Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Jack Pearson on This Is Us, wants fans to give Crock-Pot a break - as he's getting the message across in funny fashion. Ventimiglia has asked audiences to forgive the slow-cooker company in a video released ahead of Super Bowl LII, which also serves as the lead-in to the series' most anticipated episode to date:
The way the video is shot is perfect. The fact that anyone could've watched this and remained oblivious to the fact it is a Crock-Pot ad until the very end is a wonderful way to pace the video, although it might've been better if Milo Ventimiglia served himself some chili from the same Crock-Pot slow cooker featured in the show. Then again, Crock-Pot might not be too keen on advertising their 20-year-old models, especially when the new ones are so shiny and far less likely to have faulty wiring!
For now, this appears to be the end of the ongoing internet war between Crock-Pot and This Is Us fans. The company has spun this PR nightmare into a hilarious moment with the tagline "#Crockpotisinnocent." It's certainly a brilliant way to advertise the product, especially given many people will utilize a Crock-Pot slow cooker in preparation for Super Bowl parties ahead of the episode. Now all Crock-Pot executives have to do is cross their fingers and hope none of their appliances starts a house fire the same night the episode airs, or that hashtag could really go up in smoke.
For now, it seems This Is Us' video collaboration with Crock-Pot has won over fans of the show. Many Tweets utilizing the hashtag credit Crock-Pot for the brilliant marketing move, as well as the show for being able to poke fun at its most serious storyline to date. Of course, given creator Dan Fogelman's response following the highly-watched and controversial episode, there might have been some pressure to make this situation right with Crock-Pot so that NBC didn't gain the ire of one of the largest slow-cooker companies out there. If there was any bad blood between the two because of the show, it all seems to be water under the bridge as Crock-Pot tweeted Milo Ventimiglia following his sharing of the video:
Any Crock-Pot hatred following This Is Us' Super Bowl Sunday episode will surely dissipate after the show reveals how Jack Pearson died. Speculation has ranged from Jack re-entering the house to rescue the family dog to Jack being rescued from the fire but in a coma. It has been promoted that the episode will provide lots of answers to burning questions, and it's possible that those answers could wind up shifting some blame away from Crock-Pot.
This Is Us will air a new episode on NBC at a special time following the conclusion of Super Bowl LII . For a list of new or returning shows set to premiere in 2018, visit our midseason premiere guide.
