Our first writing assignment of the semester was to write a review article about anything that we connect with. Well, I chose something that everyone could connect with. A new series called "This Is Us" that aired late this summer which literally revolves around connecting to every American family. This piece was intended to adhere to USA Today's rhetoric, and was written to draw interest to anyone who watches TV or keeps up with the latest magazines. This article challenged me to step out of my own writing style, and consider my mode of publication, which was great practice for my current job position. In the academic, and professional world especially, I find that I have to adhere to the guidelines that best suit the company, and their intended audience.
NBC’s NEWEST HIT ‘THIS IS US’ REALLY IS A BIT OF ALL OF US
Sarah Holt, USA Today 4:07pm EDT September 28, 2016
LOS ANGELES-It’s been a while since a new TV drama has had so much hype to hit the screens of American’s homes…especially on NBC. While the channel has The Voice currently airing, (season premier this past week on Monday Sep.19), Law and Order, and The Nightshift, none are what every Average American is looking for. Yes, everyone loves a good competition show following Miley Cyrus and the talented Adam Levine, but this isn’t a show of realistic drama. And as for Law and Order and The Nightshift? One is on its last leg while the other tries to replace the unreplaceable…Greys Anatomy. Never the less, this new series aired with perfect timing, and didn’t go unnoticed.
This is Us first announced its debut back in early 2016, the show’s commercials offer up the staggering statistic that over 100 Million people have already watched the show’s trailer prior to its debut which aired Tuesday, 10 ET/PT. Just the trailer can give you chills. It begins by running through clips of some pretty crucial scenes of seemingly random peoples lives, who you will soon discover are all related.
Stars like Crissy Metz, Justin Hartley and Sterling K Brown grace the screen. Not familiar with any of these stars names? They are some of the best talent, starring in a variety of critically acclaimed shows. Metz recently in American Horror Story, Hartley starred in Smallville, and Brown recently in O.J. V. The People: American Crime Story. Just by this, it’s clear that this cast is set up for success. Great picks by Glenn Ficcara, who also created the masterpiece of Crazy Stupid Love, and this comes to no surprise to me. Both film and show have mastered the concept of surprise. Crazy, Stupid, Love, for those unfortunate enough to not have seen it, is a seemingly endless interconnected circle of romantic relationships. Throughout the film, there are hints as to how the relationships might be related, but the end is where the climax truly hits. It is definition of a Dramedy. Drama but absolutely teeters on the edge of comedy, and Ficcara nailed it once again with This Is Us.
Weighing down more on the drama side of the teeter totter, it is a very clever mix of the two. This is what makes the show so unbelievable realistic, which is incredible. Just in the first episode, every American could relate to one or more aspects the characters portrayed.
The characters all convey emotion that is so real and so typically swept under the rug, especially on the big screen. For instance, insecurities are most likely not the first aspects of characters that are clear to the audience, but this isn’t the case here. In the first 10 minutes, the insecurities and fears of Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and his wife Rebecca (Mandy Moore) make it almost hard to not connect with, even if you never been in their shoes. Rebecca is in her last trimester of her pregnancy with triplets, and enters the room for her husband’s birthday wearing lingerie over her clothes, upset about her appearance and confused about his attraction to her. That being said, any woman could relate to that. Not only does the story development and emotion shown by each character make the storyline relatable, but the hint of comedy that everyone actually does bring to each hard scenario in life, makes it all so realistic. It’s a defense mechanism we all use, and it’s acted out second to nature in this first episode.
For those of you also unfortunate enough AGAIN to not have seen the first episode…SPOILER ALERT!
No matter how much I may argue the show’s authenticity, all who have seen previews can easily argue that the show is based on a group of people in this world, who all have the same birthday, and are somehow connected, which is simply improbably.
Wrong! Those triplets mentioned earlier are the main focus of the series, and that in fact does mean they have similar birthdates. However, I will leave some of the details up to you readers to find out for yourselves. The magic is in figuring out the first episode, where Ficcara’s magic twists and turns really do come into play. Once again, a few clues a little at a time, and then entirely. This is corny, but just as John Green said, “I fell in love the way you fall asleep, slowly and then all at once”, and this is exactly how anyone who watches this premier feels! The small details are absolutely what to pay attention to as you fall in love with this new hit series, which already is destined for success.
It’s rare for a show to live up to the complimentary reviews and social media, but I urge you to watch the This Is Us premier. You will just have to decide (and agree) for yourself.
Season premier can be seen now on NBC network’s website.
825 words
Sarah Holt, USA Today 4:07pm EDT September 28, 2016
LOS ANGELES-It’s been a while since a new TV drama has had so much hype to hit the screens of American’s homes…especially on NBC. While the channel has The Voice currently airing, (season premier this past week on Monday Sep.19), Law and Order, and The Nightshift, none are what every Average American is looking for. Yes, everyone loves a good competition show following Miley Cyrus and the talented Adam Levine, but this isn’t a show of realistic drama. And as for Law and Order and The Nightshift? One is on its last leg while the other tries to replace the unreplaceable…Greys Anatomy. Never the less, this new series aired with perfect timing, and didn’t go unnoticed.
This is Us first announced its debut back in early 2016, the show’s commercials offer up the staggering statistic that over 100 Million people have already watched the show’s trailer prior to its debut which aired Tuesday, 10 ET/PT. Just the trailer can give you chills. It begins by running through clips of some pretty crucial scenes of seemingly random peoples lives, who you will soon discover are all related.
Stars like Crissy Metz, Justin Hartley and Sterling K Brown grace the screen. Not familiar with any of these stars names? They are some of the best talent, starring in a variety of critically acclaimed shows. Metz recently in American Horror Story, Hartley starred in Smallville, and Brown recently in O.J. V. The People: American Crime Story. Just by this, it’s clear that this cast is set up for success. Great picks by Glenn Ficcara, who also created the masterpiece of Crazy Stupid Love, and this comes to no surprise to me. Both film and show have mastered the concept of surprise. Crazy, Stupid, Love, for those unfortunate enough to not have seen it, is a seemingly endless interconnected circle of romantic relationships. Throughout the film, there are hints as to how the relationships might be related, but the end is where the climax truly hits. It is definition of a Dramedy. Drama but absolutely teeters on the edge of comedy, and Ficcara nailed it once again with This Is Us.
Weighing down more on the drama side of the teeter totter, it is a very clever mix of the two. This is what makes the show so unbelievable realistic, which is incredible. Just in the first episode, every American could relate to one or more aspects the characters portrayed.
The characters all convey emotion that is so real and so typically swept under the rug, especially on the big screen. For instance, insecurities are most likely not the first aspects of characters that are clear to the audience, but this isn’t the case here. In the first 10 minutes, the insecurities and fears of Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and his wife Rebecca (Mandy Moore) make it almost hard to not connect with, even if you never been in their shoes. Rebecca is in her last trimester of her pregnancy with triplets, and enters the room for her husband’s birthday wearing lingerie over her clothes, upset about her appearance and confused about his attraction to her. That being said, any woman could relate to that. Not only does the story development and emotion shown by each character make the storyline relatable, but the hint of comedy that everyone actually does bring to each hard scenario in life, makes it all so realistic. It’s a defense mechanism we all use, and it’s acted out second to nature in this first episode.
For those of you also unfortunate enough AGAIN to not have seen the first episode…SPOILER ALERT!
No matter how much I may argue the show’s authenticity, all who have seen previews can easily argue that the show is based on a group of people in this world, who all have the same birthday, and are somehow connected, which is simply improbably.
Wrong! Those triplets mentioned earlier are the main focus of the series, and that in fact does mean they have similar birthdates. However, I will leave some of the details up to you readers to find out for yourselves. The magic is in figuring out the first episode, where Ficcara’s magic twists and turns really do come into play. Once again, a few clues a little at a time, and then entirely. This is corny, but just as John Green said, “I fell in love the way you fall asleep, slowly and then all at once”, and this is exactly how anyone who watches this premier feels! The small details are absolutely what to pay attention to as you fall in love with this new hit series, which already is destined for success.
It’s rare for a show to live up to the complimentary reviews and social media, but I urge you to watch the This Is Us premier. You will just have to decide (and agree) for yourself.
Season premier can be seen now on NBC network’s website.
825 words