REVIEW COLLECTION: "This Is Us"

WRITER'S NOTE: The following is a collection of reviews posted on my Instagram account @be.kerian. They’ve been organized chronologically, based on initial release dates, and have been slightly edited. (The dates in which said reviews were first posted are in parentheses.) 

The following is a brief, spoiler-free look back at the six-season, six-year run of NBC's superb drama series. 

Season 1 (2016-2017) 

I've officially finished Season 1 of "This Is Us" for the first time. I've only really been invested in very few shows, for those of you who know me well. I tried watching this series last fall and only got to see the pilot. (Then I was in the ER the next day for health reasons, but that's a different story.) With all the personal lifestyle changes I've made in the last several weeks, however, I eventually decided to make time to watch this.

Obviously, I don't want to spoil anything, except to say that the basic premise involving a unique set of siblings and their lives (and the lives of their parents and families) is both brilliantly written and phenomenally acted. There are a few content issues involved, but, other than that, this is one of those truly rare shows with genuine emotional investment and real creative freedom in the way it alternates between times and places and memories. You think you know where the stories are going to go, until they take a 180. Looking forward to catching up on Seasons 2 and 3. My regards to the cast and crew involved 👍 Well done. (And thank you to my relatives in Wisconsin for lending me the 5-disc DVD set.) (6/10/2019) 

Season 2 (2017-2018) 

Just finished Season 2 of "This Is Us." Honestly, this show continues to surprise me and blow my mind. You think you know everything you need to know about these characters, until the stories go in unexpected places and reveal unexpected twists and surprising elements that you never could preconceive. Any product, whether a movie franchise or T.V. series or books series, that has creative freedom, phenomenal acting, writing, directing, et al, earns the right to be commended. I look forward to watching Season 3 very soon, not to mention the fourth season that premieres on NBC next month! Many thanks to my relatives in WI for lending me this! (8/22/2019) 

Season 3 (2018-2019) 

Better late than ever, but with most of us quarantined or self-isolating for the last several weeks, I thought this would be a good time to (FINALLY) catch up on Season 3 of "This Is Us." I've said it before: this series continually surprises and amazes with its unexpected twists and character arcs, time period alterations, and deep humanity. I wonder what meetings in the writer's room look like when developing every episode, each continually subverting our knowledge and understanding of these characters and their stories. Here's to Season 4. (7/3/2020) 

Season 4 (2019-2020) 

Just finished Season 4 of "This Is Us" on Hulu. Boy, this season threw quite a few emotional curveballs! Especially in how the various character arcs connected, were set up, and how the writers continually subvert viewers expectations. Let's get to season 5 already! Mandy Moore has reportedly said it will be "mind-blowing". (8/11/2020) 

Season 5 (2020-2021) 

Just finished watching last night's season (five) finale of "This Is Us" on Hulu. Wow! All things considered (including the 2020 pandemic and Black Lives Matter), the cast, writers and crew behind this season handled these themes and storylines very well. Perhaps more low-key, compared to previous seasons, but still very engrossing and, by the season finale, breathless. Looking forward to the sixth (and reportedly) final season very soon!!! (5/26/2021) 

Season 6: "The Final Chapter" (2021-2022) 

The sixth and final season of the NBC T.V. series "This Is Us" has come to its long-awaited conclusion. There's no point in spilling details about how it ends, except to tell you that the individual and collective journeys of the Pearson family and those close to them offer surprising twists and emotional heartstrings that will ultimately leave you breathless. I know of no other show in recent memory with this much ambition, emotion, and transcendence. (Talk about a passage of time.) My hats off to the entire cast and crew for an exceptional run from 2016 to now. (5/24/2022)