Emotion is a force to be reckoned with. I know from firsthand experience. I happen to hold a very large fondness for TV dramas.

Whenever I watch a series or two that is placed in this category, I always feel intertwined with the story. I always love how personal the stories that come from them are. I usually end up in tears at the end of each episode, too.

What can I say? I’m a softie for these things.

Due to my love of the genre, when I heard that NBC was releasing “This is Us,” a new show that focuses on pure human emotion, I knew I had to tune in.

Commercials made me see the show as a modern, more relatable dip into the genre. I personally never especially loved the corny TV shows where you, the viewer, can determine the outcome of said TV show’s plot.

“Oh, they are split, so they would have to get back together by the end of it,” I usually say to myself when tuning into one of the shows in this category. Usually TV dramas are cornier than the fall harvest nowadays. So, when seeing something possibly more human, I had high hopes.

But did the show deliver? Definitely.

Ever since the first episode, I have been hooked on the plot of the story. The flow of the script, the actors, and, truly, the feels I experience from watching have me always awaiting for next Tuesday for what happens to the cast.

For example, the struggle of Randall’s biological father kept me hooked into finding out whether or not he could pull out of his addiction. This is due to the show’s excellent writing and the amazing acting of Ron Cephas Jones.

Leaving viewers with one or two plot twists at the end of every episode so far has also got me biting my fingernails to see what happens next.  I would never spoil anything for new viewers; Those feelings you get are truly up for you to find out. Trust me, these turns can and will turn your understanding of the show and the events that have happened in it completely.

One thing I must state: the show truly gets to the nitty-gritty of what it talks about. This is how the show handles Jack’s alcoholism. The blunt way of showing what he truly felt and how the alcoholism impacted his friends and family demonstrates the show’s attention to human emotion expertly and perfectly.

I would say the personal factor of the show is the slice of the pie that has won me over the most. The bluntness of the show with its subject matter and how such matter unfolds in front of my eyes truly has me relating to it (and I bet will keep me doing so). Some of the matter I have never seen so well done, too.

From the realization of the actor Kevin (Justin Hartley) that his successful lifestyle of being “The Manny” isn’t working out for him as a person, I felt and saw the ideals of being who and what you want to be.

From the characters Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan), whose struggles with obesity have defined the issue as a push for body positivity.

From Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and his wife Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson), whose finding of Randall’s biological father teaches all of us the true meaning of acceptance.

Even from the pregnancy struggles of a husband of wife, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore), which shows how much love a parent can truly feel for their children, even when the wee ones are still in the womb.

These sort of themes I have never seen expressed as well as they are in this masterpiece.

I would definitely recommend this show for those who long to fill the hole in their hearts with something that would be easy to get hooked on and would give you the feels at the same time.

Gareth’s score:

5/5