I Miss ‘This Is Us,’ But This New Hit Netflix Show Is Just as Good — and Full of Bingeworthy Drama

Netflix’s new show Ripple hasn’t only made the platform’s top 10, it’s also being compared to a television juggernaut — This Is Us.

Ripple, which premiered on the streamer on December 3, follows the interconnected stories of multiple characters and tackles similar themes to the popular ABC melodrama. For fans of the long-running show, it seems like Ripple is scratching a similar, emotional itch.

Since Watch With Us is in tune with all things binge-worthy, we wanted to give a little overview of just what you can expect from Ripple.

‘Ripple’ Weaves the Narratives of Multiple Characters Who Cross Paths

The trailer for Ripple begins with a quote: “Far beyond the grids, weaving through the traffic and crowds, what if we were all a part of something larger?” The show is about how four strangers — Walter (Frankie Faison), Kris (Julia Chen), Nate (Ian Harding) and Aria (Sydney Agudong) — who have unknowingly crossed paths and profoundly change one another’s lives through these chance and seemingly unassuming encounters; creating a “ripple effect.”

Ripple was inspired by an experience creator Michele Giannusa had that changed her life. While it might sound like a bit of a mawkish premise, fans of This Is Us will find plenty to love here. The interwoven narrative aspect and combination of separate stories into one will definitely appeal to people looking for complex character drama and deep emotional catharsis.

It Tackles Themes Related to Grief, Loss and Human Connection

Ripple is a fantastic feel-good show that doesn’t shy away from depicting the challenges of life through its core characters, each dealing with their own struggles unique to their lives. Aria is a struggling musician, Kris is a former record label executive, Nate is a lung cancer patient and Walter is a widower. When these four characters become ultimately united, their relationships evolve through tender moments and complicated human experiences.

Giannusa wrote that the show was a love letter to New York City and how it brings people together, making “the world feel less impossible,” as she explained in a press release. Ultimately, there is much hardship in life, but it is both the joy and the heartache together that make being alive so special, and these themes are articulated beautifully and realistically in Ripple.

There Is a Powerful Underlying Message of Hope

In spite of the loss and suffering that many people go through in life, it is important to remember that there is still beauty in the world that makes life worth living and the world worth saving. In the trailer, Nate says a great line that feels like it sums up the core of the show: “When things get bleak, you just have to focus on things that bring you joy.” It’s a message that people should hold onto when the walls feel like they’re closing in.

While headlines in the news can make it seem like there is only negativity happening all around us, it’s important to realign oneself and think small instead of big; consider all the love in one’s intimate life that exists in tandem with the pain. Perhaps Ripple’s hopeful attitude might be a little gratuitous for some, but many people need media that doubles down on the importance of love and compassion.

How ‘Ripple’ Is Similar to ‘This Is Us’ — and Why It’s So Watchable

Many viewers have found that the chosen family aspect of Ripple delivers a lot of what they loved so much about getting to know the Pearson family on This Is Us. Although our four central characters start as strangers, the chance events of life turn them from strangers into a found family, relying on one another for support and mirroring the dynamic of the Pearson family in many ways.

The Pearsons are deeply flawed people, yet they have deep love and affection for one another, sharing strong emotional bonds that are further fortified through the trauma they endure. This is very similar to what transpires for the characters of Ripple, and the show ends up as a fantastic portrayal of how a family does not have to be bound by blood alone — family can also be formed in the most unlikely of places. It’s an important reminder of how connection can be found anywhere, even in a rundown NYC bar.

Stream Ripple now on Netflix.