Page 30 - AT

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 5 November 2019
‘This Is Us’ takes on race, class and teenage love in Philly

By LYNN ELBER ence. The scenes and the African American experi-
Associated Press episode (9 p.m. EST, NBC) ence, reflect Oyegun's fa-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two circumvent typical network miliarity with and affection
high schoolers are testing TV brushstrokes, offering a for the city that became
their fledgling relationship nuanced take on the Afri- home after leaving her na-
with a day on the town, a can American teenagers' tive Nigeria as a child.
classic start to a screen ro- lives and on the cross-cur- "You get this lovely ro-
mance. But on Tuesday's rents within and between mance between these two
"This Is Us," the carefree black and multiracial fami- kids that we rarely see, that
date in Philadelphia be- lies. Sterling K. Brown, the kind of space for young
longs to a boy who's a teen- Emmy-winning actor who black kids that's not sur-
age dad from a blue-collar plays the girl's dad, Randall rounded by violence, that's
household and a girl who's Pearson, and the show's not surrounded by hard-
been adopted from fos- makers are proud to share ness or pain or tragedy.
ter care into relative afflu- the results. It's really the simplicity of
This image released by NBC shows Asante Blackk as Malik, left, what it means to engage
and Lyric Ross as Deja, in a scene from "This Is Us," airing on with someone you like, and
Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST. in the most basic sense of
Associated Press the word," said Oyegun, a
"I just love there's a sort of who plays Deja Pearson, writer on "Queen Sugar" be-
diaspora of African Ameri- and Asante Blackk, a new- fore joining "This Is Us" at its
can representation," said comer to the series as Ma- start. Fogelman described
Brown. "'This Is Us' is all lik. the teens' date as emblem-
about family and all about There's also a touch of influ- atic of the show's effort to
connection, and the world ence from a 1995 Richard open a window on people
of the show continues to Linklater film and its 2004 who may be unknown to
expand over the years. sequel. viewers, making them "hu-
But it really does my heart "Dan had this desire to have man and real" through
good when, every once in a sort of 'Before Sunrise'- characters who are flawed
a while, the show becomes "Before Sunset' episode es- but essentially decent.
very focused on the Afri- sentially devoted to these The story is minus the cliff-
can American experience two teenagers exploring hanger life-or-death drama
through Randall's family, Philadelphia together," (and maybe, just maybe,
through these other fami- Oyegun said. the trademark audience
lies that we've added to Weighty themes emerged tears) of other episodes, a
the fold, and they're not with the development of change-up that Fogelman
the same." Malik's character and his sees as valuable.
The script was written by place in the story, but Oye- "I think that this show has al-
Kay Oyegun from an idea gun sees the teens' jaunt ways operated best when
that series creator Dan Fo- itself as remarkable. the audience doesn't tune
gelman had been mulling. The highlights, from sam- in every week to know
The inspiration: the chem- pling cheesesteaks and absolutely exactly what
istry between talented frozen custard to contem- they're going to get," he
young actors Lyric Ross, plating sites honoring the said.q

Golden Globes to honor TV pioneer

Ellen DeGeneres

day that the Carol Burnett
Award — the small-screen
version of the group's film
counterpart, the Cecil B.
DeMille Award — will go
to DeGeneres, a multiple
Emmy winner and Golden
Globe nominee.
It is given annually to honor
someone "who has made
outstanding contributions
to television on or off the
screen." The first Carol Bur-
In this Oct. 13, 2016 file photo, Ellen DeGeneres appears during
a commercial break at a taping of "The Ellen Show" in Burbank, nett Award last year fitting-
Calif. ly went to Burnett herself.
Associated Press In a statement, associa-
By MARK KENNEDY who has been a pioneering tion President Lorenzo So-
Associated Press sitcom star, a TV talk-show ria hailed DeGeneres as "a
NEW YORK (AP) — The Gold- host and a game-show MC pioneer who has captivat-
en Globe Awards will give — Ellen DeGeneres. ed audiences for nearly 25
its new TV special achieve- The Hollywood Foreign years with her undeniable
ment trophy to someone Press Association said Mon- charm and wit."q