BEVERLY HILLS, California 鈥� There are a million reasons to wonder about A Million Little Things.
Million, due Sept. 26, is ABC鈥檚 take on an emotional This Is Us-style drama.
It exchanges same-age siblings for a quartet of Boston friends and hockey fans 鈥� they meet while stuck in an elevator 鈥� that is rocked when one, John (Ron Livingston), commits suicide early in the premi猫re.
Like Us, the show revisits him in flashbacks, while unravelling the surviving buddies鈥� own baggage: Cancer, substance abuse, depression, suicidal tendencies.
Sound like a lot of laughs? Well, there are some.
鈥淎ll of us, for different reasons, are not living the version of life we thought we鈥檇 be living,鈥� creator DJ Nash said Tuesday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.
鈥淚 want to do a show about people who are stuck in life. A friend鈥檚 unexpected death causes them to re-examine their lives. Whether there are sad topics on our show, we believe it鈥檚 unbelievably optimistic. Friendship might be the one thing that can save you from yourself.鈥�
Nash lost a friend to suicide and said moving on is a key component of the drama, as is laughter, an easy coping mechanism. But at its heart is the notion that for male friends, emotion is a dirty word.
鈥淢en like to talk about work, not feelings,鈥� said Romany Malco (Weeds), who plays Rome.
鈥淕uys often bond around doing things with each other; it鈥檚 also not the best thing to show weakness,鈥� said David Giuntoli (Grimm), who plays buddy Eddie.
NBC鈥檚 Us, one of TV鈥檚 biggest recent hits, 鈥減aved the way鈥� for Nash, a veteran comedy producer, to delve into the bleak, demonstrating there鈥檚 an audience for the types of shows (Thirtysomething, Once and Again, Brothers and Sisters) that were once a hallmark of ABC.
Even James Roday, the jokey Psych star who plays Gary, takes a dramatic turn.
In the wake of recent celebrity suicides (Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain and Robin Williams) the show doesn鈥檛 seek to romanticize the tragedy, Nash said, as Netflix鈥檚 controversial 13 Reasons Why did.
鈥淭hese people鈥檚 lives are forever changed because of this,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you watch the show, I don鈥檛 think you鈥檒l say: 鈥極h, I should do that, too.鈥� 鈥� (The series will air a public service announcement following the premi猫re.)
Will it ever explain exactly why John took his own life? Maybe. 鈥淵ou can never find a reason that makes sense,鈥� Livingston said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something missing and broken. It鈥檚 probably not one thing.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a million little things,鈥� Nash said.
