Critics' Review: 'This is Us' S5 Hits Hardest With Simple Moments

The show is streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

This is Us is back with its fifth season, and the show is moving with the times. Apart from continuing with the emotional elements and showcasing the journeys of Kevin, Kate and Randall, the episodes have also focussed on the George Floyd protests and the coronavirus pandemic. Created by Dan Fogelman, This is Us is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Take a look at what some critics have to say:

"NBC renewed the show for three seasons in 2019, extending its run at least through the spring of 2022. While its fate beyond that remains unclear, the way the fifth-season premiere folded back in on the original pilot episode feels like setting the stage to start building toward a finale, although Fogelman has so frequently bent time -- with flash forwards as well as flashbacks -- that there are clearly still plenty of untapped possibilities. For now, fans will likely welcome having one of TV's most popular and heartwarming dramas back. Those who view the Pearsons' troubles and triumphs as an escapist distraction from their own, however, will find that prescription a bit more difficult with 'This is Us' merging onto the same bumpy road as our current reality".

Brian Lowry, CNN

"Maybe it’s enough that 'This Is Us' found a genuine and productive way to engage with COVID and police brutality without becoming too preachy, too saccharine, or too distanced from its core self. Other dramas trying to bring in similar topics to ongoing plots might count themselves lucky to deliver an equivalent impact. Sometimes the simplest moments are the strongest. In a dramatically overloaded premiere, 'This Is Us' earns plenty of credit for finding that moment, even if it can’t sit with it as long as it should".

Ben Travers, IndieWire