15 TV Shows That Will Break Your Heart As Much As 'This Is Us'

Unless you've been living under a rock, This Is Us is one of your favorite TV shows. You love the family drama and especially love seeing The Big Three (aka Randall, Kevin, and Kate Pearson) at different ages and different times in their lives. Chances are, you thought the season one finale was absolutely epic and are dying to see what happens next. Although you have no idea where the Pearson family is headed, there's one thing that you do know for sure: this show makes you cry. More than that, it makes you SOB and BAWL. There isn't a dry eye in the house when you watch this series and you've heard from friends and strangers alike that's a pretty normal thing. Since the first season is over, it's time to find some other tearjerker shows that you can watch while you wait (impatiently) for season two. Here are 15 TV shows that will break your heart as much as This Is Us.

15 'The Fosters'

You've probably heard of this show, right? You might think it's got too much teen angst for you or that it's not going to be your favorite show. But stop thinking that right now because you will love this show. You honestly will. The Fosters is about one big happy family. Stef and Lena are a beautiful married couple who have a house full of amazing kids: Brandon (a teen boy from Stef's previous marriage), Jesus and Mariana (who they adopted when they were little), and Callie and Jude (who started living with the family in the first season). This show is one part teen drama because it's got that soap opera feel. The characters are always dealing with the ins and outs of high school like finding themselves, friendship issues, falling in love, and break-ups. The other part of the show? How much of a tearjerker it is. You will completely sob while watching this series. So what are you waiting for?

14 'Switched At Birth'

If you're not watching this show, you need to change that ASAP. As the title suggests, this show follows two teenage girls who find out in the pilot that they were actually switched at birth. Daphne Vasquez has grown up in East Riverside, a rougher part of Kansas City, with her mom Regina. She has always thought that her dad was Angelo, a hot Italian man who isn't with her mom anymore. But her actual birth parents are John and Kathryn Kennish, who are super rich and live in Mission Hills. John was a famous baseball player and now runs a successful car wash. Bay has been living with the Kennishes thinking that they are her real parents, but Regina and Angelo are actually her mom and dad. Talk about crazy. The two families become super close and you will cry with almost every single episode that you watch. It's just super sweet and adorable (but it's a really smart show too and deals with a whole bunch of issues).

13 'Orange Is The New Black'

You may not think of this seriously popular Netflix drama as a sad show, but when you think about it, that's really what it is. Each and every single inmate at the prison has a really sad story. Actually, they have a really TRAGIC story. Season one is not super sad and won't make you cry too much since you're mostly learning about how Piper deals with being in prison and being away from her super privileged lifestyle. But as soon as season two started streaming, you quickly realized that the show was moving away from solely focusing on Piper. Now you know a lot about the other characters and their backstories. Every episode features a series of flashbacks about one character and really gets under your skin. You can't believe how terrible some of these women have had it. If you don't sob, you're made of steel. So you probably sob a lot watching this show.

12 'Nashville'

You may not think that Nashville is a super sad show that would make you cry a ton, especially when you watch the first few seasons. The show is about a bunch of musicians and at first, it focused on the tension between older country music star Rayna James and younger pop/country music star Juliette Barnes. The series definitely evolves past that original idea and you become really attached to all of the characters. The reason why this show will break your heart? Well, that's definitely because of something that just happened in a recent fifth season episode aka when the great Rayna James passed away. As a fan, you were livid about it, totally devastated, and you still can't get over it. You wish that she was still a part of the show because to you, she is Nashville. So watching her die and then watching her husband Deacon and her daughters Maddy and Daphne deal with their grief is way too much. You will for sure cry.

11 'Grey's Anatomy'

This hospital drama is both loved and hated, and maybe you fall on either one of those two things. Hopefully you love it because hey, it may be in its thirteenth season but it's still worth watching. This show will definitely tug at your heartstrings each and every week. From all of the sad things that Meredith Grey experiences (she's not called dark and twisty for nothing, after all) to the fact that her one true love Derek Shepherd died (still not over it) to all of the sad hospital storylines, you won't be able to keep your eyes dry. It really seems like everything that happens on Grey's Anatomy is TRAGIC. So much has happened, it's pretty crazy when you stop and think about it. While it does have its light-hearted moments, it's safe to say that this show is one sad piece of television and will give your tear ducts a real workout.

10 'Scrubs'

Did you ever watch Scrubs? This sitcom premiered back in 2001 and is really worth watching. It's a hilarious look at a group of interns and doctors at a hospital and it's safe to say that it's not the easiest place in the world to work. While at first glance it might not seem like you would cry while watching a sitcom, the truth is that if you keep going with this show in particular, you will end up tearing up. Scrubs has a really big heart. You will fall in love with the main character J.D. Dorian (played by Zach Braff aka the guy who made and starred in the epic hipster movie Garden State). He's adorable and the voice of the show (kind of like how Meredith Grey has a bunch of voiceovers on Grey's Anatomy). After a while, you will definitely cry when watching the characters grow and change and learn things about themselves all while dealing with the world of medicine and helping people.

9 'Dawson's Creek'

Calling all 90s kids. You obviously watched this show back in the day because let's face it, everyone loved Dawson's Creek. You even loved this show if you acted like you didn't. Sure, it's a bit cheesy but so is literally every teen show on the planet. So you can't blame the gang of Capeside for that. From the very first season, you got super attached to Joey and Dawson. You felt for Joey since her mom died when she was just a kid and she never really got to know her dad since he was in prison. You felt for Dawson when his parents split up and when he was just trying to find himself and not feel like such a movie-loving outcast. And you definitely cried watching them go through the things that all teenagers go through. Of course, you cared about the other main characters too, like Pacey and Jen and Jack and Andie and, later on, Audrey. But you definitely cried the most watching scenes with Joey and Dawson.

8 'Friends'

Try not to cry when Chandler and Monica get married. Try not to cry when they have kids. And try not to cry when Ross and Rachel realize what you (and everyone else) knew all along: that they are truly meant to be together. This is one of those shows that ends up making you cry once you really get into it and have been watching it for several seasons. So if for some super strange reason you've never watched it (or haven't finished the entire thing), it's time to start watching. Eventually, you're going to find yourself crying even before you even realize it, and you'll be in deep. You'll be a true fan. You will be dying for Monica and Chandler to end up living happily ever after, you'll be waiting for Ross and Rachel to get it together, and you will love every moment that you spend with these adorable characters.

7 'thirtysomething'

Since nostalgia is all the rage, why not take a trip down television lane and check out thirtysomething? Maybe you never heard of it, which is a lot more reason for you to get to watching it! This show is from the creators of My So-Called Life (which is also on this list) and features a bunch of thirtysomething friends and their trials and tribulations. This is a really, really amazing show. The main characters are adorable and privileged married couple Hope and Michael, who recently had the cutest baby ever, Jane. Their friends are married couple Elliot and Nancy, single career woman Ellen, Michael's photographer cousin Melissa, and heartthrob prof Gary. It's seriously a beautiful show and almost every episode has a layer of sadness. Sure, the characters are happy (enough) and have a lot of good things going for them. But this is a television drama and so, of course, bad things are going to happen.

6 'Fuller House'

When you're in need of a good old nostalgia trip, watch Fuller House. Yes, it's cheesy and corny and whatever else you want to call it. Yes, it's a bit silly. Yes, maybe it could be better. BUT… it's still a pretty adorable and fun show. It's super sweet and will make you remember how much you care about the hilarious and cute Tanner family. Seriously, just try not to cry when you first see the whole gang back together again -- D.J., Stephanie, Kimmy Gibbler, Uncle Jesse, Uncle Joey, Aunt Rebecca, and Danny. You will definitely cry. You won't even be able to stop yourself. You will especially cry when you see how much everyone has changed and grown up over the years. There's also a nostalgia factor going on here, so you will probably find yourself sobbing without even realizing it, all because you loved this show so much when you were a kid.

5 'My So-Called Life'

This glorious teen drama from the 90s is pretty hilarious. Claire Danes plays Angela, a teenage girl who realizes that she doesn't want to be the goody-two-shoes that she has been her entire life. She stops being friends with her equally good girl BFF and starts hanging out with Rayanne and Rickie who are really artistic and help open up her eyes. You may not think that this show will make you cry if you watch the first episode or two. But keep watching and you will love Angela's adorable family. You will really care about her mom and her dad and you will enjoy the whole family vibe. The one episode that will make you cry the most is when Rayanne throws a party in order to get some attention and ends up taking too many drugs and drinking too much. Angela is freaked out and ends up bonding with her mom Patty, and she didn't ever think that was possible. You will also cry at the Christmas episode which features the ghost of a homeless teen girl.

4 'Friday Night Lights'

If you haven't watched this football show, you're seriously missing out. Because although it will make you cry almost every time that you watch (and basically every time that you see the gorgeous opening credits and hear that song), it's still worth it. The series follows Coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami Taylor (played by the great Connie Britton) and their daughter Julie. The Taylor family has recently moved to the small town of Dillon, Texas so Eric can coach the high school football team. This isn't any old high school football team, though. This is THE high school football team and the entire town revolves around this team. Everyone pins their hopes and dreams on how well this team goes, and the pressure leading up to each Friday night game is crazy. As soon as you get into the show and fall in love with the characters, you won't be able to stop sobbing. It's just such a sweet, compassionate show.

3 'Parenthood'

This Is Us is often compared to Parenthood since they're both family dramas that make you cry and tug at your heartstrings. This is definitely true and chances are if you're a fan of one of these shows, you will love the other one too. So you should definitely check out Parenthood if you've been following the Pearson family every Tuesday evening. This show follows the Braverman family. The matriarch and patriarch are Camille and Zeek. There's Sarah (Lauren Graham aka Lorelai Gilmore) and her kids Amber and Drew who move back home to live with her parents at the beginning of the show. There's Adam, who is married to Kristina and who have three children, Max, Haddie, and Nora. There's Julia, who is married to Joel and who have one daughter Sydney (and later, an adopted son named Victor). And then there's Crosby, who falls in love with Jasmine when he learns that he has a son named Jabbar. Adam and Kristina's son Max has Aspergers and that storyline alone will make you cry and get to you. But the other characters go through some tough times, too.

2 'Pitch'

Pitch is not a super sad show so you should know that right off the bat (baseball pun not intended but hey, it works). But you will cry in the very first episode when you learn about Ginny Baker's backstory (no spoilers here because it's a really beautiful moment in the pilot). Then you will keep crying as you continue to watch this amazing baseball show since you will care about Ginny so much. You will also care about her teammate Mike Lawson (played by a super hot Mark-Paul Gosselaar) even though he tries to seem like the toughest guy possible. Since the show is about such an important subject -- the very first female pitcher in baseball -- you will also feel the powerful impact of each and every storyline. It's really a great show and the first season only had 10 episodes, so you can binge this super fast if you haven't checked it out already.

1 'Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life'

You may not think that the Netflix revival of this fast-talking, coffee guzzling mother/daughter duo as worthy of your tears. After all, this show is known for being absolutely hilarious and witty and full of pop culture references. But if you want to cry as much as you do when you watch This Is Us, then check out Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life. Of course, you watched these four 90-minute episodes the first day that they came out, so you definitely sobbed. You cried in the first few moments thanks to the whole nostalgia thing. You loved being back in Stars Hollow and felt so much emotion since you love Lorelai and Rory SO MUCH. You cried when you watch Richard's funeral and see how sad Emily is. You hated seeing what a tough time Emily was having and you really hated thinking about never seeing the lovely Richard ever again. So if you need a good cry, re-watch this revival (like you needed another reason!).