Watch List

16 Shows Like This Is Us To Fill The Void Left By The Beloved Pearson Family

Still sobbing over that finale, tbh.

by Julie Sprankles
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Welp, it’s the end of an era — an era filled with many tears. The final season of This Is Us ended on May 24, leaving viewers to wonder how they'll work through their emotional family baggage now. Fortunately, these shows like This Is Us can help fill the Pearson family void.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC | 2021 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

A Million Little Things | 2018–present

There’s no sugarcoating it; this series might make you cry even more than This Is Us. An incredible cast forms a group of friends trying to navigate life after the loss of one of their own, and that heartbreak will give you all the Jack Pearson feels.

Darko Sikman/ABC

Pachinko | 2022–present

Another multigenerational saga, this drama follows a Korean family starting in the early 1900s. It’s an emotional tribute to the epic moments of a family’s legacy along with the tiny moving parts that don’t make the history books.

Robert Falconer/Apple TV+

Parenthood | 2010–2015

Before the Pearsons ripped viewers hearts out each week, that role belonged to the Bravermans. If you somehow haven’t stumbled on this beautiful family drama yet, it’s time. Just make sure you stockpile Kleenex first.

Florian Schneider/NBC

Queen Sugar | 2016–2022

After the sudden death of their father, three siblings grapple with the aftermath (sound familiar?). Here, that means moving from Los Angeles to rural Louisiana to deal with their departed dad’s 800-acre sugarcane farm.

OWN

Dead to Me | 2019–2022

Grief affects everyone differently. Some people, when faced with loss, find their footing quickly. Others, like Jen and Judy, stumble quite a bit more. And in Jen’s case, they do it dripping with sarcasm.

Netflix

The Fosters | 2013–2018

Family comes in many different shapes and forms. A poignant part of the journey in This Is Us centers on Randall’s adoption. Similarly, The Fosters explores one family’s deepening dynamic when siblings Callie and Jude are placed with them.

Freeform

One Day at a Time | 2017–2020

Following the everyday life of a Cuban-American family, this heartwarming series centers on U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran Penelope upon her return from service. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll fall in love with the Alvarez household.

Ali Goldstein/Netflix

Six Feet Under | 2001–2005

Is this drama considerably darker than This Is Us? Sure. But just like the Pearsons, the Fishers must figure out life without their patriarch — and there are growing pains. Plus, you couldn’t ask for a better cast!

HBO

Bloodline | 2015–2017

Is the obvious Kyle Chandler choice here Friday Night Lights? Maybe. The football connection, a dreamy couple, “full hearts.” But Bloodline gets to the root of complex family dynamics in a way FNL can’t touch.

Rod Millington/Netflix

Sweet Magnolias | 2020–present

Family isn’t always blood — sometimes, it’s the people in your life who always show up. And that’s especially true for Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue, three South Carolina friends and moms facing life’s ups and downs together.

Eliza Morse/Netflix

Greenleaf | 2016–2020

Make no mistake — the Greenleaf family is unscrupulous in ways the Pearsons would never. But if you need a little something soapy and scandalous, this Memphis megachurch family is it.

OWN

Brothers & Sisters | 2006–2011

Another ensemble cast playing a tight-knit but emotionally loaded family who takes every single one of your feelings on a test drive each week? You betcha. The only thing you won’t like about this one is that it ends too soon.

Scott Garfield/ABC

Virgin River | 2019–present

Moving on isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s often full of rocky transitions. Rebecca Pearson knew that, and so does Virgin River’s Mel Monroe. Following a devastating loss, she packs up and moves to a tiny PNW town to leave behind her painful memories.

Netflix

The Time Traveler’s Wife | 2022–present

While fans wished Rebecca Pearson could travel back in time to visit Jack, they had to settle for flashbacks. But in this spellbinding series, the central couple actually can time travel (only, it’s not as great as it seems).

Macall B. Polay/HBO

Firefly Lane | 2021–present

If you always enjoyed the way This Is Us artfully threaded the past and present through flashbacks, you’ll love Firefly Lane. The Netflix show ping-pongs between the early friendship of Kate and Tully and where they are today.

Netflix

October Road | 2007–2008

If any studio execs are out there listening, this series screams for the reboot treatment. The ‘90s setting, the ensemble cast, the most killer throwback soundtrack — it was woefully short-lived. This is the hill I’ll die on.

Guy D'Alema/Walt Disney Television

Vida | 2018

Two sisters return home to their childhood LA neighborhood after their mother dies. Over the years, they've grown apart and are now forced to reconnect, but the sisters couldn't be any more different. Lyn is a party girl living in the Bay Area, while Emma is much more responsible. As they learn to navigate their new life together, they learn shocking and new truths about their late mother.

Starz!