One of the signs of a well-written show and the talent of its actors is my likability (or lack thereof) of the characters.

NBC’s hit drama “This is Us” is a great example of that. The story lines take you for a loop, but I can count on one hand the characters I actually like. Let’s do a rundown of the main ones, shall we?

Jack Pearson

I tried to not like Jack. He’s too perfect. A great dad. A great husband. A solid friend. I mean… is there anything he isn’t good at being? But alas, I had to like him. I had no choice! Even though the writers tried to show Jack’s Achilles’ heel during his fight to stay sober, it didn’t work. Jack’s determination forces you to love him even more. Plus, he has the perfect speech for any situation.

Heavyset daughter named Kate: You think Cindy Crawford is pretty?

Jack: She’s no Kate Pearson.

Oh, come on! How does he have the perfect response to everything? He’s not making the dating game any easier. Every woman watching the show is now comparing her date to Jack. So guys, be prepared to up your game.

Rebecca Pearson

Rebecca is Jack’s wife. She’s your typical girl next door. Nothing’s too unique about her. She tries to be a great wife and mother while still trying to pursue her dreams of singing. She’s necessary to the storyline, but mostly to give Jack someone to talk to and be the carrier of the “triplets.”

No, she’s good for more than that; but her character isn’t too impactful to me. I get that other people may see themselves in her, so I’m not advocating to write her off. After all, she’s the matriarch. I’m just saying there’s no connection for me.

Kevin Pearson

You know how jerks give you a glimpse into their almost-melted hearts sometimes? That’s Kevin Pearson, son of Jack and Rebecca. As a kid, he was a brat who more than likely felt neglected. After all, he is one of three kids of the same age. (They call themselves triplets, but really Rebecca was pregnant with triplets, lost one of them, and Jack convinced her to adopt an African-American baby who was left at the hospital. I think Jack is trying to go for sainthood at this point.) 

Anyways, back to Kevin. Since Kevin was the seemingly normal one amongst a sister who struggled with weight and a brother of a different race who internally fought with his “blackness,” he didn’t get much attention unless he was in trouble. 

He found his niche as a teen by being a jock, but a knee injury killed his football career for good. He then fell into acting and found success. That turned him into a Hollywood pampered man-child that took on his father’s drinking addiction.

Every time I start to like Kevin again, he fails me. He keeps toying with the heart of his grade-school sweetheart, he relapsed during the time his sister Kate was going into labor, and he lashes out on people when the going gets tough. I could barely stand him when he was a kid or teen, but his adulthood is showing promise. At this moment in season three, he’s getting back on my good side; but I’m not holding my breath.

Kate Pearson-Damon

Talk about a Debbie Downer. Kate is Kevin’s sister. She has always had an issue with weight. When she was young, she had a complex because her mom and her classmates were skinnier than her. When she was a teen, she lost weight but didn’t know what to do now that weight wasn’t an excuse any longer. When Jack died (which was totally her fault, by the way… I’ll explain in the podcast), she started eating more and gained a significant amount of weight.

Now as an adult, she toggles between being victimized by things related to her weight—her pregnancy attempts, her premature delivery, her relationship insecurities, etc. It’s always something with Kate. And she stays with an odd resentment toward her mom because she thinks her mom is a nag. Sometimes I agree; but other times, Rebecca is just tiptoeing around issues to try and not anger Kate. I give Kate two thumbs way down—the character, not the actress who plays her.

Randall Pearson

The irony of Randall is that although he was adopted from his drug-using parents by a working-class suburban couple, he acts the most like his adopted father Jack. He strives for perfection in everything he does, but that would later prove to be his detriment. He’s a people pleaser, and he worked so hard at his previous job that he had a major mental breakdown. (And who came to save the day? Kevin. It was one of the moments that you realized Kevin tries to do right, but he doesn’t always know how.)

Randall is relentless if he wants something. That’s a good and bad thing as well. He works to achieve his goals, but doesn’t always realize how that’s taking a toll on people in the process. He loves hard, but can’t balance it all. For example, he decided to run for city council after quitting his job. He was driving 1.5 hours to get to his constituency. That meant longer days for his wife and daughters, and a strain in their family life. One time, Randall even told his wife that he’d quit the race at any time if it put too much on the family. She called that favor in, and he didn’t quit. Just like a politician…

And now to the supporting characters who are equally important to the show.

Beth Pearson

This is the woman who, after a borderline stalker-ish pursuit by Randall since college, took Randall’s hand in marriage. He is the nerd. She is the beauty. He brings the corny. She has the sass. I like Beth. I can see some similarities in our personalities. She may come off a bit too strong to some people; but in this cast, it’s refreshing.

She has her softer moments as well. She agreed when Randall brought up the notion of adopting a child (in addition to their two biological daughters), but only on the condition that the child would be older, not a baby that everyone wants. In conclusion, Randall shot way out of his league for a woman who changed his life for the better. Does that mean men are going to start shooting their shot to women that they know are out of their usual range? Too late. They already are. LOL. Thanks, Beth.

Toby Damon

Toby is Kate’s husband. How he pacifies her every insecurity and outcry of victimization is beyond me. He’s loyal and witty, and you can tell that he really loves Kate. However, he suffers from depression (the funny ones usually do); and when he’s in a bout, it gets quite rough. That’s the only time I feel sorry for Kate again, but then she does a “woe is me” speech for one of her relatives, and I quickly snap out of it.

Miguel Rivas

All I can say about this man is BOOOOO!!!! How are you going to marry your dead best friend’s wife, dude?

Miguel was Saint Jack’s best friend. Jack died in a house fire. Years later, Miguel apparently married Rebecca. The kids don’t really accept him (why would they?), but he seems to not be going anywhere. Go away, Miguel! I don’t care what plot twist the writers have about how he and Rebecca got together. Unless it was Jack’s dying wish, I bid him good day. 👎🏾

William Hill

Gone too soon. William was Randall’s biological father. He was a druggie, but then got his act together. He and Randall reunited, got really close, learned more about each other, and then William died. Uggh. He was such a calming soul with the right amount of funny to lighten the mood. R.I.P., William! Sometimes God chooses to take people like you and leave us with Kate. His plan is not for us to understand. 🙏🏾

There are so many details of these characters stories to discuss on this week’s podcast. In the meantime, be sure to leave a comment here or message me on social media about your thoughts so that I can know if you’re feeling these characters or not too.