The pilot’s greatest strength is its concluding reveal: the scenes featuring Jack and Rebecca take place 36 years in the past. Kevin, Kate, and Randall are their children—the "Big Three"—showing that the show isn't just about a group of people born on the same day, but a single family across generations.
Reviewers on platforms like IMDb praise the episode for its:
The pilot of This Is Us is a masterclass in television storytelling that immediately sets itself apart from standard family dramas. The episode centers on four individuals sharing their 36th birthday, skillfully weaving their seemingly separate lives into a cohesive emotional core. The episode follows several parallel storylines: PilotThis Is Us : Season 1 Episode 1
It balances moments of deep sorrow, such as the loss of a child during birth, with "lemonade from lemons" optimism.
A couple in 1980 expecting triplets, whose high-stakes delivery at the hospital forms the historical anchor of the series. The pilot’s greatest strength is its concluding reveal:
A woman struggling with her weight and body image who begins a tentative relationship with Toby.
A successful but unfulfilled sitcom star suffering an identity crisis on the set of The Manny . The episode centers on four individuals sharing their
A high-powered businessman who has finally tracked down the biological father who abandoned him at a fire station. The Iconic Twist