6 Emmy predictions ahead of Thursday’s nominations announcement

This Is Us

Full disclosure: I have never seen This is Us. But hear me out: NBC’s super emo drama has gotten more positive buzz than I’ve heard about a network show in quite some time. I’ve heard the show described as emotional porn and our sister site for This is Us fans is literally called “This is Us Crying,” so I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what will happen when I do have a chance to check it off my Must-Watch list (hint: it will involve a lot of sobbing).

This is Us is getting my vote here because I like the idea of a network show getting serious attention from critics at a time when prestige cable and streaming projects have all but destroyed network TV’s hopes for an acclaimed hit. Who doesn’t love an underdog story? And who doesn’t love Mandy Moore?

Stuff that’s labeled as too weepy or sentimental is so often dismissed as crowd-pleasing fluff. And maybe this show is. I wouldn’t actually know. But from what I’ve gathered, it’s a thoughtful and heartfelt story being told in a creative format and I think that’s something the television landscape could use more of. Long before we all fell into an endless tunnel of prestige cable and streaming content, network TV was thought to be the pinnacle of primetime drama (um, remember ER? The West Wing? Go watch them. Now.), and I’m hoping This is Us gets some love, if only to prove pleasing a crowd isn’t always a bad thing.