A Million Little Things is an American drama series
which premiered on September 26, 2018 and currently finished its second season
on Thursday nights on ABC. It has not been officially renewed for a third
season, although it’s creator, DJ Nash, has hinted that an official renewal is
coming. The show’s premise is “It has been said that friendship isn’t one big
thing, it’s a million little things.” It has an ensemble cast: David Giuntoli
(Eddie Saville), Grace Park (Katherine, Eddie’s wife), Romany Malco (Rome
Howard), Christina Moses (Regina, Rome’s wife), Allison Miller (Maggie Bloom),
James Roday (Gary Mendez) and Stephanie Szostak (Delilah Dixon). The show deals
with suicide, depression, cancer, the grief process and the struggle to move on
in a new light.
The show starts as just another day with this tight knit
friends/family. Gary is at his doctor’s office, waiting on important test
results. Rome is at home writing a suicide note before preparing to take a
handful of pills. Eddie and Delilah are together on their weekly rendezvous.
All seems normal until they all get the call. Jon Dixon (played by Ron
Livingston), Delilah’s husband has just jumped off his office balcony to his
death. His suicide is so out of the blue that the group of friends are left
wondering what they didn’t see and so many questions that can never be
answered. The four men, who became friends after getting stuck together in an
elevator, bonded together by their love for the Boston Bruins and Jon, their de
facto leader, their champion and cheerleader. Without him, the group struggles
to find their center again. As they grieve and cope with the aftermath, secrets
and drama are revealed as life goes on.
I started to watch the show because James Roday was in it. I
love him in the USA show Psych (2006-2014) and I was curious to see him
take on a dramatic role. From the beginning I enjoyed the show’s ability to
tackle hard topics with honesty and heart. First, I appreciate the honest and
openness about cancer especially male breast cancer. While rare, male breast
cancer occurs in an estimated one in a thousand men will be diagnosed. I also
appreciate the writers’ ability to show the truth about depression in men. Men
are taught to be tough, to hide their emotions, and not to talk about their
feelings. Depression occurs in about 9% of men while only 1 in 4 will seek
profession help (American Psychological Association, 2015). I also liked the
realistic portrayal of the grief process. The initial shock, the sadness and
anger, especially the anger. The show is raw, it is real, and it is sometimes
hard to watch.
There are a few things I don’t care for. At first, I didn’t
care for Katherine, the high-powered attorney, and felt bad for Eddie, the hen-pecked
stay at home dad. However, as season 2 opened, I started to like her
take-no-prisoners approach and I saw how hurt and devasted she was by the
situations. Actress Grace Park plays Katherine beautifully and I have enjoyed
seeing her character evolve since episode 1. Second, I really don’t care for
Katherine’s and Eddie’s son, Theo. I’m not sure if it how he is written or the
young actor’s acting, but Theo comes off as annoying and sometimes a tad
unbelievable as an 8-year-old. In season 2, Delilah gave birth to a daughter,
Charlie, and every time the child is on screen, the baby is wearing a beanie. I
understand that the show takes place in Boston so its cold, but a child doesn’t
need her head covered all the time especially when inside.
In conclusion, I recommend A Million Little Things as
a dramatic show which takes an honest look at grief, depression, cancer and the
human ability or inability to deal with it all. It takes an honest look at
suicide, its aftermath and its prevention. For fans of Psych, if you
haven’t already, I recommend checking out the show to see James Roday in a
dramatic role. He is just as talented in this role as he was in a comedic role.
Every actor in this show fits his or her role perfectly and as you watch, you
will grow to love the characters as you watch them in grief, struggle with
unanswerable questions and find a way to move forward. If A Million Little
Things open the conversation which saves lives from suicide, then it’s
worth watching.
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