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It started with a phone call. Honestly, if you watched the first a million little things trailer back in 2018, you probably remember exactly where you were. That specific brand of ABC melodrama—the kind that feels like a warm blanket made of broken glass—hit a nerve that most network procedurals missed. It wasn't just about a guy dying. It was about the messy, inconvenient, and sometimes borderline-toxic reality of friendship in your thirties and forties.
Shows like this usually burn out fast. But something about that initial footage of Jon, Rome, Gary, and Eddie standing in an elevator stuck. It promised a "Boston-based This Is Us," and while the critics were skeptical, the audience was hooked. You've probably seen the clips circulating again lately on TikTok or Instagram Reels. There is a reason for that. Even years after the series finale aired in 2023, the way DJ Nash marketed this story through its promotional teasers remains a masterclass in emotional manipulation—the good kind.
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The Anatomy of the First A Million Little Things Trailer
Most TV trailers try to give you the plot. They explain that "Character A" does "Action B" because of "Motivation C." The first a million little things trailer did the opposite. It gave us a vibe. It gave us a feeling of impending doom masked by a James Bay song.
The editing was clever. It leaned heavily into the "Friendship isn't a big thing, it's a million little things" quote, which, let's be real, sounds like something you'd find on a Hobby Lobby sign. But in the context of Jon Dixon’s unexpected suicide? It felt heavy. It felt like a warning. When the trailer showed Jon (played by Ron Livingston) jumping from a balcony while his assistant watched in horror, it broke the unspoken rule of "feel-good" ensemble dramas. It told the audience: This is going to hurt.
The casting was the secret sauce. You had James Roday Rodriguez, fresh off Psych, bringing a cynical, breast-cancer-survivor energy that balanced out the schmaltz. You had Romany Malco, whose character Rome was dealing with his own depression. The trailer didn't shy away from that. It showed Rome holding a mouthful of pills just as the phone rang with the news of Jon's death. That’s a bold move for a 2-minute teaser. It established a stakes-driven narrative that wasn't just about grief, but about the survival of the people left behind.
Why the Season 5 Farewell Teaser Hit Differently
Fast forward to the end. When the final a million little things trailer for Season 5 dropped, the tone had shifted. It wasn't a mystery anymore. We weren't asking "Why did Jon do it?" We were asking "How do we say goodbye to Gary?"
If you followed the show, you know Gary Mendez was the glue. The final season's promotional material was essentially a long-form eulogy. It focused on the "Death with Dignity" storyline, a controversial and deeply emotional arc that saw Gary facing terminal lung cancer. The trailer for the series finale was particularly brutal. It used callbacks to the pilot—the same basketball court, the same jokes—to show how much the characters had aged, not just physically, but emotionally.
The nuance here is important. Many fans felt the show got too "soapy" in the middle seasons (remember the whole Delilah and Eddie affair backlash?). But the final trailers recaptured the original magic by refocusing on the core four men. It reminded us that the show was never really about the affairs or the secret children or the business deals. It was about men learning how to talk to each other about things that weren't sports.
Breaking Down the Viral "Staircase" Scene
There is one specific piece of footage that often gets labeled as the a million little things trailer highlight on social media: the staircase scene between Gary and Maggie.
- The Context: Maggie is leaving for Oxford. Gary is trying to be the "cool" ex-boyfriend.
- The Dialogue: It’s snappy, fast-paced, and feels like a real conversation between two people who are terrified of losing each other.
- The Impact: This clip alone is credited with bringing in a massive wave of international viewers who missed the show's initial run on ABC.
The Reality of Network TV Marketing in the 2020s
Let's talk about the industry side for a second. ABC was desperate for a hit. This Is Us was crushing it on NBC, and every other network wanted their own "cry-fest." The way they cut the a million little things trailer reflected a specific era of television where "sadvertising" was king.
They used high-contrast lighting. They used slowed-down acoustic covers of pop songs. They used "The Hook"—a secret that would be revealed "only if you tune in Wednesday nights." It worked. The pilot had over 5 million viewers. But as the seasons went on, the trailers had to work harder. They had to pivot from "The Mystery of Jon" to "The Life of the Friends."
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Critics like Daniel Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter often pointed out that the show struggled to balance its heavy themes with its soap-opera twists. Yet, the trailers always managed to make the show look more grounded than it actually was. That is the power of a good editor. They can take a sequence about a hit-and-run accident and make it look like a profound meditation on fate.
What People Still Get Wrong About the Show
A common misconception is that the show is just a "chick flick" in TV form. If you actually watch the a million little things trailer sequences across all five seasons, you see a heavy emphasis on male vulnerability.
Rome's struggle with depression was groundbreaking for network TV, especially for a Black man in a leading role. The trailers didn't hide his therapy sessions or his breakdowns. They put them front and center. It challenged the "tough guy" trope that usually dominates Boston-set dramas. You don't see many shows where a group of guys sits around a dinner table and talks about their feelings without a punchline involved.
Then there’s the Gary factor. James Roday Rodriguez brought a level of humor that prevented the show from sinking into pure misery. Even in the saddest trailers, he’s there with a quip. That balance is hard to find. It’s why people still search for these clips today—they’re looking for that specific mix of a good cry and a small laugh.
Lessons from the A Million Little Things Legacy
If you're looking back at the a million little things trailer to decide if the show is worth a binge-watch on Hulu or Disney+, here is the honest truth: it’s a commitment. It’s a lot of plot. It’s a lot of "really, another secret?" moments. But the emotional core stays true.
The show's creator, DJ Nash, based the pilot on a real-life experience of losing a friend to suicide. You can feel that authenticity in the early promos. It wasn't just a writers' room invention; it was a way to process grief. That’s why the "Millionaires" (the self-titled fanbase) stayed so loyal. They saw their own losses reflected in the trailers.
How to Revisit the Series Properly
Don't just watch the clips. If you want the full impact of the a million little things trailer promises, you need to watch the "Big Three" episodes that define the show's arc:
- The Pilot: Obviously. This is where the trailer footage comes from.
- Season 4, Episode 20: The buildup to the final season's stakes.
- The Series Finale: "A Million Little Things" (Season 5, Episode 13).
The finale is polarizing. Some people hated the "assisted suicide" plotline. Others found it to be the most honest ending possible for Gary's character. Regardless of where you stand, the way the final trailer framed that ending as a "choice made out of love" was a powerful piece of television marketing.
Final Insights for Fans and Newcomers
The enduring popularity of the a million little things trailer proves that we are still starved for stories about platonic love. Romantic leads come and go. Affairs happen and fade. But the idea of a group of friends who refuse to leave each other's side—even when they're being terrible people—is a fantasy that resonates.
If you are planning to dive back into the world of the Dixon and Mendez families, be prepared for the tonal shifts. The first season is a mystery. The middle seasons are a soap. The final season is a tragedy. But through all of it, the "little things" remain the focus.
Actionable Next Steps:
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- Watch the Pilot and Finale back-to-back: If you want to see how the marketing evolved, compare the very first teaser to the very last. The growth in the actors' performances—especially Allison Miller (Maggie) and James Roday Rodriguez—is staggering.
- Check the "Behind the Scenes" Content: Many of the trailers featured snippets of the cast talking about their own lives. These are often more moving than the show itself.
- Join the Community: Groups on Reddit and Facebook still discuss the show's impact on mental health awareness. If the trailers hit home for you, these spaces offer a lot of support.
- Prepare for the "Gary" Arc: If you're sensitive to stories about terminal illness, skip the Season 5 trailers and go straight to the episodes. The marketing is much more "in-your-face" than the actual episodes, which handle the topic with surprising grace.
Friendship isn't a big thing. It's a million little things. And sometimes, those little things are just 30-second clips of people trying their best to stay together when everything is falling apart.