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

Summary

Not all seasons of This Is Us have the same level of quality, with some losing direction and focusing too much on sad moments.
Season 5 had implausible plots and character inconsistencies, with a forced focus on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Season 6 wrapped things up emotionally, hurt character development, and featured standout moments, including a penultimate episode.

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.

This Is Us Perfect Ending Explained (In Detail)

Although the season 6 finale of This Is Us was memorable, the fans did have a few questions about the ending that have been answered

6 Season 5

2020

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.

In the last season, she stopped making an effort with Toby, who had worked hard to become his best self.

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.