Throughout the 2016-2017 TV season, actress Emma Caulfield will be keeping a TV diary on EW.com.
Shell use this space to talk about what shes loving, hating, or tolerating.
Its my favorite time of year!
Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC; Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic
(Or wine in my case, dry full-bodied, from the cellar I still dont have.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!)
You know, Im just going to pretend Christmas is in fall.
If the church moved it, then so can I.
Good plan, Emma!
Ignore the truth for the sake of convenience.
Its worked out super well for you in the past!
(Hi, Emma.
Its Dr. Burke, your therapist.
Just checking to see if you’re free to come in this Monday at 3?)
I do what I want.
I had aParenthood-sized soul-hole that needing filling, andThis Is Uswas to be my panacea.
NBC even gave the freshman showParenthoods old time slot.
It must be great I thought!
I was so excited I desperately needed a new TV show happy place.
Even my glass of wine tasted like it was going through the motions watching oldCSIepisodes.
But then 10 p.m. on Thursday came andThis Is Uswas finally here!
This is it!!
Lets go back to Christmas for a second.
Opening up presents Christmas morning, though mostly awesome, can sometimes be disappointing.
Does anybody here under the mistletoe KNOW ME AT ALL?
I saw this and thought it just screamed you, says your mother.
You ask yourself, But why mom?
Am I a hooker clown?
Meanwhile, YOU bought THE EXACT thing SHE asked for cause YOU actually listen!
Hold on a second… (Hey, Dr. Burke.
Are you still free Monday?
And maybe Wednesday, too?)
Anyway, that was how I felt after watching the pilot.
I remembered you cant hurry love.
No, you just have to wait.
(Thank you, Phil Collins.)
I remembered how hard it is to put a show together.
Sometimes my initial impulse to bail is accurate.
Its the gift you never even knew you wanted!
Why is this show so good?
The scenes between him and his dying biological father William (the excellent Ron Cephas Jones) are so !
A better person could find the right words.
For me, I offer, SIGH.
These people feel real to me.
I root for them.
I root for all the Pearsons.
Theres Rebecca (the lovely Mandy Moore).
I never want kids Jack!
I desperately want kids Jack!
You see Rebecca is afraid, figuratively and literally, shell stop singing NO MATTER what life she chooses.
Come on its Mandy Moore!)
The more he cries, or tries NOT TO CRY, the more manly he becomes.
He may even ugly cry, cause supporting three kids is hard, but that only makes him hotter.
(Wait is that my husband?
Oh hey babe, I didnt hear you come in.)
Oh yeah, Kate (Chrissy Metz)!
Im fat and wont date a fat guy, she says in the pilot.
Its my understanding that Metz is required to lose weight along with her character.
Knowing that makes me anxious for both Chrissy the actress and for Kate the character.
Once I had put aside the obligatory isnt she brave reaction, I got to what matters.
Chrissy Metz can act.
The, I told you I couldnt date a fat person scene?
She chose her life over love and food.
Thats some cable realness.
Lastly, theres Kevin, played by Justin Hartley.
If Im honest, I found his story line to be the weakest at first.
I love it when that happens!
Famous for playing the title character of a dumb show calledThe Manny, Kevin just wants to be seen.
More importantly, he wants to begreatat something.
He knows that his desire may never be sated, but that forces him to try even HARDER.
(Wheres the damn Kleenex?!)
I will always loveParenthoodand there will always be a hole where the show once inhabited.
But just like the Pearson family, the heart finds room for more.
(Too Hallmark… remember to delete later.)
(Double check with editor on that.
Could be too offensive.)
Anyway, theres one more episode until the winter break.
Its likely a Christmas episode, though, so NOT LAME!
Looks like Christmas actually is coming early this year.
