ByteVibes

A Million Little Things Season 3 aired its premiere on ABC this week, with the first episode paying tribute to Mel Nash. After the episode aired, a title card came up reading, "In loving memory Mel Nash 1934-2020. That's my dad."

As this card suggests, Mel, who died in mid-October 2020, was the father of DJ Nash, the showrunner of A Million Little Things. DJ Nash had previously made an NBC comedy titled Growing Up Fisher inspired by his father's inspirational story, with J.K. Simmons taking the role inspired by Mel Nash.

Blind since the age of 11, when meningitis took his sight, Mel Nash worked in steel for 23 years before enrolling in law school at the age of 44, after which time he worked in construction law for three decades, as well as acting as an advocate for those with disabilities.

After the title card had aired during the A Million Little Things Season 3 premiere, DJ Nash took to Twitter to pay further tribute to his father. He wrote: "I met the most amazing man I'll ever meet in my life when I was 6 minutes old. 33 days ago, we lost him. He taught me how to be a son, a husband, a dad, a friend, a boss, and a storyteller. I love you, Pop. You will always be my North Star. I will be guided by your light forever."

The AMLT showrunner added more in a Deadline interview about the Season 3 opening. He said: "ABC was really generous at the end of the episode. I lost my dad three weeks ago. It's been a whole process for me of going like, that was my North Star, and when I think about how I am as a son, how I am as a husband, how I am as a boss, anything, a friend, it really was from this role model that my dad set.

"He was incredible. It's a huge loss. It really does inform so many of the stories that we're telling in the writers' room. The writers and the casts have been so unbelievably supportive and sort of gave me this virtual group hug."

Among those who also paid tribute to Mel Nash on Twitter was Two and a Half Men actor Jon Cryer, with whom DJ Nash worked with on his comedy Losing It. Nash replied to his tribute: "Thanks, Jon. And thanks for helping me tell his story. That show was the reason @AMillionABC got made. I'm forever grateful. Miss you, pal."

A Million Little Things Season 3 airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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