--- title: A Million Little Things on ABC: TV Review description: New ABC drama A Million Little Things could’ve been conceived by an algorithm programmed to synthesize popular TV shows. canonical: https://time.com/5407194/a-million-little-things-review/ author: Judy Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-26T18:42:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:33:13.643Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: 'A Million Little Things' Wants to Be 'This Is Us' for Men og:description: The ABC drama may be silly, but its take on masculinity is refreshing. og:url: https://time.com/5407194/a-million-little-things-review/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt210685f9c400d507/69893b2eab6d77aa3c6b3c60/a-million-little-things.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: a-million-little-things og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'A Million Little Things' Wants to Be 'This Is Us' for Men twitter:description: The ABC drama may be silly, but its take on masculinity is refreshing. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt210685f9c400d507/69893b2eab6d77aa3c6b3c60/a-million-little-things.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _A Million Little Things_ Wants to Be _This Is Us_ for Men  by [Judy Berman](/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Sep 26, 2018 6:42 PM CUT  ABC ABC(L-R) STEPHANIE SZOSTAK, CHRISTINA MOSES, DAVID GIUNTOLI, JAMES RODAY, ROMANY MALCO JR  by [Judy Berman](/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Sep 26, 2018 6:42 PM CUT _A Million Little Things_ could’ve been conceived by an algorithm programmed to synthesize popular TV shows. Like [_This Is Us_](http://time.com/4501766/this-is-us-show-review/ "undefined"), it’s an ensemble drama designed to elicit gasps and tears. Like [_13 Reasons Why_](http://time.com/4775444/13-reasons-why-parental-nightmares/ "undefined"), it takes place in the aftermath of a suicide. And, as with something a computer would write, many of its plot points feel hackneyed and implausible all at once. At the center of the show, which airs on ABC starting Sept. 26, are four middle-aged friends in Boston who’ve reached crossroads in their lives. Eddie (David Giuntoli of _Grimm_) channels his thwarted rock-star dreams into an extramarital affair while working up the courage to leave his wife. Male breast cancer survivor Gary (_Psych_’s James Roday) distracts himself from fears of relapse by sleeping with women from his support group. Rome (_Weeds_ alum Romany Malco) longs to be a filmmaker but is stuck directing commercials; in his first scene, he’s writing a suicide note. It’s Gary who saves Rome’s life by calling with the news that their fourth friend, Jon (Ron Livingston), has just jumped to his death. The three surviving pals are shocked, not least because Jon seemed so content, a slick, energetic real estate mogul whose motto was “everything happens for a reason.” His friends are left to probe the meaning behind his death. When the men met, years earlier, in a stuck elevator, Jon sealed their new friendship with season tickets to the Bruins. The tradition endured, and in the aftermath of his death, the group vows to use those hockey games to do the same kind of bonding they did in that elevator. Though the pilot is messy and derivative, and the stronger subsequent episodes can still feel cloying, there’s reason to hope _A Million Little Things_ will keep getting better. It’s the rare show about men that bothers to flesh out their wives, girlfriends and kids, and its cast of seasoned TV actors lends broad characters dimension. Stories that take male friendship seriously are few and far between these days—and now that the word masculinity so often comes paired with the word toxic, this gentler form of male identity seems ripe for exploration. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5407194/a-million-little-things-review/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5407194/a-million-little-things-review/"},"headline":"A Million Little Things Wants to Be This Is Us for Men","datePublished":"2018-09-26T18:42:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:33:13.643Z","description":"ABC's new ensemble melodrama could’ve been conceived by an algorithm programmed to synthesize popular TV shows.","url":"https://time.com/5407194/a-million-little-things-review/","keywords":["Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt210685f9c400d507/69893b2eab6d77aa3c6b3c60/a-million-little-things.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Judy Berman","jobTitle":"TV Critic","url":"https://time.com/author/judy-berman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt210685f9c400d507/69893b2eab6d77aa3c6b3c60/a-million-little-things.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"a-million-little-things","caption":"a-million-little-things","creditText":"(L-R) STEPHANIE SZOSTAK, CHRISTINA MOSES, DAVID GIUNTOLI, JAMES RODAY, ROMANY MALCO JR","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5407194/a-million-little-things-review/","name":"A Million Little Things Wants to Be This Is Us for Men"}}]}] ```