By Eliza Goldberg ’17

I have been known to only watch lighthearted, comedic television shows. You know the ones—23 minutes of mostly laughs and maybe a few tears here and there. I have binged watched “The Office,” “30 Rock,” “Friends” and “How I Met Your Mother” over and over and over, never wanting to let go of my favorite characters.

That’s why it took many weeks for my mom to convince me to watch “This is Us.” I was hesitant at first even though I had no idea what the show was about. But I finally pressed play on the pilot one afternoon, and exactly a week later, I had watched all 13 released episodes.

“This is Us” airs on Tuesdays on NBC, but each episode is on Hulu as well.

The show follows the Pearson family, comprised of atypical triplets and their parents trying to figure it all out. Sounds pretty cliche, right? Wrong.

The show moves between decades, generally switching between present day where the triplets are 36, and the past for one or two moments of the family’s past. Each episode reveals more and more of the story that makes up the Pearson family and how all the characters and pieces fit together to create the present day.

The show is based around common themes like parenting, weight loss, death and sibling rivalry. However, for some reason, it doesn’t feel trite; the combination of childhood with present day gives me an unshakeable feeling of nostalgia with each episode I watch.

Embarrassingly enough, I have yet to make it through an episode without crying like a blubbering baby, though I’m comforted to know that I am not alone—I’ve heard most people have the same reaction to watching the show. It’s a good type of crying, though. It’s not that the episodes are particularly depressing; they are just a mixture of heartwarming and sadness that hits extremely close to home.

Aside from the touching plot, the cinematography is beyond beautiful. The colors have more warmth when the show is in a scene from the past and are more vibrant in the present. The show makes great use of light, whether it be the lack thereof or the use of gorgeous lens-flares and bokeh. The camerawork is deliberate and useful.

The only slight flaws I find with the show are the constant plot twists and consistent episode structure. Each episode follows the same pattern—so much so that my dad has started to announce when he assumes a tie-in to the past is about to happen. That being said, the plot twists are part of what makes the show what it is.

I am in love with “This is Us.” Every time I watch a new episode, I make sure the room is dead silent for the full 45 minutes so I can make sure to catch every single word. I strongly believe there is something in it for everyone, and I implore everyone to at least check out the pilot. You’ll thank me. I promise.