This Is Us
2016
Original language: English
- drama
The story
Follows the lives and families of three adults living and growing up in the United States of America in present and past times. As their paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways, we find that several of them share the same birthday - and so much more than anyone would expect.
What it’s like
Warm, slightly golden domestic light: kitchens at dusk, family living rooms with lamps on, suburban exteriors washed in soft afternoon sun, and a steady palette of amber, dusty blue and muted browns that makes ordinary houses feel lived in. The camera stays close and conversational, with plenty of medium two-shots and tender held reactions, and the show moves freely between present-day scenes and earlier decades, shifting its textures as it goes: warmer, grainier memories of the past against the brighter, cleaner present. A piano-led score swells at emotional turns, and the sound design leans on quiet room tone, clinking dishes and overlapping family talk. Vibe: bittersweet, sentimental, comfortingly sad. It suits a rainy Sunday, a box of tissues, or a rewatch with someone you love. The pace is unhurried, built around episodic reveals and slow emotional payoffs, and its people are learning to live with grief, addiction, adoption and the messy bonds between siblings and parents, with arcs that tend toward reconciliation. Intensity is moderate: sad and emotionally heavy, with some addiction and illness, brief arguments and occasional raw crying, but no gore and little real violence. It is for viewers who want big feelings held gently and who enjoy family drama that cries openly.
More TV shows like This Is Us
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved This Is Usand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
