Over the last four years, ABC’s drama, A Million Little Things, touched on just about every emotional high and low imaginable. Suicide, loss, depression, cancer, racial empowerment and discrimination, abortion, infertility and gender identity and sexuality are but a few of the difficult topics the show has touched on during its four season run.
There are certainly plenty of topics to address, or even expanded on in future seasons, but one can’t help asking: Is A Million Little Things still worth renewing? With a star-studded cast, including Grace Park, David Giuntoli, Romany Malco, Allison Miller and James Roday Rodriguez, viewers continue tuning in to keep up with the ongoing drama. At times the series has felt like drama for the sake of drama without satisfying resolution to some of its crucial social issues. Despite high viewer ratings during the mid-season four finale, the network has yet to announce the show’s renewal.
There were many compelling things about A Million Little Things early on, like an unusual take on the bond between four male friends. The show also delved into the female cast members, but what seemed to set the series apart was that it focused on the emotional lives of men, which are all too often hidden behind a tough exterior. Suffering a unexpected suicide, the series explored the grief, guilt, blame and depression that followed the loss of a core individual who held them all together: Jon Dixon. The foursome, who met in a stuck elevator, bonded over their love for the Boston Bruins professional hockey team, and afterwards Jon began buying season tickets that brought the four of them together and forged a bond between their families.
Throughout that first season, the characters each dealt with Jon’s death in their own way. Former rock star Eddie Saville blamed himself, and with good reason. Eddie was having an affair with Jon’s wife, Delilah, and there were plenty of hints that Jon probably knew. Was that the reason he took his life?
Male breast cancer survivor, Gary Mendez, only made it through the trauma of his illness because Jon was there to cheer him on. Had he ignored Jon’s suffering during his treatment? Could he have saved his friend if he’d just been paying attention?
Behind the scenes, Rome Howard struggled with his own mental health and was on the verge of suicide himself when he got the call about Jon’s death. If Jon hadn’t committed suicide, Rome might very well have been the one who died, leaving the world in the same chaos and disarray felt by everyone who loved Jon. After confessing to the guys about his depression, they banded together to insist he seek help and share his mental health struggles with his wife, Regina.
While there have been plenty of shows over the years that showed the softer side of men, A Million Little Things focused on that, demonstrating that despite societal tendency to believe men have it all figured out, that they can handle anything the world throws at them and shrug it off, they are just as emotional as their female counterparts. Sometimes even more so.
While the show has always given equal billing to the women, the deep exploration into male emotions was one of the things that made the series a hit.Three men stepping up to the plate as father figures to the children their lost friend left behind, Jon’s death altered their lives in ways no one could have ever foreseen. In fact, it’s the one aspect of the show that’s never wavered — especially for Gary’s character.
After Delilah moved to France, Jon’s children, Sophie and Danny stayed behind for a time, and it was up to Gary to look after them. His inexperience as a father collided with his hotheaded nature when he found out Sophie had been sexually manipulated by her music instructor. His rage led him down a dark and violent path that nearly cost him his relationship with Sophie and could have landed him in prison. As Gary and his on-again/off-again romantic partner, Maggie Bloom, embark on their own journey into parenthood in season four, one can’t help but wonder what fans would lose if the show were canceled.
While it may no longer focus as heavily on losing Jon, the constant reminder that men are emotional beings can have a powerful impact. So long as ABC keeps that in mind for future seasons, fans will keep tuning in to A Million Little Things for season five and beyond. There is no official announcement on renewal yet, but given the extended number of episodes in season four, and the fact that they announced the show’s renewal in May 2021, there is definitely hope for season five.
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