Skip to main content

This Is Us is one of the most popular television dramas of the past ten years. The heart-wrenching series has won multiple awards, made several of its cast members stars, and received countless positive reviews.

Fans love the show, not only for the realistic way that it portrays family situations but for the innovative use of time jumps and flashbacks.

This Is Us fans might soon be getting even more to love over the next few years, as many media outlets are speculating that networks will soon be making the move away from police procedural dramas and towards more family-friendly programming. 

What is ‘This Is Us’ about?

This is Us
Chris Sullivan as Toby, Baby Jack, Chrissy Metz as Kate | Ron Batzdorff/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

In 2016, This Is Us debuted on NBC. Starring Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz, Sterling K. Brown, and many other acclaimed actors, the series follows the lives of two parents and their three children.

The show takes place over several decades and uses flashbacks to show the characters at different points in their lives. Not only does this convention allow for greater drama, but it gives the show the ability to do some truly incredible surprises and cliffhanger endings.

Ever since its debut, This Is Us has remained one of the most buzz-worthy shows on television. Fans love to chat about the show online, discussing what could be next for the characters.

Critics love the show as well, and over the years, This Is Us has snagged several awards, including over a dozen Emmy nominations and multiple awards and honors for Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall Pearson on This Is Us

Will police procedural dramas be getting the boot?

RELATED: ‘This Is Us’: Justin Hartley Says the Season 5 Premiere Will Pick Up Where We Left Off

Related post url: 

This Is Us can most accurately be described as a romantic drama, although the show expertly combines mystery, suspense, and humor in a way that few other network shows have been able to do. In the past, there have not been as many romantic dramas on television as other genres, especially the ever-popular police procedural drama.

Shows like Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, and NCIS have all become giants of television, with millions of viewers tuning in each week to watch their favorite cops and special agents track down leads. 

However, in light of recent world events, many former fans of such shows are taking issue with police procedural dramas.

A recent Salon report claims that many protestors and politically active viewers are calling for more regulation of “copaganda,” or media that relentlessly insists on portraying the police justice system in a positive light.

This includes many television news reports as well as shows such as Blue Bloods. Some fans on Twitter recently spoke out about this issue, with many agreeing that it is time for networks to redirect their focus and slow down filming for “uncreative” cop shows. 

Networks could release more family dramas in the future

Most television networks haven’t yet responded to all the drama in the headlines, and for now, the broadcasting lineup for the upcoming TV season remains mostly unchanged.

Still, it seems as though many media companies are going to be called to make some sort of broader statement in the coming months, whether that is changing the time slots of their cop dramas to less-popular time slots, or allowing them to fade into obscurity while making space for more “family-friendly” shows.

This could be great news for fans of This Is Us, as they could look forward to more shows of the same style and tone. Not only would such a move possibly make the networks big money, but they could serve to generate more buzz online, and bring in a whole new wave of invested fans.