This Is Us - Amazon Prime

I am loving This Is Us. I got hooked a few weeks ago after reading a recommendation by Russell T Davies in the Guardian. I am now fully caught up. I think series 5 episode 14 was released yesterday? I'll have to savour it. I'll miss it when the series ends.

I have watched this on the "advice" of my daughter but find all the main characters disagreeable. I basically can't begin to feel any empathy for them and yes, they are stereotypes too.
I have given it a good go and will watch it (if I can't find anything else to watch) till the father dies.
I was rather hoping he would die in a car crash several episodes ago but no such luck!

Jane43 It began to get on my nerves after a while, not for the pandemic side of things but it has become much more political with the BLM protests as well, and Randall is so full of angst. The writers seem to have thrown absolutely every topic and politically correct character into the script.

Sparklefizz

I've just started watching Series 5 and this is the first drama I've seen where the virus is mentioned, people are wearing masks and talking about quarantining.

It feels good to be watching something so up-to-date that I can relate to (well, so far anyway).

I have a feeling they also may mention the Presidential election, I suppose it depends how far in advance they do the filming. They could make it very topical since Randall and his family live in Philadelphia.

J52

Having binged watched the previous series, I’m finding the episodic drip feed really annoying.

Yes I agree especially since they missed out a week after the first two episodes making it a two week wait after a bombshell, at the end of episode 2. I think I might wait a few weeks and watch several Episodes together.

Having binged watched the previous series, I’m finding the episodic drip feed really annoying.

I've just started watching Series 5 and this is the first drama I've seen where the virus is mentioned, people are wearing masks and talking about quarantining.

It feels good to be watching something so up-to-date that I can relate to (well, so far anyway).

Yes there were two episodes back to back the week before last and no episode last week because of the Presidential election. It will be strange having to wait a week for the next episode as I watched the first four series very quickly.

I've just received an email from Amazon Prime to say that they have the new series of This is Us. I got hooked on it when watching it before.

I agree with you TerriBull, the stories in the various periods of time are very cleverly crafted and interwoven. I also like that we learn more and more about the characters’ lives: experiences, strengths and weaknesses as the episodes progress And these things make me change my opinion about certain characters. I watched the first two episodes of Series 5 last night and there was something completely unexpected at the end of the second Episode.

On the whole I'm enjoying it I'm now a few episodes into series 3. I still think it's overly sentimental at times, some of the characters are squeaky clean stereotypes who don't always ring true. What I think is very clever is the editing, how the past and present narratives and back stories of each character are interwoven skilfully so they canter lever together. I think that is the series strength.

Yes I will be watching it soon.

First two episodes of Series 5 have just arrived on Prime.

I was a little underwhelmed by Series 3 but thought Series 4 was very good. The questions at the end of the last episode will soon be answered.

I was head over heels for this show in the beginning- It later became predictable or too disjointed in between the fantastic story telling twists the show is know for-

I'm still hooked, but not as wowed as I was at the end of the first episode of season 1!

Series 5 will be commencing on Amazon Prime on October 28th the day after the series is Screened in the USA. There will be one episode a week so no binge watching this time.

Series five is due soon and DH and I are looking forward to it. I was pleased to see that the actor who played Randall’s birth father William recently won an award for his performance as guest actor in a tv series, I think it was an Emmy.

Well, am I late to this party???? Really glad I watched on your recommendations and wish I had found it sooner during lockdown. Watched the first series over two days and am really glad there is more.

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Each to her own of course but I don’t think it would have won so many awards if the characters were stereotypes or cardboard cutouts. You can discover many different facets of the main characters as the story progresses.

TerriBull - not a lone opinion - I hated it!! Full of stereotypes: the fat person, the black person etc. - all cardboard cut-outs.

Ha ha Terribull I agree we used to think it was so nauseating when we were watching it that we even used to call it This is Schmaltz!

And even though we did enjoy pointing out its faults we watched all the seasons so we must have kind of liked it?

It looks as if November 10th is the date for the start of Season 5 in the USA and on Netflix. The first episode will be two hours long.

Jane43 Thanks so much for this recommendation! I’m really enjoying it and agree with Washerwoman about not normally liking dramas that take liberties with the time line! Somehow this one manages it smoothly. It’s a real find, and I’m so pleased to hear that more series will follow.

TerriBull

My first impressions after watching a few episodes was that it's very schmaltzy and overlaid with sentiment as American productions can be at times I watched a few episodes and stopped for a while. From reading the posts here, I can see that's a lone opinion. So I've gone back to it and it's beginning to grow on me as I approach the end of the first series so I shall continue now it's beginning to reel me in, particularly following all these glowing appraisals.

Well done TerriBull for giving it another chance. I also usually avoid overly sentimental, cheesy dramas but this is so different and as the series progress we learn that all the individuals in this seemingly perfect family have flaws, secrets and see the same events through very different eyes. One of the important messages for me is that over-protection of children although well meant can be damaging to them throughout their lives. I’m thinking in particular of the relationship between Jack and Kate and Rebecca and Randall. I am half way through series 3 now. I believe that Series 5 will be screened in the USA in November and that Series 6 will definitely be the last.