced beginning to its twisty cliffhangers that ABC’s 30-something tearjerker “A Million Little Things” has been influenced by NBC’s “This Is Us.” That bonanza of family infighting and flowing tears is so proud of its association with the act of crying that its hashtag on Twitter is accompanied by an emoji of a box of tissues. When “Things” premieres, Twitter may need to prep another box. While “Us” focuses on a family of siblings, “Things” (Wednesday, 10 EDT/PDT, focuses on a group of adult male friends in Boston, and their wives and partners, as they reel from the suicide of the group’s de facto leader. That death is portrayed in the opening minutes of the series, along with an attempted suicide, and from those early moments the show’s intention for its audience is clear: A million little tears should be flowing. There’s a lot of good – and bad – wrapped up in “Things,” created by DJ Nash (“Up All Night”). The result is a series that’s worth watching, if you like melodramatic and heavy. After the death of Jon (Ron Livingston), Eddie (David Giuntoli), Gary (James Roday) and Rome (Romany Malco) are wracked with grief. Also mourning are Jon’s widow, Delilah (Stephanie Szostak), his assistant Ashley (Christina Ochoa), Rome’s wife, Regina (Christina Moses) and Gary’s sort-of-girlfriend Maggie (Allison Miller). “Things” is the rare broadcast drama populated not by doctors or lawyers, but by people living everyday life. Yet “Things” throws a cliche parade, with hammy dialogue, predictable plot twists so manipulative that even the characters reach for tissues. But at least “Things” is transparent about what kind of show it is. There are few moments of levity in an hour in which you are free to feel bad and then feel good. It’s an hour in which to cry, but forgettable enough that you can return to your routine. Call it feel-bad feel-good TV, or uncomfortable comfort food. And, more often than not, “Things” is a little comforting.

ABC There’s more crying than laughing in “A Million Little Things.”