All 6 Seasons Of This Is Us, Ranked Worst To Best

Summary

While This Is Us is known for its tear-jerker moments, dealing with powerful themes about marriage, parenting, and loss, not all of its seasons share the same level of quality. The drama undeniably offered high-quality drama throughout its six-season run, starting with a very strong pilot that became one of the highest-rated episodes of the show. This Is Us constantly shifts from the present day to the past and the future, with complex storylines, timelines, and characters, each of them very well-defined. However, some of them seemed to have lost direction and wanted This Is Us to be mainly known as a show with a lot of sad moments.

Created by Dan Fogelman (The Neighbors, Like Family), This Is Us premiered in 2016 on NBC, and concluded in 2022 after six seasons. It tells the story of the Pearson family: Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore), their three children, Kate (Chrissy Metz), Kevin (Justin Hartley), and Randall (Sterling K. Brown), and their families, showing how they deal with what life throws at them. This Is Us featured an ensemble cast of strong, flawed, and likable characters, all combined with actors who had great chemistry, which was the recipe for success for the overall character-based series, creating some unforgettable TV moments.

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6 Season 5

2020

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This Is Us is very much a character-driven series, so much of the stories rely on the audience to be connected to those characters. Despite that, sometimes, the storylines were ones the audience didn't love. That didn't mean the season was bad, just that audiences weren't able to connect with it as much as they had in the past.

Season 5 had some implausible plots, with Kevin's relationship with Madison being a prime example of the problem. Granted, the two became parents after welcoming their twins, Frances and Nicolas, but their relationship as a whole didn't work. The two got engaged, but Kevin's heart wasn't in the right place, so they eventually called off the wedding.

At the same time, Kate and Toby were heading for divorce, and Randall wound up on a journey of self-discovery - again. Season 5 also revealed that Randall's mom hadn't died at childbirth, which was one of the most out-of-place plots on the show. Adding to all the character inconsistencies that plagued season 5, was its focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, which felt like it was shoehorned into the show.

Some TV series opted to include the pandemic to be reflective of the real world, while others skipped it to give their audience a sense of escapism. The audience for This Is Us would likely have preferred the latter, especially since the season was cut short by two episodes due to Hollywood having to shut down productions.

5 Season 6

2022

Season 6 was meant to wrap things up, while still maintaining the heart of the show. As the final season of the show, season 6 of This is Us is a bittersweet one for fans who would have liked to see more stories, but also knew the show was reaching a logical conclusion. This Is Us was always a show with a lot of emotion and moving monologues, and, for its finale, the creators seem to have wanted to keep that going, despite not every moment requiring it.

It also hurt a lot of character development, especially for Kate, who had overcome so much already. However, in the last season, she stopped making an effort with Toby, who had worked hard to become his best self. In the final season, Kate married her co-worker Phillip, although the show didn't take its time in developing their romance. Arguably the high point of the season was its penultimate episode, "The Train," which effectively completed Rebecca's journey by having her arrive at the show's metaphorical "train" in one of its highest-rated stories.

One interesting point in the show's final season, however, is that most of the cast had the opportunity to direct an episode. Milo Ventimiglia, Jon Huertas, Justin Hartley, Chris Sullivan, and Mandy Moore each directed an episode of the final season.

Related This Is Us: Jack & Rebecca's Relationship Timeline Explained Jack and Rebecca Pearson's relationship in This Is Us is one of the best TV romances of all time – read on for a timeline of their life together.

4 Season 3

2018

Season 3 had its good twists and turns, but it almost sent This Is Us to another extreme with its melodramatic moments.

Randall's desire to find out who he was took him in abrupt directions that felt out of character for him. At the same time, he and Beth spent a lot of time arguing; luckily, their relationship survived those arguments. Season 3 spent so much time developing Jack's past in Vietnam, only to introduce his younger brother Nicky, who was still alive. The plot was interesting, as it covered a time Jack didn't talk about, but it could've been done in a single episode and allowed more room for other stories.

This Is Us was able to deliver great emotion in season 3, especially with the side characters. It had an episode centered on Beth, which gave her a backstory, explaining why she wanted to pursue her dream of being a dancer. Beth and Randall's daughter Tess came out in an emotional moment that gave her a great future arc, and Deja tracked her father and got closure, with a short albeit memorable scene.

3 Season 4

2019

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Season 4 of This Is Us is all about growth. In the flashbacks to the siblings as children, the present day with them as adults, and the flash forward to their own children, everyone experiences new growth.

Season 4 proved how much Kevin grew throughout the series as he stood by Madison as she got pregnant after their one-night stand. Kate and Toby finally got on the same page after the birth of their son, Jack, in what was a very emotional and nerve-wracking journey. They also decided to expand their family and adopt a baby, beautifully showcasing the strength of their relationship.

There was also a big turn in season 4, shifting focus for some of the characters. What changed in season 4 was that, instead of focusing on Jack, it centered the storyline around Rebecca for a change, which served as a welcome change in pace. Although Jack continued to be a big part of the show, season 4 switched the dynamics from how the This Is Us father's death affected the family to the celebration of the mother.

2 Season 2

2017

By the time the second season of This Is Us was airing, it was clear that the show was something special. The combination of tear-jerking moments, coming-of-age stories, and watching the family dynamics play out captivated viewers. They captivated viewers so much, in fact, that the show was given the coveted post-Superbowl time slot.

This Is Us season 2 is one of the best seasons of the entire series, and it includes several of its most popular episodes, including "Super Bowl Sunday." After over a season and a half, viewers finally found out what happened to Jack, whose death devastated the entire dynamic of the Pearson family in This is Us and proved to be a development packed with storytelling potential.

The entire season is emotional, combining the stories before Jack's death with the ones from the present day, like Kate's wedding and miscarriage, Kevin's addiction, or Randall's desire to foster Deja, showing just how strong the writing is, combined with the great chemistry between the actors.

Related The 10 Best Quotes From The This Is Us Finale This Is Us brought six seasons worth of timeless quotes, and the finale was full of beautiful lines that celebrate the characters and life itself.

1 Season 1

2016

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This Is Us' first two seasons are both strong entries, yet season 1 edges it out. That's largely because the first season of the series is when everything is fresh, from the characters to the stories to the chemistry. Fans didn't yet know what to expect, and the first season of the series sets everything in motion.

The pilot episode is one of the show's best, introducing all the characters and explaining how they are all connected in a moment that surprised many viewers the first time they saw it. The rest of the season establishes the present-day and flashback format. At the same time, season 1 explores all the themes that would be a big part of the entire series, like family, loss, anxiety, coping, and moving on, but also love, joy, and redemption, proving that This Is Us had its strongest point in season 1.

While it kept its heart throughout its six-season run, the hit show's first season still gets the credit for building the formula it's known for and creating the extremely nuanced cast of characters that made the show so popular in the first place. All of the main cast of actors found their footing very quickly in the first season and maintained stellar performances from that point on.

This Is Us Was Consistently Great From Start To Finish

Though season 1 is considered the best season of the series, that isn’t to say that any season of This Is Us is truly bad. The series had a remarkably consistent run in terms of quality of writing and performance. Some things, like a shortened season due to a pandemic, were out of the control of those working on the series.

This Is Us and its cast were consistent nominees at award shows like the Primetime Emmys, the Golden Globes, and the NAACP Awards. It was even considered one of the top 10 television shows of the year by the American Film Institute in 2016 and 2017. Though This Is Us only won its first year, it was nominated for Best Drama Series every year of its run at the Critics Choice Television Awards. During the course of the run, all of the main cast also received nominations at the Critics Choice Television Awards.

The most consistently nominated member of the cast was Sterling K. Brown throughout the run of the series. He won the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Actor - Drama Series, but he was also nominated across the board for other reward shows. In addition to his Golden Globe win, Brown won a Best Actor award from the Black Reel Television Awards, the Critics Choice Television Awards, the NAACP Awards (twice, once at the beginning of the show’s run, and once at the end), the Primetime Emmy Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

It wasn’t just the main cast who were recognized for their work either. The music and editing teams also consistently received nominations. Writers for the series were also repeatedly nominated. Guest star Ron Cephas Jones also won two Primetime Creative Emmys for his work on the show.

There’s no doubt that This Is Us was consistently great storytelling for its audience across the board.