There is no show on television right now, or possibly ever, that has tugged at our heartstrings the way This is Us does. The NBC series is coming up on its fourth season and fans constantly discuss what it does to their emotions on Twitter for days after an episode ends. You have to emotionally prepare yourself before each episode.
One of the best aspects of This is Us is the relationships. With so many core characters connected, there are couples galore. Some are extraordinary and became audience favorites. Others left viewers scratching their heads and wondering why they happened. We've selected the relationships that fans loved most and some that they flat-out rejected.
Rejected: Kevin And Sloane
Get ready to see Kevin a lot on the rejected side of things. He is the character with the most relationships, and many of them didn't work out. The one he had with Sloane wasn't all that bad. They met when Kevin auditioned for the play Sloane wrote and after things with his co-star fizzled, he struck up something with Sloane.
This relationship was good for Sloane in that it helped her gain confidence. She even ended up as the star of the show. But this never felt like a true connection. Having Sloane and Kevin attend family functions with each other came across as unearned. Kevin saying the only reason he was staying with Sloane was because it was the "right thing to do" was the icing on the cake for this failed couple.
Got Behind: William And Jesse
Who didn't love William? Randall's biological father was the scene-stealer during the first season with his charm and wit. As we learned more about William, it was discovered that he was bisexual and had a relationship with a man named Jesse. They met during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
While this wasn't a pairing that we saw a lot, it was one that most fans seemed to enjoy. William and Jesse were great together and always entertained us. Plus, viewers had come to love William so much that seeing him happy made us happy. It also marked the show's first LGBTQ+ representation.
Rejected: Miguel And Rebecca
Poor Miguel. The guy is in an almost impossible situation. The second episode of the series revealed that the grandparents were coming to visit Randall, Beth, and the kids. But instead of Jack and Rebecca as we had seen up to that point, an elderly Rebecca was revealed to be with Miguel, Jack's best friend.
That made this relationship a difficult one to appreciate. Miguel is good to Rebecca and their marriage works on many levels. But having to live up to Jack, who is portrayed as the ultimate husband and father, is a tough spot. No matter how good these two are together, they can never match what Jack and Rebecca had.
Got Behind: Kevin And Sophie
The person that pretty much everyone wants Kevin to be happy with. Kevin and Sophie are kind of the fairytale romance of the series. They met when they were children and dated in high school. The pair were inseparable even through the toughest of times, like Kevin's leg injury and the untimely passing of his father.
The two were married and it didn't work out, leading to a divorce. Following some failed relationships, Kevin reconnected with Sophie. It led to the best time audiences had with a Kevin relationship. Sadly, he broke up with her after moving to Los Angeles. Kevin tried reconnecting again after getting sober, but she declined, wanting to remember the Kevin that she loved when she was younger.
Rejected: Kevin And Olivia
As noted earlier, Kevin auditioned and landed a role in a theater production. Olivia Maine was his stage partner. Their first meeting didn't go well, with Olivia dissing him for his attempts to move to theater simply because he fizzled out as a sitcom star. Alas, it led to romance and the two began dating.
Olivia's cynical nature and unwillingness to commit made them a mismatched pair. Even though she officially dated Kevin, they never quite worked out well. Her appearance at the Pearson Thanksgiving dinner was awkward. When they split up, Olivia stopped coming to rehearsals and that led to Kevin's short fling with Sloane.
Got Behind: Kate And Toby
From the pilot episode, it was clear that we were going to like Toby Damon. The big guy strikes up a conversation with Kate at their support group for weight loss and is smitten. He knows what he wants and he goes right after it. It's endearing to watch him win the affections of a woman who doesn't think she deserves that kind of affection.
Toby and Kate have gone on to become one of the backbones of the series. They struggle with a lot, including Toby's crippling depression, heart surgery, and a miscarriage. Through it all, they remain strong. Kate and Toby are now married with a baby boy. We don't know what the future holds for them, as flash forwards haven't shown them together, but we hope it's all good.
Rejected: Ben And Rebecca
If we aren't going to accept Miguel and Rebecca, then we definitely want no part of Ben and Rebecca. At least Miguel is a nice guy whose only real fault is that he isn't Jack. Ben was introduced in flashbacks as an ex-flame of Rebecca's. They were together when she was first trying to get into the music industry.
When the Big Three had become teenagers, she opted to give music another shot. That put her back in Ben's world and she performed with his band. He made a pass at Rebecca and Jack showed all kinds of jealousy when he encountered Ben. Everything was wrong with this pairing.
Got Behind: Jack And Rebecca
The couple that started it all. Without Jack and Rebecca, there would be no Big Three and none of these other couples would exist. They are the center of This is Us and we wouldn't have it any other way. Like the other strong couples the fans love, they showed that they could overcome a ton of adversity.
Jack's alcoholism, his career change, having triplets, Rebecca's struggles as a housewife, and more were thrown at these two. And yet, they never wavered. They have a bond that is stronger than a vast majority of what you'll see anywhere else. They're the definition of being in love for better or worse and we love that.
Rejected: Kevin And Zoe
Look, it's another disappointing relationship for Kevin. At the tail end of Season 2, Kevin sobered up and attempted to reconcile with Sophie. When that went south, we saw him have a brief interaction with Beth's cousin Zoe. That seemed to be where the show was headed for his next relationship. On paper, it wasn't an awful idea.
The problem was in the execution. As Season 3 rolled around, Zoe and Kevin were already a couple. That meant we didn't see them fall in love and we couldn't connect. For a couple to work without their full origin story, they need to have crazy chemistry and these two didn't have it. Watching them was a chore during Season 3.
Got Behind: Randall And Beth
Their initials are R&B and if that isn't indicative of how perfect Randall and Beth are together, then we don't know what is. They are each other's better halves. Being together since college means that they've seen it all when it comes to their partner. From having two children to Randall bringing home William to panic attacks and more.
Other than their huge Season 3 fight, these two are always on the same page. Even when they argue, there's a level of warmth and support that is almost unmatched anywhere on television. Jack and Rebecca set the standard for a couple on the series, but Beth and Randall took it to another level with their united front.