There’s a twist at the end of the series premiere of THIS IS US and it’s almost impossible to fully understand how well-constructed the pilot is until you know what happens in those final moments. One hint is that most of the characters share the same birthday, but that’s not the full story. Once you see it and once you fully understand what this show is about, you’ll fall in love. It’s like Tetris pieces all falling into place.
But before we get to those final moments we’re introduced to the show’s main characters. Rebecca is pregnant with triplets and she and Jack are awaiting the birth of their children. But when she goes into labour 6 weeks early during a high risk pregnancy, she’s fearful about the outcome. Complicating matters is the fact that her regular doctor’s appendix has burst and he’s sent in a replacement at the last minute. The kindly older doctor, however, is just what the couple needs. And no one knows it yet, but he’s going to leave a lasting mark on the couple’s lives.
Kate and Kevin are siblings. Kate’s overweight and struggling to deal with that fact. When she joins a support group in an attempt to lose the weight she meets Toby, a fellow overweight person who is clearly interested in her, which is something she’s really not used to. Kevin, meanwhile, is a moderately successful actor starring in a terrible sitcom called “The Manny” where he spends his days reciting inane dialogue with his shirt off. He just wants to be taken seriously for his talent, but it’s clearly not something the writers want to explore.
Then there’s Randall, a wealthy and successful man with a beautiful wife and two young girls. He was left in a fire station as a baby and recently hired a PI to find his birth father. When he does, he needs to figure out how this man who abandoned him will fit into his life.
THIS IS US premieres tonight (September 20) at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC (U.S.) and CTV (Canada).
