This Is Us fan: How the show helped me deal with my father's death

The Washington Post

"The Pearson home went up in flames because, of all things, a faulty Crock-Pot," says Bethonie Butler. "But somewhere beneath the melodrama, I found unexpected catharsis in watching this fictional family grapple with an unthinkable loss that so closely mirrored my own. Cliches abound about grief being a process, a journey, a marathon, not a sprint. But that’s why This Is Us felt so authentic, and a reflection of my loss in near real-time: The Pearsons’ grief isn’t the subject of multi-episode arcs; it’s stitched into the fabric of the show."