WARNING: Here, there be spoilers

This Is Us took the world by force. After a heart wrenching, sob-inducing pilot episode, word began to spread. It started with the moms—they were the ones who began watching the show. Then they started telling their husbands and their kids. The show’s audience broadened, and after it continued to create sad, funny and overall relatable episodes, it did nothing except grow.

One of the things that This Is Us did very well was growing the love for characters while also cultivating the insanity of the unknown. They revealed small pieces of information, slowly growing the anticipation for things like Jack’s death, which they have been building for from episode one.

The show also excels at constantly adding more to the story, which helps audience members fall in love with each and every character. Because they jump from the past to the present—and now the future—so frequently they have over 40 years of story to pull from. In the big Super Bowl Sunday episode, they introduced the future daughter of one of the Big Three, which greatly added to the story. Because of the structure, they will never run out of story to tell.

One of the main causes of affection for The Pearsons and the show is the relatability. Audiences can look at every single character and find reflections of themselves in the characters. The writers have created humanity in the character by giving them so many different experiences, like addiction, loss, grief, love, divorce, loneliness, anxiety, self-esteem issues, and so many more. It’s easy to find fans, whether they’ve watched one episode or more, who say that they loved it. The show brings people together.

For those who haven’t watched This Is Us yet, go watch it. It’s worth it; it’s worth it for the opportunity to will fall in love with this family and become part of something big, offering the chance to remember, this is us