'This is us' review: A family drama that vies for the 'must watch' title!

The drama category on television catering to the English-speaking audience in India is filled with unusual situations. Either it's fantasy like Game of Thrones; gritty noir like Mr Robot; or quirky like Orange is the New Black. There are amazing stories which keep the viewers hooked to the couch. But there is no escaping the heavy emotional burden they leave after each episode. It seems like everyone is trying to tackle social issue or the other in the subtext of their plots. There is no simplicity of emotions and certainly no spoon feeding of plotlines (I am looking at you makers of Mr Robot. With your real life interactive ways to engage the audience, I cannot avoid getting tangled and am actually tempted to ask the question, "Please tell me you are seeing this too.")

Coming back to the simpler emotions and "aha" moments, I am happy to tell you that Dan Fogelman has brought something you would love to stick with for a longer run. This Is Us is the new offering from the writer/producer who has movies like Cars, Bolt, Tangled, and Crazy Stupid Love, among others, to his credit. The feel good factor is everywhere in his writing. Viewers can experience it once again when they start watching the new show written and produced by him.

The starting credits of the show say, one person shares his birthday with 18 million people on this planet. This Is Us is a story of five people who share their birthday. Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) are a married couple, pregnant with triplets living in a Pittsburgh suburb. Randall (Sterling K Brown) is a successful professional, happily married with two kids. Randall was abandoned as a newborn by his biological father at the gates of a fire station, but he overcame this to have a full life. Then there is Kate (Chrissy Metz). She is obese and tired of all the extra weight she has. On her birthday, which she shares with all these people, Kate vows to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. Kevin (Justin Hartley) is the fifth individual in this story. He is a handsome TV actor, stuck in the rut of a sitcom, growing bored of his fly bachelor life. 

Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia make a cute couple, absolutely head over heels about each other and eager to welcome their babies even after knowing the risks involved with the delivery. The sweet romance of Rebecca and Jack in the beginning, their courage and trust towards each other in the delivery room makes you fall for the partnership in the first episode. 

Being overweight myself, I was immediately hooked to Kate's story arc too. Chrissy Metz, who was on American Horror Story: Freak Show, tells you the struggles of a plus-size person not just with the day-to-day manoeuvres, but also the misery of such individuals when it comes to their love life. 

Next up is Randall. Turning 36, the man lives a complete life. A good job, happy family, soccer practice with kids, loving wife. But there is one thing that he cannot stop thinking about. His biological father. On his birthday, he finds the man who abandoned him. The reactions Sterling K Brown projects on that character remind you that you are looking at an Emmy winner. 

Last but definitely not the least is Kevin, played by Justin Hartley. The handsome actor is the lead in a rating topper sitcom but is miserable because his talent is being smothered under cliche plots and dialogues. So he rebels on his birthday, quits the show after serving some drama to the live audience and now has no clue where he will be headed.

Sounds a bit gloomy until this point, doesn't it? But you have to wait for the surprise turn of the events towards the end of the first episode. Trust me on this one.

I do have some issues with the plot. I have grown tired of timelines going backwards and forwards all the time. The flashbacks and flash forwards have been done to death with How to Get Away with Murder and Quantico. If This Is Us follows the same path, I am afraid there are chances of them getting stuck in a rut too. 

Another issue is about stereotyping race. Why is a black man the one abandoning the newborn? I understand that situations like this give more room to twists and turns in the writing, but something different wouldn't have hurt.

Five people bound by one important day in their lives. The story doesn't disappoint so far.

Verdict - Must Watch!

You can catch the show, starting September 24, every Saturday, at 10 pm on Star World Premiere