‘This Is Us’ Fans Claim This Is the ‘Biggest Mistake’ the Show’s Writers Made in Season 6
This Is Us fans continue to chatter about what they did and did not like regarding the series’ final season. The episodes that told the story of the later years of the members of the Pearson clan encompassed 18 in total. However, fans still found fault with the overall storylines, including the pacing, flash-forwards, and introduction of characters that lent nothing to This Is Us‘ conclusion and included what they claim is the series’ “biggest mistake.”
‘This Is Us’ tackles serious issues
Six seasons of This Is Us led viewers through serious topics mirrored everyday situations.
These tough topics included alcoholism, infant death, infidelity, the effects of war, teen sex, abortion, abusive relationships, weight, and death.
Also tackled were Alzheimer’s Disease, drug addiction, adoption, disability, divorce, mental health, miscarriage, remarriage, and LGBTQ issues.
This subject matter was dealt with topically and with great care by the panel of This Is Us writers.
This is the ‘biggest mistake’ of season 6, claims some fans of the NBC family drama
In a Reddit post titled, “If you had to restructure season 6,” fans debated what they would have included and left out of the series’ final 18 episodes.
Fans shared their opinions on what they would change, including what they believed was the “biggest mistake” the writers made as they wrapped up the stories of the Pearson family.
“Can all of the Randall running for president and Deja’s pregnancy. They should have used that time for Tess and Annie. The writers should have brought back Sophie earlier and had more of a lead up to them back together,” wrote one fan.
“I’m a firm believer that the whole show is Rebecca’s story, which is why in the second half of season 6, everything feels rushed and without detail, because she was losing her consciousness and didn’t see all the extra stuff going on in her kid’s lives or the grandkids that were born later,” deduced a second viewer.
“They needed more time to build up Kate and Phillip. This was the biggest mistake the writers made. I could see the ideas of where they were heading with this pairing because when we first meet the Philip character, it seems so improbable that the two of them would ever be a thing (almost the hate-to-love kind of story). Still, we didn’t get to see any of that,” penned a third Reddit user.
“Cut the character of Elijah. Don’t bring Sophie back. Kevin and Madison had plenty of interesting plots without all of that poorly written storyline. Upon her return, Sophie’s just wallpaper,” a fourth fan claimed.
‘This Is Us’ was a lesson in artful storytelling, said showrunner Dan Fogelman
For anyone curious to see what it looks like before the talented actors and crew make it all better. #ThisIsUs https://t.co/OqwHx2rcYv
— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) June 16, 2022
Series showrunner Dan Fogelman and his writing team conveyed difficult situations with intent without relying on shock value to embellish a storyline.
However, he told Variety he believed in the television medium and the number of people a network series could reach.
“This show has taught me a network television audience will go with you if you do something artfully,” Fogelman said.
“I think the viewers are underestimated. The storytelling and the structure of This Is Us ask people to watch with intent. I think the audience is ready for stuff like that,” he continued.
“The medium needs to continue to evolve. But, I strongly believe that in a couple of years, you will be asking the next guy or gal, ‘How does it feel to be the first broadcast thing that’s been getting a lot of awards attention since This Is Us?’ Because I think there’s more of them out there,” Fogelman concluded.
All six seasons of This Is Us are available to stream on Hulu.
