--- title: "This Is Us" year: 2016 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/this-is-us" fi1m_id: "this-is-us" imdb_id: "tt5555260" tmdb_id: 67136 wikidata_id: "Q24068191" fi1m_score: 76 critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-09-23T12:06:20.681804+00:00" updated: "2026-09-23T12:06:32.264770+00:00" region: "CO" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # This Is Us (2016) Created by Dan Fogelman · Drama ## Identity This Is Us - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/this-is-us - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** this-is-us - **IMDb ID:** tt5555260 - **TMDB ID:** 67136 - **Wikidata ID:** Q24068191 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5555260/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/67136, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24068191 **Fi1m score: 76** · Critics 70 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* A family drama with good actors and a soundtrack that would like to check we are crying > Dan Fogelman’s family drama is worth trying for its cast and its sharp humour. The sentiment often works, though the carefully arranged revelations and persistent musical encouragement can wear down our patience. ## Synopsis *This Is Us* opens with several personal stories, introducing Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia), Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore) and Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown). Kate Pearson (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley) also occupy its attention, alongside Beth Pearson (Susan Kelechi Watson) and Toby Damon (Chris Sullivan). The opening moves between these people rather than following a single lead, using conversations and private difficulties to introduce their lives. Humour accompanies the emotional conflicts as the separate strands develop. How those stories fit together is part of what the opening asks its audience to work out. ## Review Dan Fogelman’s *This Is Us* is good family drama, warmly acted and funny enough to survive its considerable appetite for tears. It wants us to take ordinary unhappiness seriously, without treating decency as evidence that a character is stupid. That is a welcome starting point, and the cast gives it more life than the premise might suggest. The difficulty is how often the programme prepares an emotional response before the people involved have earned one. The acting is the reason to stay. We were moved by Sterling K. Brown’s performance as Randall Pearson, because his restraint gives the intimate material weight without asking for our sympathy. Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore, as Jack Pearson and Rebecca Pearson, bring a similar conviction to writing that could easily become embarrassing. Their sincerity makes the more sentimental dialogue easier to accept, even when we can hear how carefully the words have been chosen. Chrissy Metz and Chris Sullivan are particularly valuable because they make room for humour. As Kate Pearson and Toby Damon, they can make the hokier writing feel like something a person might actually say, which is no small service here. Justin Hartley also gives Kevin Pearson enough personality to keep him from becoming merely another excuse for a touching scene. The jokes are essential: they let us spend time with these people without continually assessing their pain. More of that ease would help. Visually, the series is less distinctive. The cinematography, credited to James Takata, Brett Pawlak and Yasu Tanida, is at its most effective when it lets the actors command our attention. Dan Bishop and Gary Frutkoff’s production design is similarly unobtrusive, which suits a programme asking us to concentrate on private lives. We would not choose it for the images alone, but neither does it need a grand visual flourish every time somebody feels something. The editing has a harder job. Brandi Bradburn and Julia Grove are among the editors joining the separate stories, and the shifts keep us curious even when the individual situations are familiar. Yet the insistence on connections sometimes leaves us waiting for information instead of attending to the conversation in front of us. Siddhartha Khosla’s music contributes to the tenderness, while the soft indie soundtrack can make the emotional atmosphere too uniform. There are passages when we would welcome less encouragement. Dan Fogelman’s fondness for arranging revelations is the greater weakness. The programme can seem unwilling to trust that a well-played exchange is enough, so the way a story is presented becomes a source of suspense in itself. We will not describe those manoeuvres, but their neatness occasionally makes the characters seem less convincing. The writing also has a habit of making people say the consoling thing with just the right amount of polish. Ordinary conversation is rarely this helpful. Anyone looking for a family drama that distrusts affection will have a difficult time here. The programme takes the possibility of people being good to one another seriously, and we would rather see that attempted with conviction than dismissed as an embarrassment. Its faults do not cancel the pleasure of watching this cast make familiar troubles matter. Start it when a little reassurance sounds appealing, provided a conversation becoming a life lesson does not immediately make you reach for the remote. *Fi1m score 76, published 23 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to This Is Us, praising its intimate family stories and a cast that makes potentially cloying material convincing. The performances draw the most consistent approval, with Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz among those singled out. Favourable reviews also credit the dialogue and humour with keeping the sentimentality in check. For these critics, the programme’s kindness towards ordinary people gives its emotional turns enough substance to land. The disagreement concerns how deliberately those emotions are engineered. Even positive reviews note contrivances and question whether the interconnected storytelling can sustain its appeal beyond the pilot. Variety admires several performances but finds the central twist makes the storytelling difficult to judge. The Ringer is the clear negative outlier, arguing that cheap surprises substitute for substantial characters and conflict. The spread is wide, then, despite a firmly positive majority. ## Straight answers **Is This Is Us worth watching?** *This Is Us* is worth watching for its warm performances and sharp humour, especially if reassuring family drama appeals; we score it 76 out of 100. The cast makes familiar troubles matter, but we find the carefully arranged revelations and persistent musical encouragement to cry can test our patience. **Where can I watch This Is Us in Colombia?** *This Is Us* is streaming on Disney+ in Colombia. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is This Is Us, and is it suitable for children?** *This Is Us* carries a UK 12 certificate, suggesting suitability for older children and teenagers rather than younger children. Its family conflicts and ordinary unhappiness call for some emotional maturity, but the certificate alone does not establish how much violence or frightening material to expect. **How does This Is Us compare to Ordinary People?** *This Is Us* offers warmer, funnier and more reassuring family drama than [*Ordinary People*](https://film.one/film/ordinary-people), which we favour for family pain treated with greater severity and less eagerness to comfort. Both benefit from persuasive acting, though neither entirely avoids over-explaining feelings; choose the series for affectionate company and the film for a more demanding evening. ### Reviews we read (8) - **IndieWire** (B+): The review ranks fall TV shows and gives This Is Us an updated grade, noting its emotional appeal and twists as part of a broader assessment of new series. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/review-this-is-us-the-good-place-fall-tv-ranked-best-worst-1201745240/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the strong performances and heart in the pilot while noting the interconnected structure and twist may not sustain long-term, calling it an engaging dramedy that will make viewers laugh and cry. The cast, particularly Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore and Sterling K. Brown, carries the emotional weight effectively. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/is-us-tv-review-928919/) - **The Telegraph** (4/5): This Is Us offers an antidote to cynical TV drama with its fundamental goodness and intimate portrayal of ordinary people muddling through life. The winning cast and soft indie soundtrack help suck viewers in despite the potentially cloying premise. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/12/06/us-antidote-cynical-tv-drama-review/) - **The Guardian** (79/100, inferred): The critic finds the US drama smartly undercuts its saccharine elements with clever dialogue and delivers sharp humour alongside emotional punches. The strong cast, especially Chrissy Metz and Chris Sullivan, carries the hokey material convincingly. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/dec/07/this-is-us-review-us-drama) - **Radio Times**, Sarah Carson (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the series an accessible, cleverly written American family drama with an irresistible warmth and occasionally searing depth, despite some sentimentality that might grate on cynical viewers. Multiple narratives and strong performances from the cast, including Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore, draw viewers in despite occasional implausibility. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/this-is-us-review-cleverly-written-and-easy-to-watch-with-occasionally-searing-depth/) - **Vulture** (75/100, inferred): The pilot review praises the show's sentimental family drama, well-acted performances, and surprising twist in the final minutes, while noting some contrived elements and manufactured storylines. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2016/09/this-is-us-youre-going-to-need-some-tissues.html) - **Variety**, Sonia Saraiya (55/100, inferred): The critic notes the pilot is difficult to evaluate due to its focus on delivering a central twist and finds the storytelling a mix of intimate portraits and cloying sentiment that risks feeling like gimmicky manipulation. Strong performances from Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley stand out amid the mawkishness. [Read](https://variety.com/2016/tv/reviews/tv-review-this-is-us-nbc-milo-ventimiglia-mandy-moore-1201858501/) - **The Ringer**, Alison Herman (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the series dishonest smarm and empty calories, criticizing its reliance on cheap emotional twists rather than substantive characters or conflict. She singles out the pilot's "twist" that the interconnected characters are simply family members as a disingenuous marketing ploy. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2016/10/18/tv/this-is-us-nbc-367fd0b2d79a) ## Details - **Created by:** Dan Fogelman - **Creator:** Dan Fogelman - **Director:** Ken Olin, Chris Koch, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, Kevin Hooks, Anne Fletcher, Rebecca Asher, George Tillman Jr., Yasu Tanida, Kay Oyegun, Jessica Yu, Milo Ventimiglia, Jon Huertas, Justin Hartley, Sarah Boyd, Zetna Fuentes, Roxann Dawson, John Fortenberry, Uta Briesewitz, Catherine Hardwicke, Glenn Steelman, James Takata, Kevin Rodney Sullivan, Timothy Busfield, Regina King, Silas Howard, Wendey Stanzler, Helen Hunt, Chris Sullivan, Craig Zisk, Joanna Kerns, Mandy Moore, Sarah Pia Anderson - **Writer:** Dan Fogelman, Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, Kay Oyegun, Vera Herbert, K.J. Steinberg, Laura Kenar, Kevin Falls, Julia Brownell, Bekah Brunstetter, Eboni Freeman, Danielle Bauman, Casey Johnson, David Windsor, Jon Dorsey, Jonny Gomez, Shukree Hassan Tilghman, Elan Mastai, Donald Todd, Don Roos, Joe Lawson, Jake Schnesel, Aurin Squire, Chrissy Metz, Tyler Bensinger, Susan Kelechi Watson, Tim O’Brien, Tim O'Brien - **Cinematography:** Yasu Tanida, James Takata, Brett Pawlak - **Editor:** Julia Grove, Bjorn T. Myrholt, Howard Leder, Brandi Bradburn, Erin Nicole Wyatt, Nick Rucka, Lai-San Ho, Romina Rey, David L. Bertman - **Music:** Siddhartha Khosla - **Production design:** Gary Frutkoff, Dan Bishop - **Costume design:** Hala Bahmet - **Producer:** Cathy Mickel Gibson, Nick Pavonetti, Bekah Brunstetter - **Cast:** Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson; Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson; Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson; Chrissy Metz as Kate Pearson; Justin Hartley as Kevin Pearson; Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth Pearson; Chris Sullivan as Toby Damon; Jon Huertas as Miguel Rivas - **Release (Colombia):** 20 September 2016 - **Genres:** Drama - **Also in:** [Emmy Outstanding Drama Series winners](https://film.one/collections/emmy-drama.md) (Nominee, 2017) - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViBgNO0FpmE ## Where to watch in Colombia - Disney+: streaming, hd *Checked 2026-09-23.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Parenthood* (2010): Another family ensemble that lets affection survive arguments, embarrassment and ordinary disappointment. - *Ordinary People* (1980), Fi1m 81: For family pain treated with greater severity and less eagerness to offer comfort. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ordinary-people.md) - *Still Walking* (2008): A family gathering where food and small remarks carry years of resentment. - *Mum* (2016): Patient domestic comedy that finds tenderness among people who struggle to express it. - *The Quiet Girl* (2022): For a quieter account of care, belonging and the difficulty of accepting kindness. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/this-is-us