--- title: "This Is Us: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/this-is-us/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/this-is-us" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 8 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): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. 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. ## IndieWire Rating B+. 22 November 2016. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/review-this-is-us-the-good-place-fall-tv-ranked-best-worst-1201745240/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2016. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/is-us-tv-review-928919/) ## The Telegraph Rating 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/12/06/us-antidote-cynical-tv-drama-review/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 79/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2016. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/dec/07/this-is-us-review-us-drama) ## Radio Times — Sarah Carson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/this-is-us-review-cleverly-written-and-easy-to-watch-with-occasionally-searing-depth/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2016. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/09/this-is-us-youre-going-to-need-some-tissues.html) ## Variety — Sonia Saraiya Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2016. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2016/tv/reviews/tv-review-this-is-us-nbc-milo-ventimiglia-mandy-moore-1201858501/) ## The Ringer — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2016. 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 the review](https://www.theringer.com/2016/10/18/tv/this-is-us-nbc-367fd0b2d79a) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md