Feature Story
When times are tough, it helps to lean on our friends for support: that's one thing the COVID-19 pandemic has made abundantly clear. With so many people separated from loved ones, one TV series is striking a chord with viewers eager to connect with friends and family.
A close-knit group of friends rely on each other as they navigate the ups and downs of romantic entanglements, parenting, careers and more when new episodes of “A Million Little Things” return to prime time beginning Thursday, March 11, on ABC. Now in its third season, the drama revolves around a group of people who were shocked when they learned that one of their friends had died by suicide. In the aftermath of the tragedy, they realized they needed to start living life to the fullest.
The ensemble drama stars David Giuntoli (“Grimm”) as Eddie, a musician, music teacher and recovering alcoholic. Grace Park (“Battlestar Galactica”) portrays Eddie's wife, lawyer Katherine, who has been struggling to repair their strained marriage. Romany Malco (“Weeds”) plays troubled aspiring filmmaker, Rome, opposite Christina Moses (“The Originals”) as budding restaurateur, Regina. James Roday Rodriguez (“Psych”) appears as Gary, a breast cancer survivor and close friend to Eddie and Rome. He maintains ties with his ex-girlfriend, therapist Maggie, played by Allison Miller (“Kings”). This season, Floriana Lima (“Supergirl”) has joined the cast as Darcy, Gary's new love interest, while Stephanie Szostak (“Iron Man 3,” 2013) rounds out the adult cast as Delilah, widow of Jon (Ron Livingston, “Band of Brothers”), whose death by suicide brought everyone even closer together.
The young cast includes Lizzy Greene (“Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn”) as Delilah's teenage daughter, Sophie; Chance Hurstfield (“Fatman,” 2020) as Delilah's son, Danny; and Tristan Byon (“The Mortuary Collection,” 2019) as Katherine and Eddie's son, Theo.
Filmed in Vancouver, “A Million Little Things” was originally slated to return on March 4, but the midseason premiere was pushed back a week. The move was reportedly attributed to production delays due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This season, as the friends lean on each other for support, they'll also face challenges associated with the pandemic as the writers don't shy away from dealing with the impact of the deadly virus. At the Savannah College of Art and Design's virtual festival in February the cast were interviewed and series star Malco talked about what's coming up in the remainder of Season 3.
“I've learned from this show that you can't let your bad days convince you that things can't get worse,” Malco joked. “That is my takeaway.”
He also praised series creator D.J. Nash (“'Til Death”) and the show's writers for their work.
“D.J. and the writers have done a good job of just, like, compounding the drama,” he explained. “But also, like you said, because of the fact that we are trying to bring in COVID and everything else, there's those challenges, too.”
The show has been praised for blending intense drama with lighter moments. From the very first season, the friends learned that even when things are at their worst, there are still good things (and vice versa). It was through their grief that they began to understand the importance of living life to the fullest, and therein lies the pull for many viewers. COVID-19 will likely put things into perspective for the friends, just as it has done for billions of people around the world.
The pandemic isn't the only timely topic on which “A Million Little Things” will touch in Season 3, however. During this year's PaleyFest New York panel, Nash explained that the show will also include a storyline linked to the Black Lives Matter movement. Details of that particular storyline are being kept under wraps for now, so viewers will have to tune in to find out how things unfold for the characters.