Did anyone watch Army Wives? I actually really liked that show and Randall was in it as a main character.
When I started in broadcasting a season was 26 episodes; 13 were in the fall and 13 were in the spring. That number seems to be dropping all the time. The series arcs were built around sweep periods. Those used to be November, February, May, and July. I donāt know what Nielsen does now.
I think networks have been hedging their bets by buying fewer episodes at a time of more shows, especially one-hour episode shows with big casts, like this one. I think itās hard to produce those for less than a million-plus dollars per episode. Also, it may be somewhat in the interest of creators/producers to plan on fewer-episode seasons. The cable networks and streaming services seem to like 8-12 episode seasons, so a show that can be pitched at that level has a much broader, more competitive market to sell into.
The guy who runs āThis Is Usā also had a show on Fox this season, āPitch,ā that only had 10 episodes. I think it did reasonably well, and will be coming back at some point, but Fox didnāt make a gigantic upfront commitment to it.
I would rather see elderly Rebecca played by Mandy Moore than by another actress.
āelderlyā at 66? Iām not there yet but Iām guessing there are plenty of people in their 50ās and 60ās that post here!
What makes you (or anyone) think that Rebecca was 30 when she had the kids? My impression was that they were much younger than that! It was Pittsburgh in 1980, not New York City in 2010, and this was a first pregnancy of a young-and-in-love couple.
Anyway, I donāt think sheās supposed to be 66 now. Maybe 58-60. Not that itās such a huge difference.
In one of the flashbacks, when Rebecca was admitted to the hospital, the doctor played by Gerald McRaney is told that the patient is 30 years old.
Loved the episode but dreading next week. But does Kate blame herself because she encouraged her dad to go to her momās performance??
Iām hearing that next weekās finale isnāt going to answer all the questions regarding Jackās death. I donāt want to be left with a cliffhanger. Iāll watch next year even if I know what happens to Jack.
I think that is why Kate blames herself. He called her and said āyou were rightā¦ā so she knew he was heading to see the wife.
I like that Randall took the reins himself on his job and didnāt wait to be a victim. Having the courage to take action was the legacy that William left him and it was so touching. Yeah, the allergy thing was contrived. The exposes of how William touched random peopleās lives felt completely real. Iāve known people like thatā¦and not appreciated them until they were gone. So that hit home.
Oddly, the part that annoyed me most was the Ron Howard midnight phone call (deus ex iPhone). In the real world, a well known celebrity like RH would have arranged after the show to go backstage and meet the castā¦especially with his niece being a fan of Kevinās.
Yea, agreed that the Ron Howard piece was lame.
^^^The call to Kevin at midnight was meant to be that story cliffhanger - and to come at the time when Kevin and Sophie consumated their relationship and after he told her he came to NY to get her back. ITāS TV NOT REAL LIFE FOLKS!! 
The mailman really got to me. And the postcard - I knew Beth would get her moment. How sweet that he wanted the kids to make the memorial!
I am so curious about what happens with Randall and work now. His job was so much of āhimā. Not working or not working at that firm - could go so many ways.
If I remember correctly, This Is Us started the season being approved for a certain amount of fall episodesā¦there was also a break sometime in the fall, right? And then it was announced that it was ārenewedā for the second half of the season (and then next year). Not 100% sure, but thatās what I thought I remembered.
My favorite line was when Williams partner called and told Randall that William was the soft place to land. I wish I could remember how exactly it was said, as I loved it. I also thought it was funny how the girls made blue Hawaiians at the funeral, and someone was questioning that they didnāt know William liked those. The mother said something slyly that the girls misinterpreted something. It was just a humorous scene. I loved the dream with the 2 dads laughing about Randallās driving. I will miss William and his wisdom. I was disappointed in the Kate/Randall reconciliation scene. Very anticlimactic.
Did you mean the Rebecca/Randall reconciliation? I find that older Rebecca is so FLAT. Flat or wore out or depressed, out of reach - something. The fire of young Rebecca is not there anymore.
It was adorable when Kate walked outside of Randallās crying and she thought Toby was following her - to find out it was Randall.
Wait, āblue hawaiansā?
Yes. It was funny. I am not allowed to give spoilers anymore.
Have been watching since the beginning. Jumping into this thread.
I find it intentional. She lost Jack too early in life. She lands with someone who appears to me to be a lot less spontaneous and a lot less fun than Jack. Her relationship with her children is strained, likely because of Jackās death and maybe because they partly blame her for going on tour. Jackās death drove a wedge between Rebecca and her children.
I agree brantly, Jack was Rebeccaās fire, and I am eager to see how Jackās best friend became her new husband.
Iāll miss William. What a great character, I was so hoping it wouldnāt end like that. Funny enough I have business coming up in Memphis - Iām going to the Peabody to see those ducks! lol (please donāt tell my husband I found out about it from this show)
Seems like the leaving on opening night was not really a big deal - Iād think the show would be ruined after that. But again, it is tv. I just canāt imagine how that plays out in real life.