It's not often that my opinion of a series bounces around a lot as I watch the pilot and with this one, it definitely did-and that's a good thing, a very good thing.
What starts as a well-made and sticky network drama becomes a stealth stink bomb, steadily emitting toxic fumes, until its stench -- rotten cheesy, fetid corny -- is overpowering.
My biggest concern with the success of This Is Us is that people may be afraid to admit they enjoy it. Allow yourselves some joy, world. Revel in the love and the support a family can bring to each other.
Perhaps if this was an episodic anthology series with new characters flooding in every week and new arcs every season, "This Is Us" could repeat the mysterious highs of its mediocre pilot (depending on how you like that ending).
