Honestly, it’s been a while since a pilot episode fundamentally changed the landscape of network television. Most shows take four or five episodes to find their footing. Not this one. When This Is Us Series 1 premiered on NBC back in September 2016, it didn’t just introduce characters; it set a trap for our emotions. We all remember that first hour. We thought we were watching four separate stories—a guy turning 36 and feeling like a failure, a woman struggling with her weight, a high-powered businessman looking for his birth father, and a couple in the 80s about to have triplets.
Then came the twist.
The realization that Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack Pearson and Mandy Moore’s Rebecca were actually the parents of the other characters, just thirty-odd years in the past, was a masterstroke. It wasn’t just a gimmick. It was a thesis statement. The show was telling us that the past isn’t really past; it’s living right inside our present-day hang-ups. That first season remains a masterclass in non-linear storytelling that feels human rather than mechanical.
The Magic of the Big Three and the Pilot Twist
Most people forget how risky This Is Us Series 1 actually was. In 2016, "Must See TV" was largely dead. Streaming was eating everyone's lunch. Yet, Dan Fogelman managed to create something that felt like a high-budget indie film but played out on a major network.
The "Big Three"—Kevin, Kate, and Randall—represented three very different facets of the American experience, yet they were bound by this shared trauma of their father’s absence in the present day. We didn't know how Jack died yet. That mystery fueled a lot of the initial binge-watching, but the show was always better when it focused on the quiet, messy stuff. Like Randall (Sterling K. Brown) finding William on his doorstep.
Brown’s performance in the first season is arguably some of the best acting ever seen on a broadcast procedural. The scene where he finally confronts his biological father, William (played with a weary, heartbreaking grace by Ron Cephas Jones), sets the tone for the entire series. It’s awkward. It’s painful. It’s deeply, deeply funny at times.
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Why We Are Still Obsessed With Jack and Rebecca
Jack Pearson became the "Gold Standard" for TV dads almost overnight. But looking back at the first season, he was incredibly flawed. He struggled with a drinking problem. He felt the crushing weight of being a provider. Milo Ventimiglia played him with this rugged, 70s-era sensitivity that made you forgive him even when he was making mistakes.
Rebecca, on the other hand, had the harder job.
In This Is Us Series 1, Rebecca has to navigate the loss of a third triplet—Kyle—while trying to bond with a child (Randall) she didn't give birth to. Mandy Moore had to play 20-somethings, 30-somethings, and 60-somethings, often in the same production week. The makeup was impressive, sure, but it was the shift in her posture that really sold it. She went from this vibrant, aspiring singer to a woman carrying the secret of Randall's father for decades. That secret is the ticking time bomb of the first season.
The Storylines That Defined the Debut
A lot of the first season focuses on Kevin (Justin Hartley) trying to be "serious." He’s the "Manny." He’s a guy who has everything—looks, money, fame—but feels completely empty. His journey to New York to do a play felt a bit cliché at first, but it allowed the writers to explore the "forgotten" child dynamic.
Then you have Kate.
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Chrissy Metz’s portrayal of Kate Pearson brought a level of honesty to the screen regarding body image that we just hadn't seen. Her relationship with Toby (Chris Sullivan) was the comedic engine of This Is Us Series 1, but it was also fraught. Toby was loud and took up space, while Kate was trying to shrink. Their meeting at a support group could have been cheesy, but the chemistry was too good to ignore.
The Episodes You Need to Revisit
If you're going back to rewatch, there are a few standouts that define why this season won so many Emmys:
- "Memphis": This is widely considered one of the best episodes of television in the last twenty years. Randall taking William back to his roots. It’s a road trip movie compressed into 42 minutes.
- "Pilgrim Rick": The Thanksgiving episode that established the Pearson family traditions. It showed us exactly how the family fell apart and stayed together simultaneously.
- "Jack Pearson's Son": This episode dealt with Kevin's anxiety and the moment he abandons his play to comfort Randall during a breakdown. It’s the moment Kevin finally becomes a brother.
The Production Reality Behind the Scenes
Creating a show that jumps between the 70s, 80s, 90s, and the present day is a logistical nightmare. The costume department, led by Hala Bahmet, had to ensure that the "past" didn't look like a parody. They used a lot of brown, mustard yellow, and denim to ground the 80s scenes.
The music was another layer. Siddhartha Khosla’s score is basically the heartbeat of the show. It’s acoustic, it’s rhythmic, and it knows exactly when to swell to make you cry. Using songs like Sufjan Stevens' "Death with Dignity" in the pilot wasn't just a choice; it was an invitation to feel something.
People often criticize the show for being "manipulative." They say it tries too hard to make you cry. Maybe. But is it manipulation if the emotions are earned? The writing in This Is Us Series 1 works because it finds the universal in the specific. Everyone has a "Jack" in their life, or a "Rebecca," or feels like the "Kevin."
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Addressing the Critics
Not everyone loved the first season. Some found the non-linear structure confusing at first. Others felt the show leaned too heavily on the "Jack is a saint" trope. There’s also the valid critique of how the show handled certain health issues, sometimes prioritizing the drama over the medical reality.
However, the cultural impact is undeniable. It brought back the "watercooler show." It was the last time millions of people tuned in at the exact same time to see what happened next. That’s rare now.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Rewatch
If you’re diving back into This Is Us Series 1, pay attention to the background details. The writers were planting seeds for Season 6 back in the first five episodes. Look at the way Jack handles his wedding ring. Look at the photos on the walls in the present-day scenes.
The show is fundamentally about the echoes we leave behind.
To truly appreciate the craft, watch the transition cuts. The editors often use a "match cut"—where an object in the past looks exactly like an object in the present—to bridge the decades. It’s a visual way of saying that the timeline is one continuous loop.
Next Steps for Fans and Newcomers:
- Watch the Pilot without spoilers: If you’ve somehow avoided knowing the big twist, don't look it up. Just watch the first 45 minutes.
- Focus on the William/Randall dynamic: It’s the emotional spine of the first season. Pay attention to how William teaches Randall to "let go" long before the finale.
- Track the "Pearsonisms": Identify the small family traditions—the birthday suits, the Thanksgiving hike, the Terrible Towel. It makes the later seasons much more impactful.
- Listen to the soundtrack: Create a playlist of the Season 1 tracks. It’s a perfect capsule of mid-2010s folk and classic 70s singer-songwriter vibes.
The brilliance of the first season isn't that it's perfect. It's that it's honest about how hard it is to be a person, a parent, and a sibling all at once. It’s a messy, beautiful, tear-soaked look at the American family that still holds up nearly a decade later.