‘This Is Us’ Is the ‘Dramedy Version’ of ‘Lost,’ Creator Dan Fogelman Says

TCA 2016: “It’s hard to explain what the show is about,” executive producer says

this is us milo ventimiglia mandy moore
NBC

“This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman admitted that it’s not easy to define the plot of his new NBC series, describing it as a “dramedy version of ‘Lost’” during the Television Critics’ Association’s summer press tour on Tuesday.

“It’s hard to explain what the show is about,” Fogelman joked during the show’s panel. “It’s really kind of ambitious and, I think, for network TV, a really bold and hopefully somewhat groundbreaking attempt to explore the condition of the human family.”

The series stars Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia and Sterling K. Brown as a unique ensemble of people whose paths cross and life stories intertwine in curious ways. We find that several of them share the same birthday, and much more. Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan and Ron Cephas Jones also star.

“This Is Us” stood out from the crop of new fall shows right away when its trailer racked up an impressive number of views. The trailer currently has more than 7.2 million views and more than 50 million on Facebook.

Fogelman serves as writer and executive producer on the series. Jess Rosenthal, Charlie Gogolak and directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra also executive produce. The show is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

“This Is Us” will debut on Sept. 20 on NBC.

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