This Is Us

Birth Mother

Wow. After learning Laurel's story, it's going to take me a minute to gather my thoughts. Most shows couldn't get away with devoting 90 percent of an episode to people we've never seen before, but This Is Us does it regularly without it feeling like an intrusion. And This Is Us Season 5 Episode 6 was one of the most emotional single-story episodes so far as Randall learned his mother's sad story and how to let go of his pain. Laurel's story felt like a movie ... more

A Long Road Home

One of the best things about 2021 so far is that This Is Us is back. It's been a long two months since the fall finale, which aired before Thanksgiving. But This Is Us Season 5 Episode 5 was well worth the wait. The Pearson family saga's latest installment had everything the time-hopping series does best and stopped at just the right place, making me eager for more. Switching back and forth between timelines is a This Is Us' trademark. It was particularly effec... more

Honestly

The bad news: This Is Us is already going on hiatus until January 5. The good news: This Is Us Season 5 Episode 4 was one of the strongest episodes yet. If the series has to take a long break, this was the way to go out! And even better, for once the majority of the hour revolved around Kevin. Kevin is one of those bafflingly underused and underrated characters. He has a rich, complex history and his desire to overcome his sobriety issues and his p... more

Coronavirus Pandemic Puts a Bright Spotlight on Value of Local TV

The TV station group Tegna has been the subject of acquisition rumors for nearly a year. Finally, bids started to surface earlier this month that pegged the company’s market value at about $8.5 billion.  But in the space of a week, the assets up for grabs at Tegna have taken on a very different kind of worth. The spread of the coronavirus pandemic has put a klieg light on the invaluable role that local TV stations play in disseminating news and information in times of crisis and emergency.  Even in a hyperconn... more

TV Ratings: 'This Is Us' Finale Matches Season High 7.9 Million Viewers

The dramatic season 4 finale of “This Is Us” delivered plenty of surprises as well as strong ratings numbers for NBC. Tuesday night’s episode scored a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49, its highest mark since Oct. 2019, and 7.9 million total viewers, matching the premiere for a season high. That represents a 21% ratings bump from the penultimate episode, and only a 4% drop from the season 3 finale. Earlier in the night, “Ellen’s Game of Games” shot up to a season high 1.4 r... more

This Is Us Season Finale Recap: Brothers Gotta Slug (It Out)

Ladies and gentlemen, the great Pearson Estrangement of 2020 — and beyond? — has officially begun. This Is Us‘ Season 4 finale Thursday included a huge, no-holds-barred, no-insult-unsaid argument between Kevin and Randall that made it really clear why the two won’t be talking by the time their shared 40th birthday rolls around in September. After all, how do you come back from a fight in which your brother says he wishes you’d never been part of the f... more