Is it time for Sterling K. Browꦜn to plan his exit from “This Is Us🌺”?
The magnetic actor is unstoppable. In 2018 so far, his performance as Ranꦕdall Pearson on the NBC tearjerker , a Screen Actors Guild award and a third prize from the Broadcast Film Critics Association. He already has two Emmy Awards (for “This Is Us” and “♊The People v. O.J. Simpson”). His emotional acceptance speeches have rallied audiences to applaud his triumph as an African-American breaking down boundaries.
The last actor on TV to rack up this many trophies in such quick succession was Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad.” And we know what happened to him. He went on to one victory after another: an Oscaꦍr nomination for “Trumbo,” a Tony Award for “All the Way.”
Even though Brown, 41, has declared his loyalty to “This Is Us,” telling The Post in 2017, “I’ll ride it ’til the wheels fall off,” it can’t be long before he follows in Cranston’s star-making footsteps. While “Breaking Bad” maintained its edge over five seasons, winning several awards as B𓃲est Drama Series, Brown’s show has peaked creat✱ively, with the actor .
As everyone has figured out by now, the big-hearted Brown is the best thing about “This Is Us,” but he’s also better than the show, which has allowed itself to descend from sensit𒅌ive family drama into a soap opera about a ghost. The specter of saintly dad Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) still haunted Tuesday’s season finale, which was about Kate Pearson’s (Chrissy Metz) wedding to Toby Damon (Chris Sullivan) after many terrible problems. Perhaps it was for👍tunate that Brown was relegated to the background with Randall playing wedding coordinator because the show’s reliance on flashbacks and obsession with death has become bizarre and boring. Small wonder, then, that Brown on “Saturday Night Live” last weekend. How many TV tears does one actor have to shed?
We realize we may be jumping the gun here. Television history is rife with actors who left their hit shows too soon, only to find they weren’t as hot as we thought they were. In 1994, David Caruso famously left “NYPD Blue” after one season and went through a tough time trying to branch out into movies and eventually taking the lead role in “CSI: Miami.” But that was during a different era, when it was much more difficult for actors to mak🧸e the transition. By the time George Clooney left “ER” after five seasons (1994-99), the industry had become smarter about recognizing the star quality in so-called TV actors and his crossover was relatively painless.
Now, as Cranston has proven, there are very few boundaries left. Brown’s ascension comes at a time when Hollywood is hurting for the kind of eloquent leading man who can become the next Denzel Washington or the next Gary Oldman, to name two of this꧋ year’s Oscar nominees and one eventual winner. It’s time for Brown to join their ꧟ranks.