‘This Is Us’: 1 Star Watches the Show With His Family Every Week
The NBC show This is Us is in its final season, and fans everywhere have been watching the story of the show’s beloved “Big Three” come to an end, including one of the series’ biggest stars, who has witnessed the show’s effect within his own family.
How ‘This Is Us’ became a TV sensation
A show about family, identity, marriage, divorce, parenthood, childhood, and personhood, This Is Us has taken scripted content to a new level as viewers continue to find meaning and connection in the lives of the Pearsons. As pointed out by Jackie Strause of The Hollywood Reporter, “There were early signs This Is Us would become a watercooler hit, and that [it] would make Tuesday nights spent with the Pearson family appointment TV… For the network, the first tip-off was when the trailer broke viewing records and became a viral sensation.”
Since then, This Is Us has become an example of (if not synonymous with) excellent television, earning 249 award nominations and 59 wins, including four Emmys.
Sterling K. Brown’s Randall Pearson is a fan-favorite
One of the show’s “Big Three” (the nickname for the three Pearson children), Sterling K. Brown plays Randall Pearson in This Is Us. The adopted son of Jack and Rebecca, Randall’s story addresses being the only Black member in an all-white family and the struggles that come along with feeling like an outsider. As such, Brown’s character on This Is Us has been an incredibly important role, both for the actor and the show’s audience.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Brown spoke about his first-hand experience with the show’s popularity saying, “I had several instances of people saying to me, ‘I don’t watch anything live, especially network television. But my family and I get together every Tuesday night and we watch this show.’”
Brown went on to say, “My cousin, who is a plus-size adopted woman, after episode four, which is the pool, she said, ‘Sterling, I know the whole O.J. thing was a big deal, but let me tell you about This Is Us.’ She said, ‘I am Kevin. I am Randall. I am Kate. This show sees all of who I am.’ And then Fogelman writes the fifth episode and, after I read [Kevin’s painting monologue] I was like, ‘This is the captain I will go anywhere for.’”
The end of the ‘This Is Us’ and what’s in store for Randall
Now, after five successful seasons, This Is Us season 6—the show’s final season—is underway.
Season 5 saw the resolution of many of Randall’s storylines, with Randall making his way to New Orleans to find out about his biological mother and resolving the long-standing issues between Randall and his brother Kevin. Brown tells People that his hopes for Randall by the end of This Is Us season 6 are closure and security in his identity.
Already Brown’s hopes look promising as This Is Us season 6 has already hinted at Randall’s senatorial bid. With only six episodes to go, it is a bittersweet journey for the show’s actors and viewers alike as everyone prepares for the series finale on May 24th.
