It’s a bit baffling for serious family drama aficionados how many Filipinos have still not heard of This Is Us, considering that most viewers just easily consume, live, and *breathe* TV shows on popular streaming platforms.

While it’s okay to follow the life of a “stalker” and how he advances towards a woman he admires, relive the 90s through perusing classic comedy shows, and cry along several seasons of various dramas set on hospitals, it’s probably high time to do a bit more by exploring other options and appreciating a well-written family drama, unique with its excellent juxtaposition of many themes that can hit close to anyone’s heart.

I personally swear by so many fine things in life: This is the only show that makes my tear ducts go crazy every single episode, rips my heart apart, yet still wants to make me go on due to the wonderful, wonderful writing. It’s THAT good; please believe me.

Seeing Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia on the same show is just the tip of the iceberg. This NBC family drama currently has 47 episodes and on its third season, so it’s not too late to catch up.

Dear readers, it is time to grab that popcorn, sit on that couch, and watch this show that blesses its viewers every single episode and does not disappoint. Here are a few reasons (out of a million, actually) why the show is worth watching.

1. Curious to see what a great marriage can look like in real life, and how it IS, after all, possible in many ways? Meet Jack and Rebecca Pearson.

At the heart of the family drama is the marriage and the life built by Jack and Rebecca Pearson, who raises three children: Kate, Kevin, and Randall. They have gone absolutely almost anything, through literal fires even. The struggles of the couple and how they overcome them every single time tell us that beyond love are many essential things that make a family what it is. At the heart of that are two loving, understanding hearts who would go great lengths for each other.

It all seems fairy tale-ish and almost too good to be true, but Jack and Rebecca are just as imperfect as you and I. Find out how love is a journey from not having two dollars on the first date because one just served on the Vietnam War to raising kids on a home built out of years of hard work, trust, and compassion.

2. Sibling sweetness AND sorrows portrayed realistically, with nuanced storylines and compelling backstories? You have it.

Kate, Kevin, and Randall may love each other, but they can also be at each other’s throats at any given time. Each Pearson child is complex, with their own set of struggles given almost equal screen time, with focus on their relationship with each other, and each person’s relationship with each of their parents.

It is such a beauty to see these things unfold from the present and through heartwarming – sometimes distressing – flashbacks that get us to relish in where they are, having fully lived through their rich history, nuanced in its choice of dialogue. Also, if you’re the type who looks for character development that does not happen magically? This is the show for you. The siblings have it and so do their parents – behold the power of generational storytelling done right.

4. Empowered women? Raise your hands and celebrate! We are these women.

Oh, the women of This is Us. They are never passive, they make their own choices, they direct their own lives while loving others immensely and purely. There is so much to learn: from Rebecca’s motherly resolve, then Kate’s persevering demeanor, to Beth’s unyielding spirit.

The men in their lives would surely agree: Life’s not the same without these women who have so much to teach us about decision-making, determination, and success.

5. Other relevant issues such as politics, community service, adoption, and struggles with matters such as mental health, career struggles, weight concerns, addiction/reformation, and identity issues? They. are. all. here. with so much perspective to offer to the table.

I need not say more because this show does a great job in showing us all these: How we all probably have felt at one point about where we are, what we have done, what it is we ought to do, and more importantly, who we really are.

There is no best way to end this article because the list could go kilometers, but we end it with a quote from Randall Pearson: "You see, for days, I've been plagued by the question: how do I honor my father's legacy? Then I realized, I honor his legacy by taking what I learned from the way he lived his life and use it to shape the way I go on living mine."

We are made to wonder: What is his father’s (Jack Pearson) a legacy? What kind of family is the Pearson family, and what makes them relatable, lovable characters who are both a joy and a pain to watch? What makes each Pearson sibling and their individual relationships with each parent so potent, so raw?

Waste no time, because in watching This is Us, you realize, “Yes, this is really us.”

P.S. Here’s a hug for you – you will need it.