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Number One

"Family: The Gift that Grows Us"

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What You Need To Know:

NBC’s second season of THIS IS US continues to focus on the gift of family, delving deeper into the characters’ personalities, relationships and journeys of personal growth.

THIS IS US continues to do an amazing job in its depiction of the joys and challenges of life and in its portrayal of strong, supportive marriages and loving family relationships. Rebecca’s refusal to separate from Jack as he struggles with alcoholism and their unified fight for oneness in their marriage is encouraging and uplifting. The relationships between Randall and Beth and between Toby and Kate also mature throughout the season and encourage the concepts of open communication and learning how to love imperfect people. While the program’s emphasis on the value of marriage and family continues to impress, it also persists in occasionally introducing distinctly Non-Christian concepts. The sexuality in the show is still almost entirely implied rather than explicitly portrayed, but sex outside of marriage is viewed as casual and acceptable.Thus, while THIS IS US does an excellent job of eliminating any explicit violent or sexual content, it does address mature, adult subjects and isn’t markedly Christian as it does so. The combination of handling mature topics, the foul language, the casual attitude regarding sex in some episodes, and the references to substance abuse warrant caution or extreme caution.

Episodes:

NumberDateTitleProductionContent
109/26/2017A Father’s Advice-1
210/03/2017A Manny-Splendored Thing-1
310/10/2017Déjà Vu-1
410/17/2017Still There-2
510/24/2017Brothers-1
610/31/2017The 20’s-1
711/07/2017The Most Disappointed Man-2
811/04/2017Number One-2
911/21/2017Number Two-1
1011/28/2017Number Three-1
1101/09/2018The Fifth Wheel-2
1201/16/2018Clooney-2

More Detail:

NBC’s second season of THIS IS US continues to focus on the gift of family, delving deeper into the characters’ personalities, relationships and journeys of personal growth.

The end of the first season left Jack and Rebecca addressing an intense marital conflict, which led them to the decision to separate for a brief time. After only a few days, Rebecca seeks Jack out and tells him she realizes they need to work through things together at home. Jack then admits he’s again struggling with alcoholism. He suggests they should continue with their time apart, so he can tackle this problem by himself and return to the family after he’s improved. Rebecca refuses to continue with their separation; however, telling Jack that if he has a problem, they should address it together as husband and wife. Jack returns home and begins faithfully attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and following AA’s 12 step program. 

Meanwhile, the triplets are teenagers and preparing to go to college. Kevin plans to get a football scholarship, Kate dreams of attending Berkley, and Randall pursues the idea of Harvard. Each of the Pearson teenagers is shown to be dealing with some of the same character weaknesses they exhibited in childhood. Kevin struggles with selfishness and vanity. Kate struggles with body image and her lack of motivation and perseverance. Randall, the adopted son, struggles with anxiety and inflexibility. Those character issues become increasingly evident as the triplets and Randall move out of their teenage years and into their twenties and thirties.

A knee injury on set for a movie leaves Kevin with memories and pain he doesn’t want to address. Rather than acknowledge he needs help, he turns to prescription pain killers and alcohol. This soon becomes a habit that turns into a serious substance abuse addiction, an addiction that ultimately requires rehab. Randall and Beth decide to become foster parents and take in a 12-year-old girl named Deja. From the beginning, this decision forces Randall to relinquish his need for control and learn how to embrace unpredictability and change.

Kate tackles her lackluster career path and begins working hard to lose weight and become a singer. She and Toby discover she’s pregnant, but the pregnancy ends in miscarriage a few weeks later. Kate recognizes the need to be more emotionally open with Toby after the miscarriage, and the two make plans to get married. 

THIS IS US continues to do an amazing job in its depiction of the joys and challenges of life and in its portrayal of strong, supportive marriages and loving family relationships. Rebecca’s refusal to separate from Jack as he struggles with alcoholism and their unified fight for oneness in their marriage is encouraging and uplifting. The relationships between Randall and Beth and between Toby and Kate also mature throughout the season and encourage the concepts of open communication and learning how to love imperfect people. In fact, the value (and the challenges) of cultivating honesty, openness and unconditional love within the family dynamic is a major theme in Season Two’s plot development. 

While the program’s emphasis on the value of marriage and family continues to impress, it also persists in occasionally introducing distinctly Non-Christian concepts. The sexuality in the show is still almost entirely implied rather than explicitly portrayed, but sex outside of marriage is viewed as casual and acceptable. Also, in this season, adultery is introduced. There is practically no violence in Season Two of THIS IS US, but foul language remains a concern. While most of the show’s obscenities are relatively light, the episodes consistently contain some light profanities.

Thus, while THIS IS US does an excellent job of eliminating any explicit violent or sexual content, it does address mature, adult subjects and isn’t markedly Christian as it does so. The combination of handling mature topics, the foul language, the casual attitude regarding sex in some episodes, and the references to substance abuse warrant caution or extreme caution.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.