The hype from America
that you must see

Now you know that I always have to see every hyped show right away (series FOMO I call it), but I only started yesterday (shame on me) on the biggest success show of the moment in America: ‘This Is Us’. And ladies, never has a show touched me so deeply. With every episode (I was free yesterday so I binged) I almost cry. And now that might not sound very tempting if you want to watch a series, but do it. This is why:

It is relatable

The emotions the characters deal with are a reflection of points of recognition for viewers. Grieving, suffering, longing, rejoicing, happiness – you live with them. You gain empathy for them, you recognize yourself in them – the good, the bad and the ugly.

It's about processing the loss of a loved one

A recurring theme in almost every episode of the series is the loss of a loved one. But where ‘This Is Us’ is incredibly powerful is in showing you that after every loss or difficult situation you find yourself in, there is potential for growth. Loss doesn't have to mean the end, see it rather as the beginning of something new.

You forget all at once his most famous character.

It's about self-acceptance

Something that is especially important in the current social media world we live in. Almost everything you see gets a round of Photoshop first, there are a ton of filters over it – the status of beauty is not what it once was, which means there is a large amount of self-acceptance missing in our society. You always compare yourself to others instead of loving yourself as you are.

It's about forgiveness

Thanks to Randall (played by actor Sterling K. Brown) who experiences a lot of betrayal in his life, you start to think about whether you are forgiving or not. Perhaps you are not like him, but it is certainly something we should all strive for.

Milo Ventimiglia

All those life lessons from ‘This Is Us’ are of course reason enough to watch, but the icing on the cake is really Milo Ventimiglia. We were already in love with him as Jess in Gilmore Girls, but how he portrays the role of Jack just touches you. You forget all at once his most famous character.

Happy binging! And don't forget the box of tissues...

Side note: ‘This Is Us’ unfortunately is not yet broadcast on Dutch television and is also not yet available on Netflix, but there are a lot of sites that do stream it. I often use Watch Series myself.