Spirit Matters: ‘This is Us’ a soulful rendering of life as we know it

As a Gen X kid, sitcoms and soap operas were my thing in the 1970s and ’80s.

It was not unusual for me to spend summers as a veritable couch potato. I knew everything that was on and when, and built my life around its schedule, rarely missing an episode of any of my favorite shows.

But once I moved out on my own, I cut way back on how much I watched television. I was having more fun discovering who I am and what my interests were outside of my childhood home.

In fact, as the decades have rolled on, I have gone years without watching TV for entertainment purposes, except for a few scenes of shows family members watched while I passed through the room on my way to doing something else.

When we got married last year, Scott and I went for quite a while without watching television. Both of us have various creative interests, so neither of us felt like we were missing much.

But then we were given an Amazon Firestick, and, well, things have changed.

We still don’t watch a ton of television, but many nights we spend an hour or two catching up on old favorites, such as “Frasier,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Cheers,” “The Big Bang Theory” and more. (“The Big Bang Theory,” by the way, is completely new to me. I knew of it when it was on, but I really knew nothing about its premise or characters.)

Early this fall, we wrapped up catching up on the first four seasons of “The Chosen” and anticipate season five dropping next year.

Now – and this is pretty embarrassing to admit because of what a hit it was in its time – we have begun to watch NBC’s “This Is Us.”

And we are hooked.

“This Is Us” follows Jack and Rebecca Pearson and their three children throughout their lives. That sounds pretty basic, but with flashbacks and fast forwards scattered throughout, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting more.

The writing, character development, casting, acting, storylines – all of it is top notch.

In less than a month, we have finished season one and are in the early episodes of season two. (Please, no spoilers from those who haven’t been living under a rock for the last eight years.)

Back when “This Is Us” was big, I was aware of it, having seen ads for it online and chatter about it in my social media newsfeeds, but I just scrolled on by.

I remember several people telling me it was the kind of show they thought I would like. They didn’t say why, but now I know.

This week, as I was talking about it at lunch with my mom, she said she watched it when it aired and labeled the show “addictive.”

“This Is Us” masterfully tells the soulful story of what family life is like, for better or for worse. But even better, its characters are real in every sense of the word. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, talents and flaws, highs and lows, fears and insecurities.

There is a reason why each of them is the way they are and why they do the things they do. In my opinion, the show was such a hit because viewers easily saw themselves in the characters. Even as you might see one character as self-centered and insecure, you could empathize with that character once you understood what happened to steer him in that direction.

In a world where so-called “reality TV” has changed the narrative on what real life is like to one of selfishness, greed and everyone for him or herself, “This Is Us” is a refreshing characterization of the complexity of family life, individuals and relationships.

Before I began writing this, I went on Google and read an interview with the cast as they were finishing production. All of them agreed that they were part of something special, and acknowledged that they would likely never be part of a professional project like it again.

Fortunately for us, we live in a streaming age, so “This Is Us” is accessible to anyone who wants to watch it, whenever and however much they want to watch it.

Finally, for super fans out there, YouTube has a channel called “That Was Us,” featuring podcasts with cast members reviewing episodes, interviews and more.

“This Is Us” might or might not return for a reboot down the road, but even if it never does, fans can have their fill of the Pearsons for years to come.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.