What do John Mayer, three of my best friends, and the members of my immediate family all have in common? They are all fans of NBC's newest tearjerking drama, This Is Us.

Unless you have been living under a rock or have basically fallen off the face of the earth, you have probably heard at least one person you know gush over this TV newcomer. Without giving too much away, the show is centered around the lives of individuals who are all connected and all share the same birthday. Every episode is bound to make the viewer laugh and cry and leaves them eager for the next episode. I definitely ended every episode feeling a plethora of different emotions.

In case you do not watch the show (but you really should, so stop reading this and start binge watching all episodes on the NBC website now), you may be wondering what all of the hype is about. I sure did, and was hesitant to start watching. I simply did not believe that this show was as good as everyone said it was. But trust me, This Is Us exceeded all of my expectations and has become one of my new favorite shows!

Towards the end of December, I decided to give into such "hype" and my mom and I sat down one night and watched the first episode of the show. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but from that moment on, we were hooked.

I am typically not a fan of TV show pilots, and normally think that do not get me very engaged in the show. It normally takes a few episodes to really get me into a show. But This Is Us is different, as the show was engaging, emotional, and entertaining from the very beginning.

Two days after we watched that first episode, my mom and I sat back down and binge watched the rest of the episodes that had already premiered- totaling to about nine hours of This Is Us watching that day. Throughout the nine hours, we cried, we laugh, and we cried some more. We became engrossed in the story and in the lives of the characters, who are all very relatable and undergo personal struggles that many people do in the real world.

I eventually told three of my best friends about my new favorite show, and got them to start watching too. They too became as obsessed as I was.

This Is Us has the power to bring people together. Though it is a tearjerker, it is also a feel good show. Throughout each episode, you become a part of the big family that is made up of the cast of characters.

The show has received a lot of praise and critical acclaim since its premiere in late September, including three Golden Globe Award nominations, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. All acclaim and praise is very well deserved.

This Is Us was created by Don Fogelman and stars Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, and Justin Hartley. You can watch This Is Us on Tuesdays at 9 pm on NBC.