This Is Us (2016 — 2022)

Created by Dan Fogelman, This Is Us (2016–2022) is an American family drama that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016 to May 24, 2022. The show centers around the Pearson family: siblings Kevin, Kate, and Randall (known as the ‘big three’), as well as their parents Jack and Rebecca. Set mostly in the present with occasional flashbacks and flashforwards, the series portrays significant moments in the family’s history. Tragically, Kevin and Kate are the only surviving members of triplets; their brother Kyle was stillborn six weeks before their birth on Jack’s 36th birthday in 1980. Despite this loss, Jack and Rebecca decide to adopt Randall after his biological father William Hill abandoned him at a fire station earlier that day. Unfortunately, when their children are just 17 years old, Jack passes away from a heart attack caused by a fire. In later years, Rebecca finds love again with Jack’s best friend Miguel.

Randall achieves success in the field of finance and weds his college classmate, Beth. Together, they raise two biological daughters named Tess and Annie, and also welcome their adopted daughter, Deja, into their family. Meanwhile, Kevin faces struggles as he works towards recognition as an actor. After a period of uncertainty in her life, Kate finds direction and love in her marriage to Toby, as well as pursuing a career in music and obtaining a degree. Each episode typically showcases both current events (from 2016 to 2022) and events from a specific point in the past. Some episodes may solely focus on one particular time frame, or encompass multiple flashbacks. These flashbacks often revolve around Jack and Rebecca during the early 1980s – both before and after the birth of their children – or highlight the childhood and adolescent years of the “big three”, portrayed by two different sets of younger actors. These nostalgic scenes are typically set in Pittsburgh, the city where the “big three” were born and raised by their parents.