After seeing the buzz earlier this year when Paradise Season 2 was airing on the 2026 TV schedule, I decided to fire up my Hulu subscription and see what the series was all about. While I knew there was an obvious connection to This Is Us via Sterling K. Brown, I was completely unaware at first that the series was also made by creator Dan Fogelman.

That said, I looked it up pretty early into Season 1, because I noticed a lot of similarities between the two shows. Basically, I feel like Paradise is a spookier version of This Is Us, which may seem wild to those who have seen both, but hear me out on this.

Paradise Features A Lot Of The Same Emotional Gut Punches Of This Is Us

While the violence and post-apocalyptic setting of Paradise separates it from This Is Us, I think it's clear that both shows thrive in how they present tragedy. Dan Fogelman really knows how to twist the knife with sad moments, making you think it's all going to be alright when you know it likely won't be. Case in point, I'd say that Annie's tragic Season 2 death felt very similar to Jack's death in This Is Us, with characters doing everything they can right, and it still not working out.

Paradise certainly leans in on the thriller genre more often than not, but it can also be sappy at times. In fact, its sweeter moments make it feel more like an Elseworlds version of This Is Us to me more often than not. I think that's what keeps me from comparing it to Lost, which seemed more focused on heightening the drama with mystery.

Sterling K. Brown's Xavier is Different Than Randall, But There's Also Some Similarities

Xavier is much different than Randall in many ways, but I couldn't help but see the two characters in each other during the scenes in which they interact with their wives and families. I think part of it is I think that Sterling K. Brown plays the ideal family man so well, and it was something that immediately stood out to me in This Is Us. He's a stern and loving father in both, and also maybe a little too consumed with his job.

All this to say, I don't think that it's a bad thing that Paradise, which will end with Season 3, borrows from the This Is Us playbook. The latter was a great series that made its cast cry just as much as its audience during its run on NBC. Who knows, maybe that advanced AI Alex will somehow alter the timeline so that Paradise is ultimately a prequel to This Is Us, in a twist we haven't seen since Newhart.

I doubt that happens, but I will say to anyone who hasn't seen This Is Us, Paradise, or vice versa, it's worth checking out. I love both, assuming the final season of the latest series is as good as the first two, and I can't wait for new episodes to arrive.

WARNING! There are major spoilers ahead for the first two seasons of Paradise in this story. If you’re not caught up, now’s your chance to use your Hulu subscription before diving into Season 3.

It’s always nice to finish what you start, and for Paradise, that means one more season to conclude the story of what started as a murder mystery but has evolved into a sprawling story about time, physics, and the importance of family. Season 2 ended dramatically with the self-sacrifice of Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson), locking herself in the bunker to prevent nuclear fallout after the power system went into meltdown. Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) and the rest of the people living in the bunker are on the outside now, with Xavier presumably headed to the second bunker, where Alex is, to save the world.

The good news is that Paradise has stuck to a pretty traditional time table, and it probably won’t be an extended wait before Season 3 is upon us. Here’s everything we know about the show's future, including when production is planned to start, and who will likely be back for the conclusion of creator Dan Fogelman’s story.

Paradise Season 3 Release Date

With production scheduled to start this month, we’re still a ways away from Season 3. There is currently no scheduled release date for Paradise Season 3. However, unlike the laborious waits necessary for some streaming shows (ahem, Stranger Things), there’s a good chance this sci-fi show will be back sometime in early 2027. Season 2's episodes hit the 2026 TV schedule on February 23, 13 months after Season 1 debuted, so there's good reason to expect the break will be about the same between Seasons 2 and 3.

In fact, in the last week of March 2026, just as the season finale hit both Hulu and Disney+ (yep, you can watch with a Disney+ subscription, too), Sterling K. Brown took to Instagram to celebrate not only the conclusion of the most recent season, but also to update fans on the filming of Season 3. Brown told his IG followers on March 31st, 2026:

That, of course, is great news. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for an official premiere date, but it’ll be a few months before anyone knows for sure.

Who Will Be In Season 3?

It’s still too early for an official cast list, but it’s pretty safe to assume that all (or many) of the surviving characters will be back. Here’s who we expect will return, and which characters, though no longer living, could return in flashbacks, or… well, who knows what kind of power the quantum computer Alex has.

Sterling K. Bown As Xavier Collins

We know Brown will be back, as he explained in his IG post. It would be pretty weird if he weren’t returning, as he’s the lead in the show and an executive producer of it, right? Season 2 ended with Sinatra explaining to Collins that it was up to him to get to the second bunker under the Denver airport and save the world using Alex. How he gets there, and what it means, well, who knows, but I can’t wait to find out.

Sarah Shahi As Gabriela Torabi

Dr. Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi) survived the bunker’s destruction and had a pretty awkward moment with Xavier’s wife, Teri, on the outside. Torabi and Collins had been in a pretty steaming relationship prior to Xavier learning Teri was still alive. Where that leaves her on the outside is anyone’s guess, but as one of the smartest people in the bunker, she’ll likely play a big role in wherever the survivors end up.

Enuka Okuma As Teri Rogers-Collins

Season 2’s emotional high-water mark came when Xavier (after coming close to disaster) finally reunited with his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma) in Episodes 6 and 7. Along with Xavier, Teri made it back to the bunker, and the whole family reunited as chaos unfolded just before it all came crashing down. Teri and the kids made it out alive and are on the road with the other refugees.

Thomas Doherty As Link/Dylan

Link (or Dylan, maybe?), played by Thomas Doherty, was a key new character in Season 2, and his story is certain to continue in Season 3 of Paradise. He is the original inventor of the machine who eventually became Alex, so it’s likely he will help Xavier reach the second bunker and use Alex in some way to save the world.

Additionally, most of the kids will probably be back, like Aliyah Mastin as Presley Collins, Percy Daggs IV as James Collins, Charlie Evans as Jeremy Bradford, and Kate Godfrey as Hadley Redmond.

Deceased Characters Who We Could See Again

Of course, in a Dan Fogelman show, no character is really gone forever, even after they die. In Seasons 1 and 2, we saw quite a lot of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) despite his being murdered in the very first episode. That said, here is a list of deceased characters who I think we’ll see more of, either in flashbacks or possibly in alternate timelines (or both):

• Julianne Nicholson as Samantha "Sinatra" Redmond
• James Marsden as Cal Bradford
• Nicole Brydon Bloom as Jane Driscoll
• Krys Marshall as Nicole Robinson
• Jon Beavers as Billy Pace
• Shailene Woodley as Annie Clay
• Michael McGrady as Geiger

It would be wonderful see all of these characters at least one more time.

Dan Fogelman Will Continue As The Writer And Showrunner

Showrunner Dan Fogelman, who also created the Sterling K. Brown-starring This Is Us, will of course remain with the show to see out its conclusion. Since the beginning, Fogelman has said that he intends the show to have a three-season arc, and it looks like that’s what he’ll get. That is exciting news, as hopefully it means Paradise doesn’t suffer the same fate as Lost or Game of Thrones and ends strongly.

Could There Be A Season 4 After This?

The answer to this question is probably no; however, in that same IG post, Brown, perhaps jokingly, said:

Obviously, that opens up the door for a fourth season, but let’s be real, it’s pretty unlikely, and Brown was probably just joking around. One thing we know for sure is he (and Fogelman) are “gonna give us three,” so let’s celebrate that. I can’t wait to see how it all ends.

Major spoilers below for the penultimate episode of Paradise Season 2, so be warned if you haven’t yet streamed it via Hulu subscription or Disney+ subscription.

From the start, Paradise has been a giant guessing game, with plenty of mysteries and theories for audiences to sort through, and Season 2 really upped the ante with its “Who is Alex?” secret. Now, with just one episode left to set up what will presumably be the third and final season, Paradise dropped what might be its dooziest reveal yet, on top of putting a variety of major characters in danger, and it all seemingly turned my most promising theories about this show upside down.

Without much time to spare, let’s talk out Sinatra’s big plans for Alex, her big meeting with Link, and the fate of Paradise’s most chilling character.

Is Link An Alt-Universe Version Of Sinatra's Late Son Dylan?

Paradise has clearly been building up to a massive reveal for Link, but I can't honestly say that I've been expecting that reveal to tie him so directly to the story of Sinatra and her husband's late son Dylan. Not even when she and Tim start talking about him and everything gets all sad. I thought Link might be a conduit that would lead Sinatra back to a reality where Dylan was still alive, and I guess that's technically what this could be, even if it's not how I thought it would be presented.

Sinatra seemingly viewed Link as a formidable adversary right up until the point when Geiger called out to him using the character's birthname of "Dylan," which sent Sinatra into a glazed-eyes dream mode. She's almost definitely already bought into the whole shebang, regardless of any unforeseen consequences.

But does it even make sense for these two distinct characters to be the same person? If Link is an alt-version of Dylan, how did he work with Henry Miller to help create the current state of Alex? Was he always in "our" timeline, or was he pulled into ours from his own long ago? He doesn't seem to have memories of growing up with Sinatra, so to speak, so was that characers's childhood pointedly different, or did he not actually have one? I don't know that I can feel comfortable answering this one for "real," as it were. Either scenario sets up too many add-on questions to know anything for sure.

What Is Alex, And What Is Sinatra's Purpose For It?

Arguably the biggest Paradise question being asked in recent weeks, at least beyond "Will Xavier and Teri reunite lovingly?" revolves entirely around the mysterious "Alex" that's been referenced and threatened. But what are we even talking about when Alex comes up?

Though Sinatra calls Alex a "her" when speaking to Link, and though it appears to be named after the late wife of scientist Henry Miller, it's extremely doubtful that anyone is actually talking about a human female here. Instead, I'm pretty sure Alex is some kind of artificial intelligence supercomputer that's been tasked with figuring out how to save the planet and/or humanity's reign on it.

Certain theories have suggested time travel is involved, while others have pointed to a variety of alternate timelines being key to this mystery. But I have to think Alex's goal isn't quite so fancy, even if none of my explanations properly explain how Alex could have sent those foreboding emails back in 1997. (I'm hoping they're not actually related, even as ridiculous as that seems.)

I've been thinking Alex is working from a risk-assessment and survival-likelihood algorithm that essentially lays out every possible future from one second to the next, and figures out the "best" path to take so that civilization can be rebuilt. If Alex decides that certain people will likely one day become a threat that stands in the way, then steps are taken to make sure those people are nullified.

But hold up now. After Sinatra gets the bug in her head that Link and Dylan are the same, she seemingly goes back to rekindle her and Tim's romance after saying this specific phrase: "It worked." I don't think she was specifying that the meeting with Link and the other outsiders went successfully, or else she would have worded that very differently.

So was that meant to indicate that the entire point of Alex was a means to bring her dead child back, with the fate of the world merely a secondary focus?

Is Jane Already Dead For Real After Getting Her Own Confusing Episode?

The episode “Jane” didn’t dig into the backstory of Nicole Brydon Bloom’s villainous Jane Driscoll in the ways I expected, or would have preferred even. I’m still not sure what the foreshadowy 1997 messages were about, nor how killing Jane as a baby would have stopped any natural disaster from occurring decades later. (Although it’s theoretically possible that there’s a parallel universe where Baby Jane died and no super-volcanic eruptions happened.)

We mainly learned that her mother held on to the idea of Jane being an albatross around her neck, and wasn’t a personable parent in the slightest. Also, that Jane had extensive training to be a badass, and was psychotic enough to cut a man’s penis off to secure her friend a rightful promotion. Nothing we couldn’t have already assumed previously, but still. I thought it was more of an introductory look at Jane’s upbringing, meant to be continued later. But then she went and got herself possibly killed by Torabi.

Jane has been as chilling and unpredictable as any threat in Paradise across Season 2, so it doesn’t sit right with me that Dan Fogelman & Co. would take her out of the equation in such a way. I mean, good on Torabi for saving herself, but what was the point in learning more about this pathological killer the episode before she gets offed?

Considering we don’t actually see anyone pronounce Jane dead, on top of everything above, I don’t think she’s joined the choir invisible just yet. This architect of chaos still has more destruction to bring about, I’m sure of it. Unless, like, there’s an alt-universe Jane out there who also wasn't killed as a baby, and will step up in her stead. But if this show starts doing that with everyone, I’m going to need to nap until the final episode.

Paradise will deliver the (hopefully) answer-filled Season 2 finale on Hulu on Monday, March 30, so get ready to start compiling theory lists for where Season 3 will take this story.

Xavier Collins is officially out of the bunker and back on our screens, as Paradise Season 2 premiered on the 2026 TV schedule. Sterling K. Brown’s post-apocalyptic drama captivated audiences in its first season, genre-hopping from murder mystery to disaster film to political thriller, and already the second set of episodes has flipped the script on much of what we thought we knew. Does creator Dan Fogelman know where the story is headed? How many seasons will Paradise last? Surprisingly, he has those answers.

With the first three episodes of Paradise Season 2 now available to stream with a Hulu subscription, many fans are likely focused on questions like, “Who is Alex?” and “What is Sinatra up to?” But for all of the Lost comparisons that this series gets, there are also valid questions to be asked about the endgame. According to John Hoberg, executive producer and writer, Dan Fogelman has had a plan since the beginning, telling THR:

That is certainly an interesting way to say the series will end after Season 3, and it gets my wheels turning about what kind of ending we’re in for. Complete global annihilation? Whatever the case, with Dan Fogelman involved, I can only imagine it will be emotional — I haven’t forgotten the This Is Us finale!

John Hoberg said Paradise was always mapped out to be three seasons, and before they’d even hired a writers room, there was a plan in place for each of the three, including Season 1 being in the bunker, Xavier venturing to the surface in Season 2 and the mysterious “final thing” that will occur in Episode 8 next month.

At this point, they’ve already plotted out most of Season 3, the writer said, despite not having an official renewal yet from Hulu. Assuming that comes as planned, Dan Fogelman and co. will wrap the story then.

I’m just happy to know Dan Fogelman, John Hoberg and the rest have a clear path in place for the Paradise ending, and if this was always envisioned as a three-season series, I’d imagine Hulu isn’t going to have any issues letting them see that vision through. That really beats series that go on for too long with no narrative purpose or — even worse — shows that get canceled before they can finish their story.

With the scope expanding so much in Season 2 to incorporate what’s happening on the Earth’s surface, as well as political tensions boiling over inside the bunker, it’s actually really nice to know we don’t have to worry very much about the fate of Paradise. Instead, we can savor Xavier’s quest, Sinatra’s scheming and the mysterious “Alex” plot with the knowledge that we’ve still got one more season to wrap up any outstanding questions.

Tune in for new episodes of Paradise each Monday on Hulu.

The This Is Us cast is still, even three years after the heart-wrenching NBC drama came to an end. Not only are there reunions, but creator Dan Fogelman has been keeping some of them busy with new shows. He most recently created the Hulu series Paradise, which stars Sterling K. Brown. Now, Fogelman is set to reunite with another TIS alum, Mandy Moore, though they won't be collaborating on Brown's aforementioned show.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mandy Moore has been cast in Dan Fogelman’s new NFL drama, which will be streamable for Hulu subscription holders at some point. Moore joins Law & Order: Organized Crime star Christopher Meloni, who is set to star as a football coach. Fogelman is also set to write and executive produce the show, which comes from 20^th Television and Skydance Sports.

As for Moore’s character, she's going to be a bit different from Pearson family matriarch Rebecca. Moore is set to star as Lauren, who's the daughter of William H. Macy’s character, Hank. Lauren's in a bit of interesting position, as she's next in line to inherit the NFL team her dad owns, which is coached by Meloni’s character. Needless to say, this is going to be a switch-up for Moore, and I'm so pumped to see her engaged in some potential family drama.

Whether or not fans can expect more This Is Us to appear on the currently untitled sports series is unknown. However, given that Dan Fogelman is now back in business with two stars of his Emmy-winning family drama, I don't think it's totally out of the question. I mean, why not cast someone like Mandy Moore's on-screen son-in-law, Chris Sullivan, to play a coach or a retired player on the new show? Still, I'm just excited that Fogelman is already working with longtime collaborators again.

I will say, however, that since Paradise was renewed for a second season, it would have been fun to see Moore in that series and reuniting with Brown and Fogelman. There have indeed been This Is Us reunions on-screen as of late, though, with Justin Hartley’s Tracker hosting one.

Meanwhile, Moore has been plenty busy since she said goodbye to Rebecca Pearson. She’s been growing her family and welcomed baby number three last year. On the acting side of the equation, Moore has appeared in several projects, including Dr. Death and most recently, #1 Happy Family USA. She's also been co-hosting the This Is Us rewatch podcast, This Was Us.

At present, I'm hopeful that it won't be too long before additional information on Dan Fogelman's NFL drama series rise to the surface. Considering Fogelman's work on other shows, I'm eager to see how his storytelling sensibilities can be applied to the cut-throat world of professional sports. I'm also confident that Mandy Moore's character, as a result of Fogelman's writing, will be just as dynamic as Rebecca Pearson.

While you wait for updates, stream This Is Us and Paradise, which just wrapped on Season 2, on Hulu now.

Spoilers ahead for Season 1 of Paradise. Stream the series now with a Hulu subscription.

It would probably be incorrect to say that Paradise was a big surprise for me when it hit the 2025 TV schedule, because I’d never bet against Dan Fogelman and Sterling K. Brown to deliver the goods. However, I wasn’t expecting that the political thriller/disaster series would make me so emotional in the same way as This Is Us. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Emmy-nominated series, and fans just got a big update from Brown himself.

Paradise Season 2 has wrapped, Sterling K. Brown announced via Instagram. While I know we still have a while to wait before we can expect new episodes, I’m so hyped to know how far along in the process they are — at least I was until I saw a comment that made me upset over that big Season 1 death again. First, take a look at SKB’s video:

Sterling K. Brown strolled around the set as he thanked fans for “riding” with him and his colleagues. He said they’re hoping to give us something “as good if not better” for Paradise Season 2. It was a bittersweet day, the Oscar-nominated actor said but, in addition to being excited for us to see their work on the upcoming season, SKB even expressed hope for a third season!

It’s all very exciting, and fans hit the comment section with enthusiasm. But, as I scrolled through the “congratulations” and dancing gifs, one comment sent a jolt through me that I was not expecting. Jon Beavers, who played agent Billy Pace on Season 1 wrote:

Whyyyyyyy? Why is Jon Beavers doing this to me? I was definitely not ready to be reminded of his character's Season 1 death.

Now, I’m on record as saying that I think James Marsden’s Cal was the most tragic figure of Season 1, and I stand by that. But we all knew going in that President Bradford was murdered, so his actual death wasn’t the most jarring. I think many fans would agree it was Billy Pace getting killed by his girlfriend, fellow agent Jane Driscoll (Nicole Brydon Bloom), that was far more shocking and frustrating.

Several fans replied to his comment to share their own grief over the loss of Billy, writing:

• Xavier BETTER have found Billy’s long lost twin brother out there! – @mamasheesh
• [Jon Beavers] I hope you were just playing dead in season 1 – @bethwilliamsss014
• We are Ok with a Billy clone as well. – @iggy_the_dissectologist

Anybody who’s watched Dan Fogelman’s previous hit show This Is Us knows that a character’s death doesn’t mean we never see the actor again. We’ll have to wait and see if Jon Beavers — and James Marsden, for that matter — do end up making anymore appearances on Paradise.

What we do know is that Shailene Woodley has been added to the cast for Season 2 and, as SKB’s Xavier Collins heads above ground to find his wife and other survivors, Sinatra’s underground “paradise” seems to be at a real risk of erupting into full-blown chaos. I can’t freaking wait.

Paradise Season 2 is expected to hit Hulu in 2026.

There’s no arguing the impact that Christopher Meloni continues to make on the 2025 TV schedule — and pop culture as a whole — after over two decades of playing detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime. However, Meloni’s got something new in the works, as he’s set to portray an NFL coach in an upcoming drama series on Hulu, and fans seem fully on board with this “fire” casting choice.

In an announcement that may inspire some to reconsider their decision to drop Hulu, the as-yet-untitled series will be written and executive produced by Dan Fogelman, the brain behind popular series like This Is Us and Paradise (which received several 2025 Emmy nominations). Christopher Meloni will play the head coach of an NFL team, per Deadline, in a drama set inside the world of the NFL with a generational family component. Fogelman himself welcomed the actor to the team, posting the news on Instagram with the words:

There are few details at this point about the sports-related series, but this news alone was enough to win people over. Hollywood stars and fans alike hit the comments to express their excitement over the casting decision, with one emoji seeming to show up again and again:

• This is fire. 🔥– rachelharris
• 🏈🔥 – hollyrpeete
• Oh this will be so good 🔥– ashleighmcphie
• Ohh Coach Meloni 🔥🔥– naciawalsh
• Where is the love button? This is awesome! He’s such a genuinely nice guy. I waited on him and his wife and he remembered me when I was doing background on SVU!🙏🏻– alexandrakekeris
• This is very exciting! Chris Meloni is a hell of an actor good choice! – kathyr_costello

Yeah, I can totally see Christopher Meloni as an NFL coach. He has the gravitas in spades, and I can certainly picture him screaming commands to players on the field or flipping out on the refs from the sideline.

While the fate of Law & Order: Organized Crime (streaming with a Peacock subscription) remains up in the air after Season 5 ended this spring, fans of the crime spinoff apparently don’t need to worry about Dan Fogelman’s NFL series interfering. Deadline reports that if Organized Crime does get a sixth season, Christopher Meloni will be able to do both projects.

It certainly appears that the actor likes to stay busy. He’s also competed on Celebrity Jeopardy! in the past couple of years and provided his voice to series including American Dad!, Harley Quinn, Family Guy, Rick and Morty, Bless the Harts, Solar Opposites and Captain Fall. He’s also set to appear in the upcoming Netflix movie Little Brother, which stars John Cena, Eric André and Michelle Monaghan.

I’m excited to get more details about the upcoming drama that will have Christopher Meloni playing an NFL coach — including who will be starring alongside him. While we wait for updates, make sure your Hulu subscription is ready to go so you can check out other series from Dan Fogelman, including the aforementioned This Is Us and Paradise.

Spoiler alert! Spoilers ahead for Paradise Season 1, so if you haven’t seen the series, please stream it with your Hulu subscription before continuing to read.

We’re still firmly in the first half of the year, but already Hulu’s Paradise has made a strong case for being among the best new series on the 2025 TV schedule. Fans were left in shock after an intense Season 1 finale, and Hulu didn’t waste any time in renewing it for a second run. I guess creator Dan Fogelman is trying to strike while the iron’s hot, because we’ve already gotten our first new character for the upcoming season, and I’m so excited about the rumored role.

Shailene Woodley has been announced as the first new cast member to join Paradise Season 2, Deadline reports. Woodley is likely best known for playing protective single mother Jane on the Big Little Lies adaptation and teen mom Amy on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, as well as one of George Clooney’s daughters in The Descendents.

The actress signed on for a major recurring role on the dystopian political thriller, and while no official information was released about the character she’ll play on Paradise Season 2, there are rumors that have me really hyped.

At the end of Season 1, it was revealed to Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) that natural and nuclear disaster did not wipe out humanity on the surface of the Earth. There were survivors — including Xavier’s wife Teri (Enuka Okuma) — and the Secret Service agent was headed out of their large underground bunker in search of survivors.

According to rumors, that’s where Shailene Woodley may come in. Deadline says Woodley’s arc is allegedly tied to Xavier’s mission, as she may play a prominent survivor.

The actress — who is also known for projects like The Fault in Our Stars, the Divergent series and Ferrari. — has such range that her character could go in so many directions, so there’s really no guessing how she will help (or hinder?) Xavier’s mission.

We also know that Shailene Woodley is able to carry an emotional storyline, and with Dan Fogelman running the show, you can bet Paradise hits This Is Us-esque emotional notes. I definitely don’t expect that to let up in Season 2. We already got the most heartbreaking scene between Xavier and Teri in the first season; I’m scared about what to expect now that we know she survived the initial disaster.

Speaking of things to be afraid of in Paradise’s second season, not only will we venture out to largely unknown territory for the first time, but what will happen inside the utopian bunker is just as fraught.

As Julianne Nicholson’s Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond watched things unravel in her manmade paradise, she became quite unhinged, but she appears to be nothing in comparison to secret assassin Jane Driscoll (Nicole Brydon Bloom). The new villain was willing to go on a bloody rampage for some Wii Tennis, so there are seemingly no limits to the evil she’s capable of.

I can't wait to find out more about Shailene Woodley's character and Season 2 in general, but in the meantime, the first season is available to stream on Hulu.

It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since we said goodbye to the Pearson family and This Is Us after six seasons. Even as the cast moves onto some great other projects on the 2025 TV schedule, there’s a part of me that yearns to catch up with Kevin, Kate and Randall. Apparently I’m not alone, because Sterling K. Brown opened up about the effect episodes continue to have on people.

Sterling K. Brown played Randall Pearson on This Is Us (which can be streamed in full with a Hulu subscription or Netflix subscription). In talking about episodes that continue to make an impact, Brown mentioned the one where Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack dies after the Pearsons’ house burns down. Brown told EW the episode has a different meaning in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires — in which Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore both lost their houses, saying:

This Is Us did a lot of things right, and one of them was definitely connecting people. Over six seasons, creator Dan Fogelman weaved us through different generations of the Pearson family, showing how a seemingly random act from one person could change the entire trajectory of someone else’s life.

At times we’d start an episode by following a stranger’s story, only to have that stranger be an integral part of the Pearson family by the episode's end. William Hill (played by the late Ron Cephas Jones) was one of those characters. He turned out to be Randall’s birth father who had left him at the fire station as a newborn.

Fans quickly grew to love William, and his death was one of This Is Us’ most heartbreaking moments. In fact, Sterling K. Brown said that episode — Season 1’s “Memphis” — is the one fans most often want to talk to him about, and I have to imagine that’s where plenty of the requests for a hug come into play.

Today Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman are working together again, on Hulu's Paradise, and unsurprisingly, that series hits some of the same emotional notes as This Is Us. You can count me among the fans who are happy that it’s been renewed for a second season.

In other Big Three news, Justin Hartley’s Tracker (streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) also got a third-season order at CBS, and Susan Kelechi Watson (who played Randall’s MVP wife Beth) is one of the stars on Netflix's ensemble series The Residence. Hopefully these shows can comfort us as well as a hug from Sterling K. Brown would.

Spoilers for Season 1 of Paradise are ahead! If you haven’t seen the series yet, you can stream it with a Hulu subscription.

This Is Us and Paradise have a couple of very obvious connections – they were both created by Dan Fogelman and they both star Sterling K. Brown. Outside of that, though, I didn’t expect the Hulu series on the 2025 TV schedule to remind me of the NBC hit at all. However, after binge-watching Paradise, I realized these shows hit my emotions very hard in similar ways.

Now, as you know, Paradise is a heart-pounding thriller about the murder of the president that takes place in what is basically a bunker built for the end of the world. The Is Us is an emotional drama about a family. In concept, these projects don’t have much in common at all. However, based on each show’s emphasis on family connections and their effective use of timeline hopping to build empathy and understanding, I found myself reaching for the tissues while watching them for similar reasons.

Like This Is Us, The Heart Of Paradise Is The Families The Show Is Based Around

Dan Fogelman and his team are experts at building empathy. In both This Is Us and Paradise, you fall in love with big families, and you ride through life with them as they experience their highest highs and lowest lows. What that means is you see their greatest qualities and ugly flaws, and you accept it all.

While the stakes are obviously more extreme in Paradise, at its heart, these people are simply trying to protect those they love. On This Is Us, the heart of the show was Rebecca, Jack, Randall, Kevin and Kate’s relationship and how they worked through life together. What drives Paradise’s main character Xavier is his love for his kids and (missing?) wife, and what motivates our primary antagonist Sinatra is protecting her daughter.

So, when I watched Paradise, I found myself getting misty-eyed over character deaths (like Billy’s) and plot developments, like, you know, the world ending, because I was watching these characters struggle deeply with how their families had been impacted by great loss. It took this show past your general thriller and turned it into a deeply emotional drama that had me as emotional as I was when I found out how Jack died.

I think that’s a big reason why I love Paradise so much. Like This Is Us, it puts family first in a lot of ways, and those relationships (and how we learn about them, which we’ll talk about next) are what invested me on a deeply emotional level.

Both Paradise And This Is Us Effectively Use Timeline Hopping To Tell Their Stories

If you watched This Is Us (you can do so now with a Hulu or Netflix subscription), you are no stranger to timeline jumping. On the NBC drama, that was the name of the game. We bounced between Kevin, Kate and Randall’s childhood and their adulthood, and that back and forth gave us a deep, emotional and complex understanding of the Pearson family.

The same thing happened in Paradise.

By alternating timelines between pre- and post-world ending event, we got to know the characters and their pasts, which ultimately made their fates hit harder.

Take James Marsden’s President Cal, for example. For the first section of the series, it was hard to empathize with him. He’s kind of a jerk, and on the surface, it was hard to root for him. However, by the end of the season, Cal might be the show’s biggest tragedy. That’s because it’s revealed in flashbacks that he was trying to right his wrongs, however, in the present his loved ones didn’t realize that until long after he was dead.

Billy is another example of this. His character is fully fleshed out in basically one episode. In the lead-up to his death, we flashed between his present and past, learning about his childhood and what got him into the bunker. While his actions above ground weren’t good, we also see that the world wasn’t exactly nice to him. It became clear that this place was a second chance for him, and learning that minutes before he died ripped my heart out.

In both cases, like This Is Us, we were able to see these characters as three-dimensional folks because we learned about certain facets of their past at perfect moments. Basically, the structure of both shows makes it so they can deliver heavy emotional blows.

Overall, like This Is Us, Paradise is a show based in human connection, it just also happens to take place at the end of the world. So, yeah, this series absolutely ripped my heart out exactly like Sterling K. Brown’s other drama did, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

When audiences got to the end of the pilot for the award-winning show This Is Us, most were shocked to learn that they were watching three different storylines play out in different decades… all featuring members of the same family. It was a clever puzzle-box entrance into what became an heartwarming story of the Pearson family, as presented by the creative writer and creator Dan Fogelman. Eyes were on Hulu’s new drama Paradise so audiences could see if Fogelman’s reunion with This Is Us standout Sterling K. Brown could match the previous levels of entertainment. And another surprise was waiting at the end of Paradise Episode 1 – though it’s one that will have a quicker payoff in its explanation.

You might not want to keep reading below if you haven’t yet caught up on the first three episodes of Paradise, available to stream now if you have a Hulu subscription.

What happens at the end of Paradise’s pilot?

The bulk of the main story presented in Paradise involved a lead Secret Service agent named Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) who springs into action one morning when he arrives at the Oval Office and finds U.S. President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) dead on the floor, apparently murdered. We spend most of the pilot figuring out, alongside Collins, who he can trust. Meanwhile, other advisors around the government leader figure out how to maintain peace in their idyllic community. This storyline, alone, could help Paradise become one of the best shows streaming on Hulu at the moment.

But there’s a twist. The audience ultimately learns that the city where all of this action is taking place is housed inside of a caved-out mountain. And that something horrible happened to the rest of the planet, forcing the top minds to escape to this setting, and try to preserve the remains of humanity. It’s a sick hook, one that Paradise Episode 2 writer Katie French says they spent so much time exploring as they scripted the series. In an exclusive interview, French told CinemaBlend:

Because Paradise comes from Dan Fogelman, you could predict that the episodes were going to be character driven. So far, Episode 1 set the table, while Episodes 2 and 3 focused on Julianne Nicholson’s manipulative Samantha (aka “Sinatra), and Sarah Shahi’s Gabriela. But when will we start to learn about what happened on the surface?

When will Paradise explore the disaster that hit the planet?

It was difficult to interview the Paradise cast on behalf of the season, because I knew that the episodes would roll out on Hulu weekly, even though I’d been able to see seven of the 8 episodes in Season One. With that in mind, I asked the cast if Paradise would be the kind of show that spent multiple seasons teasing out the reality outside of the mountain without ever showing it. Sometimes that happens with a science-fiction drama. The “threat” happening off screen is window dressing for the human element, and you never really find out about the danger that’s lurking.

But Julianne Nicholson promised CinemaBlend, and Paradise viewers, that details are on the way as she said:

To which Sarah Shahi added:

The hints at the direction of the rest of the season do start to crop up, as immediately as Paradise Episode 2. In one brief shot, we see Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier Collins speaking to his wife on a mobile phone as something bright and overwhelming happens outside of his window. And one of the most terrifying scenes featured in the first three episodes of Paradise probably feature the scientist doing his best Chicken Little impersonation about the dangers of climate change, only to be speaking to an empty room.

Commenting on that sequence, Paradise co-writer Katie French explained:

This tells me that wherever Paradise goes – with the story of the mountain city or the story of disaster on the Earth’s surface – the decisions made in the writer’s room will always be rooted in character. Which is why I have hope that this will be a journey worth taking.

Looking for more options outside of Paradise. Check out our guide to the best streaming services available to consumers, as they all have unique offerings that are sure to interest the curious audience member.

My wife and I don’t watch a ton of television. Usually, we’ll wait to hear if a show is any good before we dive in, because we’ve wasted time on shows that are slow to develop, or end up going nowhere before being canceled. This is why we haven’t started Severance yet (though reactions to Season 2 have moved the show up our Must Watch list), and were late to hit programs such as Only Murders in the Building, Hacks, Shogun, and the brilliant The Bear, which we binged in a weekend ahead of The Bear Season 3. That show’s incredible. But for work-related responsibilities, I had to check out Dan Fogelman’s upcoming series Paradise, available on Hulu, and friends? This has become my new obsession… and it can be yours starting right now!

Paradise reunites Dan Fogelman with his award-winning This is Us star Sterling K. Brown for a completely different experiment that’s equally tense, emotional, and character-driven at its core. Brown plays Xavier Collins, lead Secret Service security agent for the U.S. President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) during a cataclysmic event. But in the opening moments of Paradise Episode 1, titled “Wildcat Is Down,” Collins discovers that the President has been murdered in the Oval Office, and is tasked with figuring out who might have been able to pull off such a feat.

Now, the good news. Paradise was meant to drop its first three episodes on Tuesday, January 28. But based on the overwhelmingly positive early reviews, the first episode was posted to both Hulu and Disney+, meaning you can start watching it now as long as you have a subscription. I would advise you to press play as soon as physically possible, because Paradise is the best show on streaming at the moment, and the season only gets better and better as it unfolds.

I rewatched Paradise Episode 1 before writing this, so as not to reveal anything too delicious in this reaction piece. Similar to This Is Us, Paradise skips around the timeline to tell stories of its characters at different points of their lives. Especially President Cal Bradford, who is killed in the opener, though Marsden gets plenty of material in which to sink his teeth as Paradise explains who killed Bradford, and why. And again, like This Is Us, you stay with the story because you quickly grow to love the characters. Dan Fogelman wrote Paradise Episode 1, and co-wrote Episode 2. There is a lot of world-building happening in these early stories, with a lot of it focused on Collins and Bradford’s relationship. But when I tell you that Episode 1 is merely the tip of this iceberg, you are going to have to trust me until Episodes 2 and 3 arrive on January 28.

It’s hard to tell you why I love Paradise without giving away specific details. So I’ll leave you with this. The eight-episode season never loses steam on its magnificent writing, keeping a tight grip on a very taut premise. It features career-best work by Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden – who evolves in ways you can not expect as the season goes on. And while this is a terrible thing to tease, because you will have to wait to see what I mean, remember this when I tell you that Paradise Episode 7, “The Day,” is one of the greatest episodes of television I have ever seen.

It’s that good.

If you have Hulu or Disney+, watch Paradise Episode 1 as soon as you can. Get on board with this show early, because it’s all people will be talking about in a few weeks, when the mesmerizing plot starts to unfold.

The 2024 Oscar nominations were announced this week and, while there were some notable snubs, there were also some extremely exciting developments. One is the fact that Sterling K. Brown received his first Academy Awards nod for his work in American Fiction. The star is more than deserving of the honor, which has honestly been a long time coming for him. Unsurprisingly, fans are incredibly excited and happy for him, and his former collaborators from This is Us are as well. A few of them sent some love but, amid that, we've learned that one of his kids hasn’t been all that impressed by certain aspects of his awards season run.

Like so many of his fellow nominees, the 47-year-old actor shared a reaction to his Oscar nomination. He shared a video to his Instagram, in which he recounted just how he discovered the news. That morning, as he was preparing to take his children to school, he realized that he had around 126 messages on his cell. The slew of texts are what ultimately alerted him to the fact that he was among the Academy’s honorees for Best Supporting Actor. From there, the A-lister discussed a funny anecdote involving his son and explained how it connects to his most recent accomplishment:

The people closest to us can definitely be our sharpest critics, in the funniest ways. A part of me kind of loves the fact that Sterling K. Brown – a three-time Primetime Emmy winner – still gets his chops busted by his son. (Maybe if Brown lands that Green Lantern role, his son will be impressed.) Based on the video the actor shared though, he finds the feedback delightful. You can check out his post, which also includes sentiments of gratitude over his momentous achievement:

A slew of celebrities reached out to the Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. star and, while all of the messages are sweet, the ones from the This is Us cast and crew are particularly sweet. Mandy Moore, Susan Kelechi Watson and Chrissy Metz reacted in the comments of the post, while series creator Dan Fogelman responded on X. Check out their sentiments below: 

• No one more deserving SKB. - Mandy Moore
• Yes SKKKK!!! I'm one of those 120 [messages] lol - Susan Kelechi Watson
• C’mon!!!!!🎉❤️🙏🎉❤️🙏 - Chrissy Metz
• Proof that I knew him when, and that I could always make him pretend laugh.  Congrats @SterlingKBrown on your OSCAR NOMINATION!  Wow! - Dan Fogelman

The TiU cast and crew have always seemed close, and those bonds don’t seem to have waned since the acclaimed family drama series finished its six-season run on NBC in 2022. They seem to have no problem sharing in joy, as is the case with this moment and sharing in sorrow as was the case when they paid tribute to Ron Cephas Jones after his passing months ago. All in all, it’s just lovely to see them show support to one of their own during this major moment.

Sterling K. Brown has received much praise for his performance as Cliff Ellison in American Fiction. In addition to the Oscar and SAG nominations, he also received a Critics’ Choice Awards nod for Best Supporting Actor. The star continues to solidify himself as a bonafide force in the realm of cinema, though his TV days aren’t behind him. Brown is reuniting with Dan Fogelman for a new thriller on Hulu, and the actor seems excited to be working on a show that’ll see him play a character far different from Randall Pearson. I’d like to think that Brown and Fogelman’s former colleagues will lend support amid that endeavor as well. Though he’ll have to wait and see whether the Brown’s son gives his seal of approval or playfully throws a bit of a shade.

As American Fiction continues to play in theaters, all six seasons of This is Us are streaming with a Netflix subscription. Those who are Hulu subscribers will also want to keep their eyes locked on the 2024 TV schedule so they’ll be aware of when Sterling K. Brown’s new show premieres.

Sterling K. Brown is re-teaming with This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman for one of his first live-action TV roles since the NBC drama ended last year. Announced earlier this year, the Hulu thriller will reportedly see Brown star as a former president’s head of security. Now the actor is teasing the upcoming show as well as its differences and similarities to the drama he won an Emmy for.

While promoting his upcoming movie Biosphere, Sterling K. Brown spoke to Variety about the new Hulu show. While there still aren’t too many details surrounding the series, Brown did admit that his role is vastly different from Randall Pearson, but with the show coming from Dan Fogelman, there is still one aspect that won’t change:

It’s not so surprising to hear that Brown will be playing someone that may be the complete opposite of Randall Pearson, who was a family man and a councilman, especially since the Hulu show is a thriller. However, the fact that Dan Fogelman is helming the show means there will still be a lot of heart and emotion. So, fans may want to prepare tissues because if it’s anything like This Is Us, there may be a lot of crying involved, even in the midst of the action.

The upcoming Hulu series will mark Sterling K. Brown’s first live-action TV role post-This Is Us, but the actor has lent his voice to the animated series Solar Opposites and Interrupting Chicken over the last few years. Meanwhile, the new show will mark Dan Fogelman’s second Hulu series, as he serves as executive producer on the streamer’s breakout comedy hit Only Murders in the Building, which has its third season premiering this summer.

As of now, there’s no other information on the still-untitled thriller, and now with the WGA writers' strike, it’s possible it will delay production even further. The show is still moving forward with Hulu, and it got a straight-to-series order from the streamer. Brown is also set to star in the upcoming Hulu limited series Washington Black, with an unknown premiere date. He has several other projects in the works too, so he has stayed plenty busy since saying goodbye to Randall Pearson.

While waiting for Sterling K. Brown’s highly-anticipated return to television, be sure to sign up for a Hulu subscription so you’re all set to watch. In the meantime, This Is Us’ six seasons are available to keep you occupied on the same platform. Even though the new Hulu show likely won’t be coming out this year, be sure to check out the 2023 TV schedule to see what series will be premiering in the coming months.

This Is Us just left its fans wrecked after a final chapter that closed the book on the beloved Pearson family. While its sixth and final season tugged at our heartstrings because we knew the end was near, the NBC drama has really been toying with our emotions since 2016, making us cry both happy and sad tears as Jack, Rebecca, Kevin, Kate and Randall navigated life in a nonlinear story that jumped back and forth across different decades. It seems This Is Us could have been a wildly different show, however, as creator Dan Fogelman actually wrote the pilot for a different platform, and the original script included multiple F-bombs.

When Dan Fogelman first started writing the Pearsons’ story, which was fully conceptualized years before its sixth season aired, he didn’t have network television in mind. HIs story reportedly contained nudity and violence, as well as a profanity-laden pilot that had to be reworked when This Is Us landed not with a cable or streaming service, but rather on NBC. In fact, Fogelman revealed to Variety just how many “fucks” he had to get rid of from the original script:

This Is Us has often been criticized for being overly sentimental (a criticism Dan Fogelman highly objects to), but it seems like the family drama would have had a completely different vibe if the Pearsons would have been able to throw out a good “WTF?” during some of those tense moments. We know Mandy Moore’s got it in her, after her reaction last year to being harassed by a paparazzo. 

Kevin and Randall would definitely have let some good "fucks" fly during their intense Season 4 argument, where Kevin (Justin Hartley) told Randall (Sterling K. Brown) that the worst day of his life was when Jack and Rebecca brought Randall home from the hospital. 

It’s impossible to think about the first episode that we saw on NBC six years ago and not wonder where the seven F-bombs were. Being the pilot, its main purpose was obviously to introduce us to the core Pearsons whose lives we would be hopelessly devoted to for six years (oh, and blow our minds with that first timeline misdirect). We saw Rebecca giving birth to her and Jack’s babies, while the Big Three celebrated their 36th birthdays by having existential crises. 

In the original version of the script, did Kevin throw profanities when he blew up on set of The Manny and quit? Did Kate get frustrated with the fat-shaming sticky notes she’d left on all the food in her refrigerator? Did Randall go off even harder on William when he finally tracked down his birth father after 36 years? 

We may never know all the ways that Dan Fogelman tweaked that original story for more family-friendly viewing on NBC, but that’s probably for the best. Fans certainly can't argue with the product that we got, which kept us captivated for six years, and when it ended, only left some of us complaining that it didn’t continue for more seasons and there was no spinoff in the works. 

You can relive all six seasons of This Is Us on streaming with a Hulu subscription, and be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what premieres are coming soon to television and streaming.

Every so often a show comes along that insists you grab a box of tissues before you start watching. Parenthood, which ran on NBC from 2010 to 2016, was one. Before that, HBO’s Six Feet Under was certainly known to destroy a few viewers. Recently, however, This Is Us has cornered the market as our weekly sobfest. The Pearsons – with their time-honored traditions and prophetic monologues – are an emotion-forward family, to be sure. But creator Dan Fogelman seems to take issue with the show being categorized as overly sentimental.

This Is Us brought its final chapter to a close, with the Big Three saying goodbye to their mother, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and sending her to the afterlife to reunite with Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), as Kevin, Kate and Randall revealed what was next in their respective lives. Season 6 saw some pretty heavy storylines, including Rebecca’s Alzheimer’s, Kate and Toby’s divorce, and Jack’s mom dying. The plots allowed the Pearsons to do what the do best: talk about their feelings. That’s something the show’s been criticized for, and it doesn’t sit right with Dan Fogelman, who told Entertainment Weekly:

It’s an interesting observation. Why don’t more series show characters holding up their parents as examples to aspire to? Why don’t more TV spouses speak to the trauma of divorce or give big speeches about the overwhelming love for their children? Is Dan Fogelman right? Rather than This Is Us being unrealistically sentimental, do other shows shy away from showing realistic emotion? 

This Is Us was at least self-aware, whether it was Randall’s daughters rolling their eyes at an impending Randall speech or Sophie cutting Kevin off because it was her turn for a monologue. The wonder that is Beth Pearson also gave a voice to those who felt the Pearsons were overly prone to feeling their feelings, as she sometimes struggled to stay patient with her in-laws.

One thing isn’t up for debate, though: the show wouldn’t make viewers so emotional if we didn’t care about the characters. Whether we’re crying happy tears or sad tears, we came to care about the Pearsons and their feelings over the course of six dramatic seasons, and Dan Fogelman is the man to thank for that.

This Is Us may have come to an end, but be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.

Viewers said goodbye to the Pearsons in This Is Us’ emotional but narratively simple finale, which took a break from series’ trademark plot twists and timeline misdirects to show a somber Big Three giving unheard eulogies at the funeral of Rebecca Pearson. Creator Dan Fogelman had mapped out the saga’s ending years ago, allowing him to create mysteries and plant ideas that would pay off down the road. But did it have to end so soon? Fogelman opened up about the conversations he had with NBC about the possibility of This Is Us lasting longer than six seasons.

Dan Fogelman decided pretty early on that This Is Us would end after a sextet of seasons. For one thing, he was working with child actors playing Kate, Randall and Kevin at different ages, so his time to capture those characters at specific points in their lives without puberty taking over was already limited. He told EW that despite initially agreeing with NBC to do six seasons, the network did approach him about extending the story due to the drama’s primetime success:

You mean we could have had more This Is Us? There are definitely stories I would have loved to see more of, like the development of Kate and Phillip’s relationship or anything having to do with Jack and Rebecca’s grandchildren. Damn you, Fogelman! 

I’m just kidding with that damning, of course, because without the creator standing firm on his six-season limit, he wouldn’t have been able to plan all those delicious relationship twists. Without knowing when the show was going to end, he wouldn’t have been able to tell the story he wanted to tell. Dan Fogelman said NBC execs were never pushy about asking him to go longer, but they did let him know they were open if he changed his mind:

This Is Us was unquestionably quality over quantity, and fans are surely happy to have gotten what they did from six seasons. It’s interesting to know he might have been tempted to change his plan, but the end result is a good indication he made the right choice. Not everything about how he mapped out the timeline was perfect, however — he said he had one regret — but he insists ending it when it did was the right thing to do:

This Is Us fans are unquestionably sad to see the story end, but as hard as it is to admit, I’d rather them leave us wanting more than forcing a less-than-ideal story or having to worry that the little Big Three actors were getting too big. If you’re ready to move on from This Is Us’ final chapter, be sure to check out the 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are coming up soon that you can jump on board with.

Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers for the series finale of This Is Us, so make sure you’re caught up before you continue.

After six seasons of jumping from the present to the past to the future, gasping at some shocking plot twists and listening to countless Pearson monologues, This Is Us concluded its final chapter with the series finale, “Us.” The episode was seemingly simple, mirroring two timelines — a lazy Saturday afternoon spent with Jack and Rebecca when the Big Three were young opposite the future timeline where the expanding Pearson family said their final goodbyes to the late, great matriarch at her funeral. Though Kate sang, and Kevin and Randall each gave eulogies, their words were inaudible, but creator Dan Fogelman thankfully provided some insight behind what we viewers didn’t hear. 

Randall commented multiple times in the penultimate episode “The Train” on “the dichotomy of it all,” with sadness and joy coming at the same time. The finale continued the exploration of how he balanced losing his mother with the revelation that Deja was pregnant with his first grandchild. (Credit to Sterling K. Brown for that amazing reaction when he found out she was expecting a boy!) But in his struggles, his mind wasn’t fully present at the funeral, hence the haze viewers heard when the Big Three gave their eulogies. 

So what was said (and sung)? Dan Fogelman told EW that Chrissy Metz was caught off-guard by the concept of singing to honor her ficitonal mother:

Not only was that an appropriate song for the character — as it’s made a few appearances on the show during its six seasons — but the lyrics are absolutely perfect for the moment and the relationship that Kate and her mother had. 

Sterling K. Brown and Justin Hartley, meanwhile, were asked to improvise and write their own eulogies, knowing that nothing they said would be heard when the episode aired. Brown and Randall must have some similarities between them, as the actor seemed to channel his character pretty realistically for the assignment, Dan Fogelman said:

His affinity for grand speeches isn’t where the similarities end between Sterling K. Brown and his character. They both have great love for Mandy Moore (or, in Randall’s case, Rebecca), and Brown made an emotional plea this season for the actress who, at eight years younger than him, plays his mother to win an Emmy Award for her stunning portrayal of a woman living with Alzheimer’s. 

For his part Justin Hartley may have tapped into some of that Kevin-Randall sibling rivalry when delivering his eulogy. For being asked to do something pretty somber, it sounds like the actors dealt with like true brothers would. The creator recalled: 

It was a pretty simple way for This Is Us to go out, in that it didn't introduce a crazy twist ending or spliter off into a larger variety of timelines, but there were quite a few treats for loyal fans. Beth and Randall got in one last round of “Worst Case Scenario,” we learned the origin of the oft-played Pin the Tail on the Donkey game, Toby’s love for his ex-wife reassured us that KaToby actually is forever, and Nicky expressed his appreciation for Kevin bringing him back into the family with his signature crankiness. What more could we really ask for? Besides another season down the road when all the main actors are older, of course. 

Now that This Is Us has come to an end, be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what premieres are coming soon, or relive the entire six-season run of NBC's hit drama with a Hulu subscription.

Only two episodes remain of NBC’s hit drama This Is Us, and fans are holding their collective breath as they inevitably get to the long-expected moment of Rebecca’s death. While the series always seemed to be building to this heartbreaking event, we’ve seen some flashes that go even further into the future to show Kate and Toby’s son Jack Damon as an adult. Just how far will fans get to go in these last two episodes? Justin Hartley — who plays the adult version of Kevin — gave an idea of what to expect in the finale.

It speaks to Dan Fogelman’s vision and the talent of the writers that there are still so many mysteries leading into This Is Us’ penultimate episode. Chris Geere, who plays Kate’s second husband Phillip, gave us more to question when he teased that according to their filming schedule, “the last day will be everyone in the last scene.” But just because the series has been leading up to Rebecca’s death doesn’t mean that’s how it will end when the final episode — titled “Us” — airs on May 24. Justin Hartley told THR what he thought when he read the final script:  

If the show is not ending on a sad note, as the Kevin actor says, I think we can safely rule out Rebecca’s death being the last major event that we get to witness. What’s more, Justin Hartley gave a pretty specific span of time that viewers can expect to see the Pearsons in for the finale:

So there is a future after This Is Us, and hopefully someday fans will see that in a spinoff! Now that we know when not to expect to see Rebecca’s passing, should fans have loads of tissues ready to go for the upcoming episode, “The Train”? It definitely seems possible. 

The episode title might be a reference to the Season 6 premiere, when Rebecca gave us a taste of the tough road she was going to travel this season with her fight with Alzheimer’s by not being able to remember the word “caboose.” And the previous episode, “Family Meeting,” showed Kevin making the call to Randall to rally the troops, because Rebecca didn’t have long. We also know that reading the second-to-last script caused Mandy Moore to throw up, and Chrissy Metz said she couldn’t breathe, which would make sense if those reactions were caused by the death of our beloved matriarch.

The series may not end on a wholly sad note, but we certainly have some tears left to shed before we get to that point. This Is Us returns on Tuesday, May 17 at 9 p.m. ET for “The Train” on NBC, to be followed by the series finale on May 24. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.

Only a handful of episodes remain before viewers say goodbye to the Pearsons, and creator Dan Fogelman has made sure This Is Us’ final chapter is one we won’t forget. Season 6 has jumped forward in time to show the progression of Rebecca’s Alzheimer’s and the end of Kate and Toby’s marriage. We’ve gone into the past to see Jack’s mother die, and we’ve seen Deja suffer her first heartbreak. But put those tissues away, This Is Us fans, because members of the cast have shared a BTS video of the cast doing the Wobble, and it’s so much fun, you’ll forget all about the family’s on-screen woes.

Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Philip (Chris Geere) tied the knot in the latest episode, “Day of the Wedding,” and what’s a wedding without some dancing? During a break between scenes, the cast — in full wedding attire, of course — broke it down like the reception had an open bar. Check out the video Sterling K. Brown shared to Instagram:

The whole group seemed to be having an absolute blast, with Chrissy Metz doing like any good bride, and hiking up that wedding dress so it didn’t slow her down. During the episode, Rebecca brought everyone to tears with an emotional rendition of This Is Us’ theme song after the Big Three had questioned whether their ailing mother would even be able to perform. There was no question about Mandy Moore’s dance skills, however, as she wobbled like the 38-year-old she is, even as she was in full age makeup to portray Rebecca in her 70s. 

Justin Hartley was the only one not to hit the dance floor. Maybe he wanted to stay in full “surly Kevin” mode between scenes, or maybe he didn’t want to tip his hat to which of the three ladies his character had a wedding weekend hookup with. Because along with super sleuths Madison (Caitlin Thompson) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson), the three “suspects” — Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison), Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge) and the wedding singer (Katie Lowes in her This Is Us debut) all joined in the line dance. Either way, he did make sure to get some of the dance on video.

Every actor out there is giving it their all — and you better believe I’ve watched the video enough times to know. Jon Huertas and Griffin Dunne proved that This Is Us does not let Miguel and Uncle Nicky out of the house often enough. Even the cast’s relative newcomers Chris Geere and Adam Korson (who plays Madison’s husband Elijah) held their own amongst the tough-to-crack group of Pearsons. While Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson were perfection as always, the Beth actress shared another behind-the-scenes video that Senator Pearson might want to make himself aware of:

The final five episodes are upon us, and while I wouldn’t argue with just full hours of Pearson flash mobs, I suppose it’s more important to wrap up the characters’ stories and get answers to those future timeline questions! Possibly the next mystery to be solved will be that of Kevin’s wife, as the next episode, “The Night Before the Wedding,” promises to explain at least some of Madison and Beth’s findings from their wedding day snooping.

This Is Us returns at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 26, on NBC, with the series finale set for May 24. As multiple shows are wrapping up their seasons, check out a full list of finale dates, and head to our 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are coming in to replace them!

Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers for the Season 6 episode of This Is Us, “Day of the Wedding.”

Kate’s (second) wedding day has finally arrived! After being shocked out of our socks in This Is Us’ Season 5 finale, when we learned that Kate was getting remarried — to Phillip of all people — and after the previous episode showed us how they got there, “Day of the Wedding” finally saw the Pearsons live that fateful day. Kate and Phillip did say, “I do,” but the even bigger talking point of the episode was Rebecca’s declining health. When she took the stage to sing at the reception, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house (mine included), and Mandy Moore explained why the song was even more meaningful than fans might have realized.

It wasn’t a given that Rebecca was even going to be able to perform the song she’d practiced with Phillip for a year prior. Traveling to the wedding and being taken out of her daily routine proved to worsen the effects of Rebecca’s Alzheimer’s, and she slipped in and out of lucidity, consistently confusing Kevin for her late husband Jack. When she started to play, however, and found her key, the tune was surprisingly familiar! The special song Kate had teased the whole episode turned out to be the show’s closing theme music, and Mandy Moore told People that was, of course, always the showrunner’s plan:

It’s not really surprising that Dan Fogelman continues to have surprises up his sleeve, even with just a handful of episodes remaining in the series. Listening to the lyrics – which included sentiments like, “They say time will tell, but I think it likes to keep secrets; So we’ll wait and see; But it’s just as well, the years can be counted in seconds” – I had to wonder: was the song sad because the lyrics were sad, or was it sad because we typically associate that music with what’s playing as we’re sobbing into our pillows at the end of each episode? I’m thinking both. 

The familiar melody wasn’t where the song’s special meaning ended, though. Mandy Moore had an especially personal connection, and Rebecca’s ability to perform it spoke to what the actress said she's learned about dementia and Alzheimer’s in researching for her performance:

It was a great moment, as Mandy Moore continues to blow us away this season. I was, however, just a little disappointed we didn’t get to see Phillip go full Titanic with “My Heart Will Go On” — which had been his plan to distract the partygoers if Rebecca started to struggle on stage. Maybe that could still come to fruition, as in next week’s episode we’ll dive deeper into Kevin’s wedding weekend dalliances. Madison and Beth were on the case in “Day of the Wedding” to find out if Kevin had slept with Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge), Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison), or the wedding singer (Katie Lowes of Scandal and Inventing Anna, whose character was introduced in this episode). 

The countdown is officially on, with five episodes remaining. This Is Us’ final chapter continues at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 26 on NBC. As this one wraps up, check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.

Spoiler alert! This story contains major spoilers for This Is Us’ Season 6 episode “Katoby.” Proceed with caution if you’re not caught up!

This Is Us did it again. Even though we went into “Katoby” knowing that Kate and Toby were going to get divorced, and even though we knew Kate was going to get remarried to Philip, somehow creator Dan Fogelman still took us to the emotional brink. Through a ridiculous number of timeline jumps, we saw Katoby not just come to the decision to go through with their split, but we saw into the future and how their story, in fact, didn’t end when they signed the divorce papers. In doing so, we also were introduced to a new character, who Kate actress Chrissy Metz admitted she had a pretty funny reaction to.

“Katoby” picked up where Season 5 ended — with Kate getting ready to marry Philip — but over the course of the hour, we went from the day Jack Jr. was hurt at the park and traveled years into the future, where we unexpectedly saw Toby find new love. In a coffee shop meet-cute, Toby made a “parfait” pun, but Laura (Alexis Krause) said it was a little “vanilla,” and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the stuff love is made of. Another huge time jump showed Kate, Philip, Toby and Laura at one of Adult Jack Jr.’s shows, and Chrissy Metz told EW she was none too pleased to see the new woman on her TV husband’s arm. 

While the characters Kate and Toby may have had the benefit of years to get used to seeing each other with new partners, the wound was still fresh for the actress! Even Chris Sullivan has had time to process seeing his TV wife move on with Chris Geere’s Philip. I can imagine Chrissy Metz having the wind knocked out of her a little bit. 

The scene did more than show how Kate and Toby were able to find lasting happiness after their divorce. It also answered one of our Season 6 mysteries! With the Adult Jack Damon timelines taking place sometime after Rebecca’s death, we now know that Kate is still alive. Kate has yet to show up at Kevin’s cabin where the Pearsons are gathering around a dying Rebecca, but now that we’ve gotten Chrissy Metz in the old-age makeup, we can breathe a little easier.

Chrissy Metz and Chris Sullivan were masterful, running the full spectrum of emotions in Kate and Toby’s journey in “Katoby.” The actors said they went through 36 costume changes during filming, not to mention different makeup for each timeline. No wonder the actress said that jump into the future seemed surreal! It’s unlikely we’ll see much more of Toby and Laura’s love story, as only six episodes of This Is Us remain, and every part of that sentence is a bummer.

The final season continues next week with an episode titled “Day of the Wedding,” so I’m ready for the drama! This Is Us returns at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 19, on NBC. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.

This Is Us is officially on the back end of its final season. The recently concluded Big Three Trilogy set Kevin, Kate and Randall on individual journeys that will end — assumedly — in 2034, with the Pearsons gathering at an elderly Rebecca’s cabin to usher her into the next life. It’s been an emotional journey to say the least, and Dan Fogelman isn’t letting off the gas. The creator and showrunner recently revealed that he put the finishing touches on the final two scripts, somehow going this long without fully locking down the ending, and reading through the second-to-last installment apparently caused extreme physical reactions for at least two of the NBC drama’s stars.

The cast and crew seem to be firing on all cylinders so far in Season 6, with hilarious moments from Susan Kelechi Watson’s Beth around the dinner table, full-bodied grief from Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack after his mother’s death, and bittersweet triumph as Chrissy Metz’s Kate finds her voice. “We laughed, we cried,” may sound trite, but it’s proved true for six years. However, speaking at This Is Us' panel at 2022's PaleyFest LA (via TODAY), Dan Fogelman said Mandy Moore did more than laugh and cry after reading the penultimate script: 

I’m almost at a loss for words. We’re expecting to have an emotional experience, but what could possibly happen to cause Mandy Moore to literally vomit? The actress — who has been brilliant as she takes Rebecca through a journey into Alzheimer’s — confirmed Dan Fogelman’s claim about her response to the script:

Funny, most people don't refer to the thinks that make them barf as "beautiful," except maybe when booze is involved. In any case, Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia had previously warned that they were “incredibly devastated” to learn how the show ends. If she already knew what was coming, and this was what happened when she saw words on the page, do any of us watching from home even stand a chance at keeping tears and vomit at bay? 

It wasn’t just the A Walk to Remember actress who was feeling all the things, either. Chrissy Metz chimed in, saying she also had a physical reaction after reading the second-to-last script:

I know Sterling K. Brown predicted ugly-crying, but this is a whole different level. Let’s not forget, that wasn’t even the finale's script that they were talking about, but the one leading up to that. Not that This Is Us is ever lacking for emotion, but fans better get ready for a gut-punch all the way up to the face as the series winds down. 

The Big Three Trilogy showed the paths Kevin, Kate and Randall will embark upon after their mother asked them to be “fearless” and “make the big moves.” (If you can’t recite Rebecca’s big speech by heart now, what are you even doing?) Kevin was inspired to start Big Three Homes and help military veterans find employment. Kate made a choice for the betterment of her future — even if that means going forward without Toby. And Randall’s political career is about to take off, as he decided he’s going to run for senator. Nothing nausea-forming there, but that could change in an instant.

Those mysteries are going to start getting cleared up pretty fast, so tune as This Is Us continues at 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays on NBC. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what premieres are coming soon. 

Spoiler alert! This story discusses the events of This Is Us’ Season 6 episode called “Every Version of You.”

It was Randall’s turn for the Big Three Trilogy treatment, and This Is Us’ latest episode made a big move to clear up another of the series’ mysteries by addressing Randall’s political future. The Season 5 finale showed us that in five years the Philly councilman seemed to have taken some leaps in his career, as evidenced by a big magazine profile. “Every Version of You” set him on that path, and Sterling K. Brown revealed that another hit NBC drama — The West Wing — may have been the inspiration.

“Every Version of You” put Randall and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) on a road trip to Boston to pick up Deja (Lyric Ross) after her boyfriend Malik (Asante Blackk) broke up with her. Road trips have always been transformative for the character, and this one was no different, as Randall confided in Rebecca not only that he was considering running for Senator, but that if he ran, he would win. This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman may have gotten the idea for Randall’s political ambitions when Aaron Sorkin discussed an idea for a West Wing revival starring Sterling K. Brown. The actor told People:

Dan Fogelman actually got a chance to see how Sterling K. Brown looked in a White House setting, as the actor did take part in 2020’s A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote. The original cast of The West Wing reunited for a stage performance of the Season 3 episode, “Hartsfield's Landing." Brown played the part of Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, as the character’s original actor, John Spencer, died in 2005 during the political drama’s final season. 

Assuming Randall wins the upcoming Senate election (which I am, because time is running out on this series), does that mean he’ll follow in the footsteps of Martin Sheen’s Jed Bartlet as one of NBC’s fictional U.S. Presidents? It’s always possible! In the Big Three’s young adult timeline, Randall (Niles Fitch) was shown talking his way out of some trouble he got into with Kevin and Kate, and he told the officer: 

Randall spoke it into existence, and I can’t wait to see where he ends up. (And if Aaron Sorkin wants to go ahead and continue that storyline in a spinoff, that would be absolutely just fine with me.) 

“Every Version of You” was the final episode of Season 6’s Big Three Trilogy, with one episode each that focused on Kevin, Kate, and Randall. In “The Guitar Man,” Kevin started work with Nicky and Cassidy on the cabin his father always wanted to build for Rebecca. Seeing the veterans who Cassidy had hired for the crew inspired him to start Big Three Homes, which would employ military veterans.

Kate, meanwhile, made a big decision in “The Hill,” when she did not fold to the ultimatum that Toby presented when he said that her moving to San Francisco was the only way their marriage was going to work, and instead put her name up for an open position at the school where she’d been teaching with Phillip. 

This Is Us’ final chapter is officially past the halfway point. The past three weeks have set the Pearson triplets down their paths, so let’s all stock up on tissues and meet back at NBC next Tuesday, April 5 at 9 p.m. ET. In the meantime, check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering soon. 

Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of This Is Us Season 6, called “Taboo.”

This Is Us had one more Thanksgiving episode in store for fans before coming to an end, and it involved an incredibly emotional scene with Rebecca sharing some news with her three kids. After about as much drama as could be expected from a Pearson family holiday in the last stretch of episodes ever, Rebecca told Randall, Kevin, and Kate the truth about her plans for the future as her illness gets worse in the show’s timeline. Mandy Moore and creator Dan Fogelman opened up about the scene, and the actress shared why she was “super nervous” about it. 

Although Rebecca sharing her plans for her future wasn’t easy on her children in the present day, it was a conversation that needed to happen, and she had Miguel by her side the whole time. Kevin and Randall clearly had some thoughts about their mom’s reveal that she wants Kate to make decisions for her in the event that Miguel can’t, and the whole scene involved a lot of heavy lifting from Mandy Moore in her performance. The actress and the rest of the This Is Us cast spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets at NBC’s Scripted Press Day about the scene, with Moore saying:

Four pages of script is a lot for any show, particularly one with so many moving pieces and such a large cast like This Is Us. Those four pages also meant several minutes of Mandy Moore speaking with the other actors mostly reacting to her words, so it’s understandable that even such a veteran actress who has spent so many years playing this character could be nervous about it. 

It was also an important scene for the show, as well as emotional for Mandy Moore to perform. This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman spoke about the scene, and how the writers went about crafting it as a "setup" for the rest of the final season. Fogelman said: 

This scene serving as “setup” for the rest of Season 6 could be a sign that fans are going to see Rebecca start to go downhill rapidly, but that may have been inevitable when the series finale is scheduled for May. Rebecca and Miguel having a detailed plan at least bodes well for the Pearsons handling it as well as possible, and the flash-forwards have dropped some clues about what will happen down the line. And Mandy Moore’s co-stars were full of praise for her as well, with Sterling K. Brown saying about his on-screen mom:

Jon Huertas concurred, saying he “will agree with that” and shared that there was “this just really long breath before that that all of us took” during the rehearsal that already had them “all in awe,” and Justin Hartley elaborated to say that he could “go on for hours probably about this entire cast.”

There are still several episodes of This Is Us left before the end, and the plot is still thickening, so Mandy Moore may have many more powerhouse performances as Rebecca Pearson. Find out with new episodes of This Is Us on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC in the 2022 TV schedule, ahead of new episodes of Renée Zellweger’s The Thing About Pam (for which the actress wore a prosthetic body suit) until New Amsterdam returns with some “explosive scenes” on the way in April.

This Is Us is the epic saga of the Pearson family, following Jack and Rebecca Pearson, as well as their three children — Kevin, Kate and Randall — on their life journeys. What set This Is Us apart when it premiered in 2016 was its time-jumping element. Since creator Dan Fogelman revealed that twist in the shocking series premiere, This Is Us has bounced back and forth, spanning nearly 100 years in non-linear form over five seasons. It’s an exciting and unique way to tell the story, and fans have latched on hard to the narrative, but Fogelman recently revealed a regret he had about the timeline.

The hit NBC drama is in its sixth and final season, with This Is Us working to give explanations to all of the plot twists that have been laid out over the previous five seasons. It seems to all be leading up to 2034, where the Pearsons are gathering at Kevin’s cabin to say goodbye to a dying Rebecca. As we get closer to the end, fans are practically begging for a spinoff, and while Dan Fogelman has said that’s not likely to happen anytime soon, he talked to EW about a version of the show he’s thought about, which spawned from a regret he carried about This Is Us’ timing. 

By putting the Big Three in their 40s in the 2022 timeline, Dan Fogelman jumps five years into the future to see Kate get remarried to Phillip, and we jump more than 10 years in the future to see the family gathering around Rebecca’s death bed. At this point in the timeline — approximately 2034 — Randall’s daughters are young adults, but Kevin and Kate’s kids are still fairly young. Going any further into their lives would require Fogelman to make assumptions about the state of the world in the next few decades, which is harder to do than re-create decades that have already passed.

Hopefully he didn’t dwell too much on that supposed regret, because the events the Pearsons have lived through do more than provide context for the timeline; they have shaped the characters. The Season 6 premiere explored how much Kevin was affected by the Challenger explosion in 1986, and Nicky’s narrative surrounding the moon landing in 1969 — not to mention the Vietnam War — are vital not just to the plotlines but to who the characters are. That was worth not messing with, even if it meant telling less of the next generation’s stories.

We have gotten a small peek way into the future, with Kate and Toby’s adult son Jack Damon, an apparent rock star with a wife and child of his own. That timeline is estimated to be in the mid-2040s. Jack and Lucy in Season 6 will give fans a different perspective on the events that lead to Kate and Toby’s divorce, but they’re a great example of how the Pearson grandchildren offer a This Is Us spinoff opportunity somewhere down the line. 

Until then, we’ll just be here, sobbing it out until the final episodes, proving that Dan Fogelman has no need to feel regret about anything except for breaking our hearts. This Is Us returns at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, February 22, on NBC. Check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are premiering soon. 

It’s hard to accept that the episodes we’re watching of This Is Us are among the last in the series. Creator Dan Fogelman’s plan has always been to wrap up all of the Pearson family’s mysteries in six seasons, but now that the end of the hit NBC drama is actually upon us, viewers are begging for the time-jumping, plot-twisting series to be extended in some way. Fogelman’s thoughts about a spinoff at this point, however, might not be what fans are hoping to hear.

This Is Us’ sixth and final season has begun, with Dan Fogelman’s focus remaining on writing his final scripts, but with the expansive world he’s created for the main characters – branching out to different parts of the country across multiple timelines  – it’s no surprise he’s fielding questions about spinoffs multiple times a day, as he told Variety. While he confirmed those conversations have taken place, he doesn’t see it happening, at least not now. 

Obviously that’s not good news for fans who were hoping to get more out of the Pearsons’ story sooner rather than later. But Fogelman did promise to wrap up all the stories before the show leaves the airwaves for the last time, and honestly, I think fans want to feel that closure, like there’s nothing left that we don’t know.

Like the creator said, though, you can never say never. Just because Dan Fogelman doesn’t see himself revisiting this world doesn’t mean he won’t be inspired by something down the road, or that one of the show’s other creative minds won’t see value in expanding the story of one of This Is Us’ myriad characters in the future.

If there is a movement to continue the This Is Us universe at some point, and Dan Fogelman isn’t involved, we might have to count out one of the Big Three. Sterling K. Brown has expressed that he’s excited about exploring other roles and, in fact, has already landed his first post-This Is Us gig. Any reprisal of Randall Pearson, however, would be worth his time if Fogelman were behind it, Brown said.

Justin Hartley, meanwhile, seemed more on board with the idea of keeping Kevin Pearson going, if only because he’s enjoyed working with his on-screen family so much. Hartley even threw out the idea of a trilogy movie series. 

If Dan Fogelman ever changed his mind, there’s definitely enough material to base a spinoff series on. While This Is Us will take us through the lives of Jack, Rebecca, Kevin, Kate and Randall Pearson, the next generation of Pearsons would be amazing as stars of their own series. Randall’s daughters or Kate’s rock star son? I’d watch that in a second, and I bet I’m not alone. 

For now, though, we’re only promised the rest of Season 6, so let’s just enjoy it while we can. This Is Us airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on NBC. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what other premieres are coming up.

When This Is Us closes the book on the Pearson family after its sixth season next year, creator Dan Fogelman has an idea of how he wants the audience to react, and it’s something he’s been building toward for a while. He’s spent years concocting mysteries and introducing seemingly unrelated characters with the knowledge of exactly how he’s going to connect those dots in the end. Now, with the actors back on set filming the final season, all that’s left to do is write the script.

No other show on TV is quite like This Is Us, in the way it utilizes different timelines, old age makeup and major plot twists to tell the Pearson family’s story across multiple generations, giving perspective to its characters’ journeys. Dan Fogelman told EW that when those journeys are finished, he wants fans to feel like they’ve been on that ride with the family:

“Sprawling” is a good word to use for the series, as each plot line branches out from the Pearson family tree. With the story centered around Jack and Rebecca Pearson and their three children — Kevin, Kate and Randall — everyone viewers meet connects back to one of them in some way, and Dan Fogelman has been masterful at creating depth and twists within that universe that catch us by surprise but never feel confusing. Even though he’s known the ending and has been banking footage for the series’ final scene for seasons, the last script is yet to be written. On that matter, Fogelman said:

Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall Pearson, shared that sentiment, saying he knows the end of an era is upon them. And because he’s seen his TV children grow up on screen, he knows when that final script comes, there will be “ugly crying” involved. 

While Dan Fogelman continued to introduce new mysteries into the Pearsons’ lives as recently as the Season 5 finale, the showrunner promises to leave no stone unturned in answering fans’ questions. This Is Us Season 6 seems to all be leading to the 2034 timeline, where Rebecca Pearson is on her death bed surrounded by family. The few scenes we’ve gotten in this timeline have shown both Kevin and his uncle Nicky are married, though their spouses haven’t been revealed. Meanwhile, some characters haven’t appeared, including Kate and Miguel, leading fans to wonder about their fates.

The wait is mercilessly short now, as the final season of This Is Us premieres at 9 p.m.  on Tuesday, January 4, on NBC. In the meantime, check out our 2021 TV Schedule to see what else is coming in the new year.

The sixth and final season of This Is Us won’t be premiering on NBC until sometime early next year as part of the network's midseason lineup, but that isn’t stopping creator Dan Fogelman from dropping hints about what the Pearsons will be getting into when the drama returns. Following a post regarding the first episode of Season 6, Fogelman took a moment to clear up some confusion that fans were facing.

Dan Fogelman recently shared on Twitter that the script for the first episode of This Is Us' final season was officially wrapped, with an image that depicted the premiere's title as a bunch of symbols and punctuation marks that usually indicate a curse word is being spoken. Fans didn’t know what to make of it initially, not knowing whether it was meant to be censored text for explicit reasons, or because Fogelman was attempting to keep fans from knowing what the actual title is. Soon after, though, he took to Twitter to clarify that he just didn’t want to spoil anything:

Even before This Is Us gets busy filming its final season, its creator is already causing a stir within the fanbase. But just what could that word be that Dan Fogelman censored out of his post? It’s hard to tell, considering we have no concrete way of knowing where the storylines will go next to set up everyone's final arcs. There is still so much more story to tell in a short amount of time, especially with what the flash-forwards showed fans at the end of Season 5.

While a midseason premiere for the final season of This Is Us seems like a long ways away, it will air in a mostly uninterrupted fashion after it debuts in 2022. After all of the breaks that fans had to deal with during Season 5 due to COVID-related delays, a longer wait for the final season is going to be worth it if it means that we’ll be consistently watching the Pearsons on a largely weekly basis until the finale. Let the speculation start over what that premiere title could actually be.

There are a lot of questions that fans have after Season 5's conclusion, but rest assured that Dan Fogelman promised there will be resolution in the final season. The Emmy-winning series is going to come to an emotional end and fans will have to say goodbye to the Pearsons sometime next year, hopefully after everything comes full circle and we find out what brings the characters to those flash-forward sequences. So far, there is no premiere date for Season 6, nor is there a finale date, but you can bet that NBC will be promoting the heck out of things once a start date is locked down. Perhaps we'll even hear about a new spinoff at that time, though for right now, fans will just have to focus on what could possibly [expletive] happen in the final season.

NBC’s heart-wrenching drama This Is Us is coming to an end next year after six seasons and, while that’s always been the plan according to creator Dan Fogelman, could it be possible that this won’t be the end of the Pearson family? Star Sterling K. Brown reveals how he would feel about doing a spinoff series.

Sterling K. Brown has become a fan-favorite for his role as Randall Pearson on the NBC series, so it's no surprise that people would be curious as to whether he would return for a show. The actor recently reflected on his time on the acclaimed drama and the possibility of continuing his role as the adoptive Pearson beyond This Is Us, telling Us Weekly:

While Sterling K. Brown seems excited for what will happen post-This Is Us and the new projects he’ll have lined up following the series finale, it looks like he would be all in, as long as Dan Fogelman is part of a spinoff. It’d be interesting to think about what a spinoff would look like and how Randall would play a part in it. Perhaps it could follow Randall, Beth and the girls and give viewers an even closer look into their lives. Considering we’ve seen them in a few flash-forwards, this could be another way to link the present to the future and what they are up to in the lead-up to to whatever This Is Us has been teasing for the last couple of seasons.

Season 5 of This Is Us was already building the next generation of Pearsons, now that the Big Three are all officially parents. So it wouldn’t be too hard to create a spinoff centered the children, which could still incorporate the original three siblings. It would be interesting to see what the kids are going to be up to, especially since we currently know how some of them end up.

Considering that This Is Us  has won multiple Emmys, it wouldn’t be surprising if NBC wanted to keep that success on the network after the show ends. Despite the plethora of potential storylines that could be explored in a spinoff, the question is whether a new show can be done right and if anyone would be willing to return, both in front of and behind the camera. But if Sterling K. Brown is up for it, who’s to say his co-stars wouldn't be as well?

Only time will tell if This Is Us gets any kind of spinoff, considering we still have plenty of time before the show takes its final bow. In the meantime, catch up on the series in full by streaming it on Hulu.

Spoilers ahead for the Season 5 finale of This Is Us, “The Adirondacks.”

As wedding bells were ringing for Kevin and Madison in the Season 5 finale of This Is Us, they were also ringing for another Pearson. The surprising flash-forward at the end of the episode raises even more questions than before and might finally give fans a chance to connect all of the flash-forwards that have been presented thus far. Ahead of the show’s sixth and final season, creator Dan Fogelman is hinting at what fans could look forward to in the upcoming season.

The Season 5 finale of This Is Us ended in a flash-forward of what some assumed to be Kevin’s wedding in the future, following his and Madison’s canceled ceremony. However, it was revealed that Kate was the one getting married, and to her music school co-worker Phillip. While it’s been hinted, especially recently, that Kate and Toby weren’t going to last, this could finally answer some questions that fans have about some other flash-forwards. Though with some answers there are still plenty of questions, but Dan Fogelman promises to TVLine that there will be resolution in the rewarding final season:

The flash-forwards have been such an important part of This Is Us, as well as the flashbacks. While a majority of the flash-forwards have been confusing, as they don’t want to reveal too much too soon, the flashbacks have been a way to connect a past storyline to a present one, or even future one, and seeing what the Pearson family was like between Jack and Rebecca’s relationship, the Big Three, and more. Seeing how it all comes together in the end and what the flashbacks really tell us about the Pearson family for the future will give fans a sense of resolution, which is what Dan Fogelman is promising.

Although Season 5 of This Is Us fell two episodes short of its usual 18-episode length, the series still provided a plethora of heavy and emotional storylines. The season continued Kevin and Randall’s tense relationship following last season’s finale outburst, as well as the birth of Kevin and Madison’s twins paired with the birth of Kate and Toby’s adoptive daughter the same day, Tess dating someone new, all in the middle of a global pandemic. With Season 6 being the last one, there’s no doubt that along with the resolutions that fans are going to get, there will also be plenty of emotions as fans prepare to say goodbye to the Pearsons.

While waiting for the sixth and final season of This Is Us to premiere midseason on NBC, the first five seasons are streaming on Hulu.

This Is Us returned to NBC later than usual for its fifth season, but the latest batch of episodes took viewers right back into the Pearson family drama. Despite the show's relatively early return to production under pandemic protocols, however, This Is Us is heading into an unexpected delay with only hours ahead of what was supposed to be the release of Season 5's seventh episode. There will be no new installment of This Is Us on January 19, but the good news is that the show has already announced when it will be back.

The official This Is Us Twitter account broke the news of the delay, posting this:

Sadly for fans, this delay won't last for just one week. This Is Us won't be back for another two weeks, placing its next 2021 episode on Tuesday, February 2. The announcement came less than half a day before the episode was scheduled to air on January 19 at 9 p.m. ET, so there may be some disappointed fans tuning into NBC if they don't get the delay news in time. So, why is This Is Us pushing back an episode when it was only hours from airing?

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman provided the answer to the particular question, and it's not especially surprising. Also on Twitter, Fogelman said:

Just as the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for This Is Us getting to a late start in the 2019-2020 TV season, the pandemic has resulted in production delays for This Is Us in Los Angeles. Dan Fogelman's announcement follows the news that broke via Deadline at the end of December 2020 that This Is Us was among 16 series that would be extending their holiday breaks through to January 18 due to the COVID surge in LA.

The show was then slated to return on January 18, so the question now is whether the late announcement of the delay means that further production delays are happening for Season 5 or if this is just accounting for the delays that already happened. Other shows that extended their holiday breaks in December were Grey's Anatomy, Station 19, American Housewife, black-ish, mixed-ish, Rebel, 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star (which just premiered with a COVID-related cast change), Last Man Standing, American Crime Story: Impeachment, American Horror Story, Mayans, Big Shot, The Orville, and Love, Victor.

The relatively early return of This Is Us with a new episode after just two weeks will see Kevin embarking on a stressful road trip in the present, while young Kevin and Jack attend a football training camp. NBC will air reruns in the This Is Us slot on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET for the weeks ahead of the February 2 return. For some TV premieres that are on the way between now and February 2, be sure to check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.

Fall TV is shaping up quite nicely. It was initially presumed that production delays for major shows would leave huge gaps in the TV schedule. However, despite the production shutdowns in March, our favorite shows are returning sooner than expected, and This is Us is no exception. The NBC drama has officially started production on its (slightly delayed) fifth season, and This is Us boss Dan Fogelman shared a fantastic first-look picture at Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia in Season 5.

Social distancing and mask-wearing requirements have sent Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia to opposite sides of the studio lot where they film This is Us. Shortly after it was announced that This is Us Season 5 was premiering two weeks in advance of its original date, showrunner Dan Fogelman took to Twitter to share an image of Moore and Ventimiglia and had a joke prepared, too. Check out the photo and caption below:

The image perfectly describes the year 2020 in my opinion. Dan Fogelman’s caption is pretty on point because we’ve seen how the nature of filming on-screen sex scenes has changed during the pandemic. The Bold and the Beautiful filmed intimate scenes using latex mannequins, though I’m not sure if This is Us will employ such tactics. In addition to getting tested for COVID-19, the cast of Riverdale is washing the inside of their mouths before having to kiss each other on screen.

Who knows? Maybe Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia will have to do the same thing before they get intimate on camera, but I suppose we’ll find out soon enough if they’ll be kissing at all when the show premieres. I’m just happy the series is back in production because it feels like forever since we’ve seen the Pearson family.

Mandy Moore’s Rebecca and Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack have been beloved by fans since the premiere of This is Us. While there's no telling how the implementation of COVID-19 safety measures and restrictions will change their on-screen dynamic, the series will actually be tackling a pandemic storyline in the present timeline. So there's a good chance actors will actually be wearing mask when they appear in their scenes as well.

This is Us was originally scheduled to premiere on November 10 before getting moved up to an October premiere. That change means that the series is returning only a month after the typical end-of-September premieres of past seasons. That’s not so bad considering all the production delays, an ongoing pandemic, and a new set rules for cast and crew to follow.

This is Us will air its two-hour Season 5 premiere on Tuesday, October 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC. There are plenty more TV shows returning this fall, so be sure to check out our updated 2020 guide for more on what to watch.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for This is Us’ Season 4 finale, called “Strangers Part Two.”

This Is Us' Big Three have had their fair share of angry outbursts, usually followed by solidarity and understanding. No matter what obstacle they face, Randall, Kevin, and Kate Pearson always figure out a way to do right by each other and themselves. However, the Season 4 finale of This is Us has arguably done the most damage to Kevin and Randall’s already tumultuous relationship. Their heated exchange was brutal to watch, but This is Us showrunner Dan Fogelman revealed why the Season 4 finale fight had to be that way.

Kevin and Randall’s recent exchange may just go down as one of their harshest fights ever. Viewers discovered back in Season 4’s midseason finale that the brothers were no longer speaking. In the Season 4 finale, Kevin found out that Randall was the one who advised Rebecca not to undergo a nine-month clinical trial for her Alzheimer’s disease in St. Louis. He was so furious that he verbally sparred with Randall over the decision, with hurtful words flying. Dan Fogelman recently explained their estrangement, and why their fight just had to be so vicious, telling Deadline:

It really does feel like “Cain and Abel type stuff,” that’s for certain. While the brothers came to respect each other and get along over the course of the show and their lives, flashbacks documented their competitive relationship and, more specifically, Kevin’s insecurities when it came to Randall’s harmonious relationship with parents Rebecca and Jack. All of these issues bubbled back up to the surface during their fight.

Randall struck a nerve when he told Kevin that their dad died ashamed of him, and that he’s spent the rest of his life chasing both Randall and Jack’s shadows. However, it was Kevin who delivered the final blow, revealing that the worst thing that ever happened to him was the day their parents brought Randall home. Ouch!

Just like that, This is Us Season 4 came to a close, leaving jaws on the floor and plenty of time to speculate about how Randall and Kevin will reconcile after that brutal spat. However, the NBC drama has already been renewed through Season 6, so it's certainly likely. Optimistically, the brothers’ issues will be resolved in Season 5, but they could be dragged out for much longer. The suspense!

While This is Us is over for the season, be sure to check out our midseason schedule for more on what to watch. Keep an eye out for our updated TV list of delays and early season endings, too.

Major spoilers below for This Is Us, so make sure you're all caught up before reading on.

The latest installment of This Is Us delivered the second part of the Big 3 episode trilogy, with Kevin"s inner and outer turmoil getting the bulk of the focus. His relationship with Sophie is on the rocks, and while it doesn't look like they're completely finished just yet, everyone who saw that mystery blonde in the previous episode is aware of the ongoing complications. Things got really complicated, however, once it was revealed the blonde woman is actually Kate's best friend Madison, which inspired fans to rail on show creator Dan Fogelman.

Some out there may be asking why the Madison reveal would stoke such immediate ire in viewers. Note that the actress who has portrayed Madison for the past few seasons, Caitlin Thompson, is actually Dan Fogelman's wife. The creator brought that up himself a couple of years ago, when fans first started wandering down the speculation path that Kevin and Madison might hook up. Here was his announcement at the time, which might clue everyone in on why viewers are peeved with him.

Back then, Dan Fogelman made it sound as if he would never, ever allow This Is Us to get to a point where his wife Caitlin Thompson would enter a fictionally sexual relationship with Justin Hartley's Kevin. That post, in turn, legitimately convinced a lot of fans that the show wouldn't pair Madison and Kevin together.

Whenever TV execs and actors fib about where shows are going, it's usually for the sake of keeping people surprised, and most of the time, things are worded as loosely as possible to keep things open for interpretation. As one might imagine, no one saw any nuances hiding in Fogelman's 2018 post, and out came tweets like the one below.

And tweets like this one. (Admittedly, I'm amused by "FogelmanGate" already getting a hashtag.)

The one below serves as a decent stand-in for what a majority of the dismayed fans were thinking.

As a silver lining, Dan Fogelman can take comfort in knowing that there are always a ton of fans out there reading his thoughts and ideas about This Is Us, so it's not all falling on deaf ears. Granted, some of it is falling on vengeful and angered ears, but such is life in the entertainment industry.

In an interview with EW, executive producer Isaac Aptaker addressed the switcheroo for Kevin's relationship status, and seemed to imply that Dan Fogelman wasn't exactly lying about Madison and Kevin's chances at the time, and that it was the rest of the creative team that persuaded him.

To be sure, there are certainly viewers out there who were perfectly fine with the way things played out, and others who had problems that were completely independent of Kevin and Madison's hook-up. They just weren't quite as vocal as other This Is Us fans.

The tweet below, though, could probably be used as a mantra for TV viewers across the country who think that show creators and writers have every story fully formed out right when the season starts, which is almost never the case, since art in any form is always a work in progress.

Of course, just sitting back and not guessing and theorizing would be a pretty boring way to watch TV.

Fans won't be bored when This Is Us continues next week with the third part of its Big 3 trilogy, with Kate getting the spotlight. (Bring Sophia Bush back!) This Is Us airs Tuesday nights on NBC at 9:00 p.m. Stay tuned for everything else on the way with our Winter and Spring 2020 premiere schedule.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for This Is Us' Season 4 premiere. Read at your own risk!

This Is Us really threw its audience for a loop in the Season 4 premiere with a slew of new characters, but all was well at the end when viewers learned who each new character was and their connection to the Big 3. With that being said, the big reveals came right at the episode's end, which didn't leave fans enough time to put two and two together on some characters' stories and how they fit into the timeline.

For example, we were introduced to the adult Jack Damon, or Kate and Toby's baby Jack. We visited Jack well into adulthood, which zips past the 10 year time jump at Rebecca's death bed that is supposed to be where the series finale is centered. For those that thought Rebecca's death was as far into the future as This Is Us would get, think again, because Dan Fogelman has us questioning just how much further ahead the NBC drama may go.

As Dan Fogelman stated, this won't be the last time that adult Jack will be seen on This Is Us. That's exciting news, and somewhat comforting, considering Jack's wife announced her pregnancy and fears of said pregnancy just moments before he sung in front of a packed house. It seems like there's a lot of drama that could happen there, and something for writers to shift to if all the Jack and Rebecca story lines begin to go dry.

For those wondering how this may impact This Is Us' endgame and the whole situation with Rebecca on her death bed, Dan Fogelman told TVLine that that scene remains where the series is headed, though don’t be surprised if the story continues to jump to events beyond Rebecca’s final moments.

This Is Us has established its endgame, but it sounds like it’s also giving writers some breathing room to continue stories in many different ways. Hey, they could even throw a curveball and do a flash-forward with Jack Damon’s baby years into the future. This series is called This Is Us after all, not "This Is Pearsons." Does NBC have a budget for flying cars? We’re gonna need flying cars at some point if we keep jumping forward.

This Is Us' Most Heartbreaking Moments

This Is Us is back on NBC Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest television news as the fall season kicks off, and for a look at what's happening in the world of movies as well.

The first two episodes of This Is Us Season 4 will be major grounding points for the series. However, creator Dan Fogleman warned that the bold start may also be polarizing -- "in the best possible way." Not sure what that means, but trying to decipher This Is Us clues has been part of the fun up to this point. The show always manages to surprise with twists in every timeline.

This Is Us Season 3 faced plenty of criticism from fans, but that doesn't mean Dan Fogelman plans to change course. After all, last season was still honored with nine major Emmy nominations. At a recent Emmys celebration brunch, Fogelman shared some updates on the 2019-2020 season, which starts airing in September.

Well, that's intriguing! It's good to hear (via Deadline) This Is Us will be announcing its new cast members at the end of August. As for the first two episodes of the season, oh boy. I don't even know whether to be more worried or excited about that "polarizing" tease.

This Is Us is looking like it'll continue for about six seasons before an "elegant" ending. If I looked back and thought about major markers -- stakes in the ground, as Dan Fogelman put it -- I would certainly add Jack Pearson's death to the list. What else would make your cut? It sounds like we're getting more of those moments at the start of Season 4.

This Is Us loves to play with time, and I wouldn't be shocked if the new grounding moments took us into the future, as the show did with the "Her" reveal of much older Rebecca. That flash-forward also showed us Beth and Randall were still together (thank god), and Kevin is now a father. It looks like Zoe is staying out of the picture, but Jennifer Morrison is joining the cast in a "substantial" role, and one of the many possibilities for her place in the show could be as mother to Kevin's son.

This Is Us Season 4 is now filming, and Mandy Moore showed off a photo from her first scene, showing Rebecca and Jack in a flashback. So it sounds like at least one flashback scene will be in the premiere.

Dan Fogelman previously said This Is Us Season 4 would show more of the early days in Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca's relationship, after their California dreamin' road trip. We'll also see Randall, Kate, and Kevin go through puberty.

It also looks like we'll also see The Big Three at another younger age. Check out this tease:

Awwww. This Is Us Season 4 is also meant to bring in Rebecca’s father as a prominent part of the show. I wouldn't be shocked to hear about his casting at the same time as everything else we get at the end of this month.

As Dan Fogelman noted, when first mentioning the Rebecca's dad news:

Yep, he said "ambitious" then and now it's "big, bold" and "potentially polarizing." I love when This Is Us gets ambitious, but the show does have to be careful not to lose viewers along the way. If the plan sticks to six 18-episode seasons, there's still a lot of story left to tell.

There does seem to be an endgame in view, with some of the series finale scenes already filmed at this point. But if the story drifts too much, or there's too much soap opera drama for our beloved couples, will fans still stick around for that much more? Guess we'll see. This Is Us still averaged more than 8 million viewers every Tuesday night in Season 3 (up to 13 million including DVR), which is very impressive. But ratings did slip a bit as the season progressed, and were down from Season 2. Hopefully This Is Us can reverse that trend in Season 4 and keep the momentum going until the story is fully told.

This Is Us will give fans that potentially polarizing start to Season 4 on Tuesday, September 24 on NBC.

Pitch may get some extra innings after all! Fox cancelled the baseball drama back in 2017 after only a single season, meaning that fans had seen the last of Mark-Paul Gosselaar as catcher Mike Lawson and Kylie Bunbury as pitcher Ginny Baker... or so it seemed. Now, a little over two years to the day since the cancellation was announced, the show is closer than ever to a revival, and it's all thanks to creator and executive producer Dan Fogelman.

Dan Fogelman has cemented a deal that will keep him with Disney's 20th Century Fox Television for five years. The deal is reportedly in the nine-figure range and has been in the works for upward of a year, which isn't surprising considering the kind of money being thrown around. Even in an era of producers like Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy scoring huge deals, Fogelman's nine-figure deal is remarkable, and it may come with the return of Pitch.

Pitch "remains on the table" for revival, according to THR, with Disney+ as a suggested platform for the baseball drama's potential new home. 20th Century TV was reportedly willing to go pretty far to convince Dan Fogelman to remain on board rather than jump ship for a lucrative deal at another studio. It's hardly shocking that 20th Century TV would pull out all the stops for Fogelman. He's the man behind the smash hit This Is Us, after all!

Details are scarce about how a return for Pitch would actually work, but Mark-Paul Gosselaar has already spoken out about the potential return. He's apparently ready to pick up his mitt and mask once more, although there is the question of whether he could balance Pitch with The Passage, if The Passage scores a Season 2.

Of course, both shows' first season ran for only ten episodes, so perhaps shorter seasons would allow Mark-Paul Gosselaar and other members of the cast to keep working on other projects as well as Pitch. They might have to put in some extra work to get back into baseball shape, though!

Dan Fogelman hasn't released a statement about the possibility of a Pitch return, but a certain tweet he posted the day rumors of a Pitch revival began to circulate is promising for fans still hoping against hope to see Ginny and Mike suited up on screen for the Padres once more. Take a look:

Who wouldn't love that office? On the one hand, it's possible that Dan Fogelman just saw the reports about a possible Pitch revival and felt nostalgic about the good old days when he got to work out of a baseball stadium, and the post doesn't mean anything. On the other (and much more fun) hand, the post could be a sign that he's still hoping to bring Pitch back.

Pitch never did get the proper farewell that was floated, although that was always a long shot. Perhaps the lack of closure will be for the best in the long run. If Pitch does return and manages to recruit the original cast, then perhaps the show could just pick up where it left off. Only time will tell. For now, there are plenty of TV options to enjoy while we wait for more Pitch news.

Pitch premiered back in fall 2016 as a baseball show starring Kylie Bunbury and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, telling the story of young pitcher Ginny Baker who becomes the first woman to play in the Major Leagues. The ten-episode first season won Pitch a loyal band of fans, but not enough fans for Fox to decide to renew the series, and it was axed in 2017. Now, against all odds, Pitch could get some extra innings in the form of a revival.

Yes, nearly two years after being officially cancelled, Pitch has a chance at returning to the small screen. In an era of television that has seen big-name showrunners jump ship from their networks for deals elsewhere, like Netflix, Disney's 20th Television is reportedly looking to keep This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman on board. THR reports that 20th TV is considering a revival of Pitch for Fogelman, who is the co-creator and an executive producer of Pitch. Considering Pitch never got that rumored farewell, fans must be thrilled at the news.

Maybe the cancellation was more of a rain delay than a forfeit after all! There are no details about when this revival could move forward or if it will officially move forward at all, but Mark-Paul Gosselaar has already weighed in via social media. Here's what he has to say via tweet about possibly reprising his role as catcher and San Diego Padres captain Mike Lawson:

Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who revealed that he was afraid his new Fox show would face a similar fate to Pitch, is apparently on board with Pitch returning to the airwaves! It does make me wonder if he'd have to choose between Pitch and The Passage if The Passage scores a renewal, but hey, if Fox keeps both Pitch and The Passage running for only ten episodes or so, maybe he could have time for both!

Leading lady Kylie Bunbury hasn't shared her thoughts on the possible revival yet, but Dan Fogelman himself shared a cryptic tweet that seems to indicate talks are happening about more Pitch. Take a look:

Hey, who wouldn't love an office in the Padres' stadium in sunny San Diego? Dan Fogelman's tweet is hardly a confirmation that Ginny, Mike, and Co. are on the way back to television, but it's sure encouraging! Should the cast start getting back in baseball shape?

All of my reasons why Pitch needed to be renewed stand true for why Pitch needs to be revived, so I know my fingers are going to be crossed for the foreseeable future that the show returns to Fox. Hey, Gotham is ending, so maybe that frees up a spot in Fox's primetime lineup for Pitch!

For now, check out our midseason TV premiere schedule for some viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for This Is Us Season 3 finale. Read at your own risk!

After weeks of arguments, tense fights, and storylines designed to make America hate Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us finally showed the conclusion to Beth and Randall's tense situation. The couple looked to be headed for a messy split, but figured out they'd just relocate the family to Philadelphia and try to figure it out. Furthermore, we saw a flash-forward to the future and learned that, yes, they will figure it out and everything will be okay.

Now, it's not like I wanted This Is Us' it couple to split up, but the flash-forward reveal removed any and all future tension in the Randall and Beth storyline. Any struggles Beth will have at her dance studio will ultimately work out for the best, and any future fights they'll have in the midst of downsizing their lives to accommodate both of their dreams are ultimately meaningless. What's left to know?

It left a bitter taste in my mouth and left me realizing that I didn't actually want the answer to Beth and Randall's relationship just yet. Truth be told, it was one of the most interesting stories Season 3 had to tell, and one This Is Us could've rode a bit longer. The writers cut the possibility of creating any real tension with audiences going forward, and it makes the move to Philadelphia feel so trivial now.

Granted, the flash-forward did drop other things for viewers to latch onto, but for me, why should any viewer feel invested in what's happening with Kate Pearson, who the mother of Kevin's son is, or why Nicky Pearson is at Rebecca's bedside? Will each of these plot threads start with a lot of tension, then eventually result in an ending that makes the road that led to it feel so meaningless afterwards?

It's a criticism that creator Dan Fogelman may have expected, as evidenced by his comments about Season 4 to People. Fogelman teased that some of the new reveals will resolve the way fans like, and others won't.

While This Is Us may have just gotten a couple stories started, it has officially closed the door and ended the story on a pretty significant part of Beth and Randall. It feels like a large part of their story is over, and that will be a challenge for the writers to continue to make their future conflicts and trials meaningful now that audiences know it's all good in the end. Will they pull it off?

Season 4 of This Is Us has yet to get the official green light from NBC, but a renewal is all but assured. Viewers looking for something new to watch in the meantime should head over to our midseason premiere guide, as there's plenty of great things arriving in the coming weeks that are worth tuning into.

It's never too late to introduce a new member of the Pearson family -- or, in this case, the Malone family. This Is Us Season 3 is winding down, with just two episodes left as of this week. But Season 4 will mark the arrival of Rebecca Pearson's father, show creator Dan Fogelman teased, and it sounds like he'll have a lot more than just a guest role:

Dan Fogelman shared the news during a "Truth or Dare" game at PaleyFest (via EW). We've already met Rebecca's judgmental mother Janet Malone (Elizabeth Perkins), and Rebecca confronted her in Season 2, calling her a racist for ostracizing young Randall. It should be interesting to meet and get to know Rebecca's father. Hopefully he's nothing like her mother. Could he be anything like Jack Pearson?

Also, it's not clear when in time we'll meet Rebecca's father -- in a flashback from her childhood? From later years when The Big Three were teens? Much later, when The Big Three are grown and Rebecca is older? He wouldn't be around for the flash-forward timeline, would he? Seems like he would be too old for that, since Rebecca herself would be quite old (if she's even still alive). It's possible multiple actors will be cast to play Rebecca's father in different timelines. We'll have to wait and see.

Dan Fogelman also said Season 4 would show more of the early days in Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca's relationship, after their California dreamin' road trip. We'll also see Randall, Kate, and Kevin go through puberty.

What could that mean? Starting from the flash-forward perspective, perhaps?

Don't forget that the Season 3 finale is titled "Her." We finally learned that "Her" refers to Rebecca, so it would make sense if what we find out about Rebecca carries into Season 4 and the debut of her father.

This Is Us Season 3 has spent a lot of time helping us get to know other members of the extended Pearson family. We met Jack's brother Nicky in the modern timeline, with the surprise discovery that he's still alive. We also recently met Beth's family in her own Beth-focused episode. Speaking of Beth, the final two episodes of Season 3 will focus on what Beth and Randall decide to do in their marriage. "R & B" -- the Randall and Beth episode after the fallout of that awful voicemail -- airs tomorrow, March 26 on NBC.

Dan Fogelman warned fans not to miss the final minutes off the following week's Season 3 finale, since it sounds like another major cliffhanger is coming:

Oof! The This Is Us Season 3 finale, "Her," airs Tuesday, April 2 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

SPOILER ALERT: This article includes spoilers from the This Is Us Season 3 midseason finale.

Nope. Stop now, This Is Us. Don't even think about breaking up Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) and Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown). Listen, fans were worried enough thinking "Her" referred to Beth and that maybe Beth died in the flash-forward timeline. Instead, we just found out in the Season 3 midseason finale that "Her" is Rebecca Pearson. We don't know Rebecca's status, but Beth was shown to be alive. However, the flash-forward also suggested some kind of estrangement between Randall and Beth.

This is not acceptable.

Beth and Randall cannot separate or [whispers] get divorced. The Season 3 midseason finale tried to suggest some cracks were pushing them apart, but it came across as forced manufactured drama.

This is not a fan service gripe. It's whiplash from a storyline that just skidded off the road on a sunny day.

Randall had just told Beth her voice was his favorite sound in the world. She used that voice to pump him up before his big political debate, telling him to crush it like Serena. He did crush it. They both knew he did.

And then This Is Us presented the first of many twists. This one may have seemed minor by comparison to Nicky or Her, but it showed both Beth and Randall's campaign manager Jae-Won Yoo (Tim Jo) approaching Randall after the debate to say he was too far down in the polls to win. He should drop out of the race.

What?

First of all, have we learned nothing from the 2016 election? Polls don't mean squat. Plus, as Randall noted, the poll was done before his big debate win with several weeks left before the vote. He should see it through. He didn't make the argument that he's come to far to back out, but -- if he drops out now -- Solomon Brown (Rob Morgan) will just go back to politics as usual.

Even if Randall loses, he will have made a statement, and the constituents could always tell Councilman Brown if he doesn't step up, they will vote for Randall Pearson next time. No one will say that if he's a quitter. Beth seems like someone who might bring up an argument like that, but instead she sided with Jae-Won -- which is strange on its own, since they have never gotten along.

Later, Beth added more arguments for Randall to drop out of the race, saying they were both out of jobs, and they needed to focus on the girls. She even referenced Tess (Eris Baker) having a lot going on, as if Tess coming out as gay might be something the family would have to spend more time on than if she was straight. Beth reminded Randall that he had told her if she was ever uncomfortable with him running he would drop out.

When Randall said he wanted to see this through, she said he sounded like a politician. She then grabbed a pillow and blankets and made him sleep on the couch instead of in the bedroom.

Really?

What had changed since the debate, other than the poll numbers and Tess coming out, for Beth to go from Randall's biggest cheerleader to Drop Out Now Or Else? That doesn't sound like something Beth would do. Not only would she back Randall to keep going -- polls be damned -- she wouldn't punish him after his big debate by making him sleep on the couch downstairs. This was all in the same day.

The timeline doesn't make sense, and the idea that this was the first fracture in something that could push The Ultimate Goals Couple apart years later? No. Hopefully this is all a big mislead. It's not like This Is Us doesn't like to set false trails. Show creator Dan Fogelman hinted to tough times ahead for Beth and Randall in the second half of this season, but not necessarily The End. Here's what he told Deadline:

Dan Fogelman added that, when the show returns in 2019, we'll be digging deeper into Randall's campaign and seeing what happens there. Season 3 is also giving us a Beth-centric episode to further flesh out her character's story. It's good to see This Is Us treating Beth as the main character she is, complete with a focus on her history.

This Is Us Season 3's second half will have a lot to cover, including Uncle Nicky, more flash forward "Her" details on Rebecca, plus Toby and Kate's baby boy, etc. But now that this cloud has descended over Randall and Beth -- with the potential that it lasts several decades into the future -- the NBC show has threatened to derail its best modern love story into something nearly as tragic as How Does Jack Die.

I'm not convinced this is all leading to a real breakup between Randall and Beth. Even if they do grow apart, I think they have to get back together. They are the new Jack and Rebecca. Remember when we thought they, too, might divorce? Thankfully that didn't happen. They went through rough patches, but stayed together ... at least until the Crock-Pot.

This Is Us had a rough road in the ratings leading up to the Season 3 midseason finale, but we'll have to see if these new twists entice more fans to watch in 2019 to see what happens next. This Is Us Season 3 returns Tuesday, January 15, at 9 p.m. ET. Here's what is still coming in 2018, and what else is ahead in the 2019 midseason.

Major spoilers below for This Is Us' midseason finale, so be sure to watch the timeline-jumping episode before reading on.

Another big This Is Us question has been answered, with "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" finally cluing viewers in that the "Her" of recent speculation is actually family matriarch Rebecca Pearson herself. As it goes with the NBC drama, though, having one piece of the puzzle does not necessarily solve it. Creator Dan Fogelman explained that this Rebecca storyline is definitely not one that'll be wrapped up easily.

In terms of where they're going [to see her, in the future], and what's going on there, I think other stories move forward and center, and some of those answers will spread out towards the end of this season and into the next ones. This is all part of very long, complex, complicated plan that we've really had since go.

That's probably not the explanation that some fans were hoping for, seeing as how it took the show an entire full season just to cement the fact that Randall, Toby and Beth are going to see Rebecca in the future. At this rate, we might learn in the Season 4 finale the name of the road they're all taking to get there.

That long and winding road ahead wasn't something that Dan Fogelman and the writers lazily threw together in the spur of the moment, though. The creator told Deadline that this is all part of This Is Us's grand design.

It's one of those situations where it's not just been cooked up overnight; it's part of the premise of this entire thing, so sometimes things get teased [in the future], but there are other answers being given in the present day that inform those things when you get to them. So a certain amount of things need to happen before you get there, to fully understand it.

Dan Fogelman presumably does have a point there. If he just plainly stated what the situation was -- for instance: "Rebecca is trapped inside of a whale's stomach" -- that wouldn't exactly give audiences the full context needed to grasp it all.

So through its naturally progressing story in the present, which will now feature Toby and Kate gearing up for a baby boy, This Is Us will continue dropping the breadcrumbs that fans will need to reach full enlightenment later on.

Anyone looking for other clues throughout the rest of the episode may have found reason to suspect Rebecca's conversation with Tess to be portending her own fate. But Dan Fogelberg appears to shoot down thoughts that Rebecca's comments about aches and pains are indicative of her own future. He said:

I don't think we were thinking of it in that way. I think the most important connection in this particular episode is the deep conversation and connection that Tess as a growing young woman starts developing with her grandmother. That scene was more specifically speaking to Tess' story in the episode.

Still, I don't think Dan Fogelman can look anyone in the eye and say that Rebecca definitely doesn't have any secrets left to hide from both her family and from viewers. She's got secrets, even if she doesn't ache from having them.

While waiting to find out what happens next, check out what's happening with that other Pearson family reveal, involving the news that Jack's brother Nicky never actually died in the Vietnam War. Note that I Love Dick actor Griffin Dunne will be playing current-day Nicky whenever the show returns.

With its ratings situation more uneven than it used to be, This Is Us will return to NBC for the rest of Season 3 on Tuesday, January 15, at 9:00 p.m. ET. Dates for new fall TV shows and midseason premieres are never far away, either.

Warning! The following contains massive spoilers for the This Is Us episode "The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning". Read at your own risk!

This Is Us really brought the heat in its Season 3 fall finale and delivered a twist that may be the biggest to date. Considering this is the series that kept the world on the edge of its seat with Jack's death, that's saying something. Ironically enough, this twist involved death, specifically, someone who was believed to be dead that isn't. The ending of the episode revealed Jack's brother Nicky Pearson is alive and well in the current day.

Nicky was only seen by the audience, sitting in what appeared to be a small home or trailer in Bradford, Pennsylvania. We know that because a shot was shown of his mail, which was made out to "Nicholas Pearson". This is really weird, of course, because Jack had always made it seem like his brother died in Vietnam, which is obviously not the case. Did Jack know his brother survived the war, or has Nicky been hiding all this time?

Those are answers fans will probably find out via Kevin following the fall break, as he was across the world in Vietnam learning that his uncle was not listed as dead in the war. Now that he knows that, we're guessing Kevin is going to track down his uncle, and try to get to the bottom of what's going on, and why he's lived his whole life without knowing he had an uncle.

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman didn't tell Deadline whether or not Kevin would be getting the answers behind all of this, but he did confirm Nicky's story will be revealed when the show returns in January. What's even better is that fans won't have to wait long for the answers they're currently craving. Here's what Fogelman had to say:

Well, that's a story most fans probably didn't know they were going to here, and certainly more of a surprise than the reveal that Rebecca is Her. Luckily that somewhat lackluster reveal has been almost completely overshadowed by this new one, and the opportunity to bring Jack's troubled brother into the Pearson family fold.

Of course, that's if that's what Nicky wants. After all, we still don't know who all in the Pearson clan knows he exists, and whether his existence was another closely guarded secret by Rebecca. It's also possibly Miguel knew about Nicky if we should find out that Jack is aware that his brother never died in Vietnam. That much wasn't clear in the fall finale, which showed Jack rushing to an exploded boat that he seemed to believe his brother was on.

That said, one would think it would be very hard for Nicky to return to the U.S. if he had faked his death overseas during the war. This might mean that Nicky may be responsible for the death of someone who died on the boat, which could've been the final straw in he and Jack's crumbling relationship. Jack isn't usually the vengeful type, but let's not forget he went a majority of his adult life without seeing his father.

This Is Us will reveal more about this mystery when it returns in 2019 on Tuesday, January 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at other things premiering before or around that time, visit our fall and midseason premiere guides. Could this twist be what the show needs to boost its ratings?

You might have heard about Life Itself by now, but probably not for any good reasons. The film, which follows multiple seemingly unconnected storylines about life, is being torn apart by critics. As it stands, the movie has a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the negativity is all the more crushing because Life Itselfi comes from Dan Fogelman, the creator of the NBC smash-hit This Is Us. Negative reviews can be tough to deal with for any filmmaker but Fogelman sounds like he's taking it as best he can, saying this about the bad reviews:

I can imagine that its difficult for filmmakers to deal with any negative reviews about their movies, but when multiple critics are saying it's one of the worst films of the year? That can be soul-crushing, and plenty of directors and actors have had to deal with this blowback in the past. Dan Fogelman, who both wrote and directed Life Itself, now has to come to terms with this situation, and he told the LA Times that he thinks it boils down to him having a different "creative palette" than the critics who roasted the drama. Directors' responses to harsh reviews aren't always so graceful, but Fogelman seems accepting of the fact that not everyone is going to love Life Itself. Another way of reading that is the age-old "I didn't make this for critics" defense.

For the most part, reviews have not been kind to Life Itself across the spectrum. Here at CinemaBlend, though, we had more of a tempered response to Fogelman's work, giving the movie three out of five stars. The widespread meh-ness is likely not the reaction that Fogelman was hoping for, but he went on to say that he knows he's not going to get great reviews all the time.

While critics can have the power to sway how a movie performs, bad reviews don't always mean low box office. Transformers movies, for example, usually get scores of bad reviews as they go on to make billions of dollars. Sadly, it seems that bad press did have some influence over the premiere of Life Itself, which opened outside of the top ten with $2.1 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Having been acquired by Amazon Studios, Life Itself is in theaters right now if you feel like seeing what all the commotion is about.

This Is Us closed out Season 2 with some teases of what's to come for each character down the road, and fans have been wracking their brains ever since trying to figure out what's going on with Randall's flash-forward and how it plays into the show's future. Dan Fogelman has likely seen the fans' non-stop theorizing and has now stepped in to say viewers won't have to wait too long to see what's going on with that mysterious storyline. In his words:

This Is Us fans might've assumed the Kate and Kevin-centric flash-forwards would be addressed pretty early on in Season 3, but Dan Fogelman is certainly sending mixed signals in regards to that future scene with Tess and Randall. Sterling K. Brown and others have indicated that particular beat plays into the show's endgame, which may be what Fogelman is referring to when he called it a "framing device." Perhaps different elements from that scene will be shown until it all comes together down the line.

Dan Fogelman did say some answers are coming mid-season, but then also said that reveal is not going to play a big part in the season. Really, all I want to know is if we're going to learn in Season 3 who the "her" is that Tess and Randall were referring to this season, and Fogelman's cryptic response leaves us still guessing. In either case, fans should be relieved that at least some answers on that mystery will come before the season finale of This Is Us Season 3, and possibly before the midseason finale.

Dan Fogelman also assured Variety that fans have more to look forward to than flash-foward answers, as he shared Mandy Moore's enthusiasm that Season 3 is the most ambitious season the show has done to date. Fogelman teased the premiere episode will feature Jack and Rebecca's first date, and that the season as a whole will do a deep dive into their lives prior to meeting each other. This includes Jack's time in Vietnam, which Fogelman co-crafted with award-winning author Tim O'Brien. Fogelman also noted that The Big Three will, of course, continue to have those relatable stories viewers love so much and that he's more excited for this coming season than the past two.

This Is Us returns to NBC for Season 3 this fall on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what else is coming to television in the near future, visit our summer premiere guide. After that, This Is Us fans should check out why we think Milo Ventimiglia deserves this year's Emmy for Best Actor over co-star Sterling K. Brown.

The Season 2 finale of This Is Us aired all the way back in March, and it ended on a cliffhanger that had fans already itching for the next season by the time the episode credits rolled. Unfortunately, there are still a couple of months of hiatus left before the series returns to start unraveling its latest mystery, but filming has officially commenced on the third season, and This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman took to social media to share a behind-the-scenes look at a scene featuring Randall and Beth. Check it out!

If you were expecting Dan Fogelman to tweet out a tease that would already have you reaching for the tissue box and preparing for the tears that will flow in Season 3, you were undoubtedly surprised by the shot of Randall and Beth. Randall looks very excited in a very endearingly goofy way about something, and Beth seems pretty happy and excited herself. Naturally, Fogelman didn't give any context for whatever is happening in this shot, so we can only speculate until more information is released about what's in store. We can safely say that the scene is taking place at breakfast, given the carafe of orange juice and what looks like a coffee mug for Beth.

The only actors clearly visible are Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson as Randall and Beth, but it looks like at least two of the girls of the household are present at the breakfast table. The one sitting on Randall's right is probably either Deja or Tess, since Annie would require either a sizable time jump or a very big and very sudden growth spurt to sit that high at the table. The person sitting on Randall's left could be Annie or one of the other girls. Basically, all we can 100% confirm at this point is that there are at least four people in the scene, and two of them are Randall and Beth.

Now, if you're anything like me, this glimpse of happiness immediately fills me with dread that something bad is going to happen to another member of the Pearson family. The good news is that we can rule out Beth being killed off in the third season, no matter how many faulty crock pots she may come across. What I wouldn't rule out is some marital difficulties between Kate and Toby, especially after Toby's parents tried to stage an intervention before the wedding. There will surely be some heartbreak as the show explores Jack's story in Vietnam, and This Is Us has taken steps to guarantee that his story will be as realistic as possible. Then, of course, there's the mystery of who the older Randall and adult Tess were talking about in that mysterious cliffhanger.

A lot of exciting, emotional, and probably upsetting plot twists are almost certainly in store when This Is Us returns to NBC for Season 3 on Tuesday, September 25 at 9 p.m. ET. If you need some shows to watch in order to pass the time for the next couple of months, check out our summer TV premiere guide.

*Spoiler warning for those who still haven't watched the "Super Bowl Sunday" episode of This Is Us. *

After a season and a half of dropping clues and inspiring endlessly depressing theories, This Is Us finally delivered on Jack's well-established death during its Super Bowl episode, and many millions of people watched as the Pearson patriarch succumbed not to a raging house fire, but to cardiac arrest brought on by smoke inhalation. It was a huge shock nestled within a very under-exaggerated moment, and many fans wondered why Jack's death played out like that. Now, creator Dan Fogelman has offered up an explanation, saying the post-fire death was planned from This Is Us' conception.

So while Dan Fogelman might not have specifically known in those earliest days that he was going to bring a dog into the equation to incite fan rage over Kate's self-blame, it sounds like This Is Us might not have even existed without Jack's eventual death at the forefront of its creator's mind. Just as important as the fire itself was the assertion that Jack not meet his maker through such a harrowing and stressful situation, but rather in that situation's quiet aftermath, when everyone could be fooled into assuming everything was okay.

Regardless of whether or not one enjoyed the way Jack died -- admittedly not the most ideal wording -- it's hard to deny the death-by-smoke was a much more This Is Us thing to do than taking Jack out through a massive house explosion, or by having him and Miguel brawl in a giant snake pit until only one man is left standing. This isn't that kind of show.

To that point, here's how Dan Fogelman explained the scope of the death to EW.

Can you imagine how audiences would have reacted if Jack had died in some larger-than-life moment involving a big stunt crew and lots of special effects? As if Jack is suddenly going to turn into Mission: Impossible's Ethan Hunt in the middle of an episode. Granted, there are a billion different smaller ways that This Is Us could have led us to Jack's unaccompanied passing in a hospital room, but Dan Fogelman was set on fire and its side effects being the Pearson's big source of tragedy for decades to come.

After all those months of speculating, it's now hard to believe that This Is Us could have ever actually had Jack dying in that fire. I mean, the episode purposefully avoided showing Jack's body after his death, and it was in a reasonably fine state. How in the world would they have handled it if Jack's entire body was burned? I guess we'll never have to find out, thankfully.

While fans probably won't be getting more two-episodes-a-week splendor in the near future, This Is Us will continue to explore Jack's past (and other things) on Tuesday nights on NBC at 10:00 p.m. ET. To see what other new and returning shows are hitting the small screen soon, head to our midseason premiere schedule.

This Is Us is on the verge of a major character's death, and some fans fear the series may not be done there. While some viewers turned their attention to Crock-Pot following the conclusion of the episode "That'll Be The Day," others tweeted out of fear the show may have foreshadowed the death of either Kevin or Randall Pearson during the duo's big heart-to-heart. Series creator Dan Fogelman seemingly laid fans' fears to rest to the supposed foreshadowing, but his wording could prompt even more folks to start worrying about the Pearson brothers' future:

Most of Dan Fogelman's quote sounds positive there, although he really only assured This Is Us fans that Randall is safe for the rest of Season 2. That might be a cryptic way of revealing Randall's death is on the table for Season 3! Of course, Fogelman may have also worded things that way to avoid future spoilers and it's quite possible he does not even know what's in store for The Big Three next season at this point,

Dan Fogelman indicated the real reason behind the This Is Us' conversation between Kevin and Randall draws back to the show's never-ending effort to touch on real aspects of everyday life. Losing a parent at a young age can be tough, and as Fogelman told EW, the scene was meant to draw upon a common trend he's noticed amongst people who've gone through a similar experience. Fogelman's takeaway from the scene is a lot different than that of paranoid fans. Rather than hyper-focusing on Randall, Fogelman drew attention to Kevin's thoughts on his brother's mortality:

If Dan Fogelman didn't want fans to uncover foreshadowing of a character's death, wouldn't that be exactly what he'd say? Fogelman was either quick to get the subject off Randall's death in the discussion of the episode, or he's just being genuine in his evaluation of how This Is Us tackled the complicated nature of coming to grips with one's mortality. Fogelman offered interesting commentary regarding Kevin's headspace. While rehab has gotten him clean, Kevin is still working on a lot of things in his life and might be in a position where he thinks he could die. The next episode should explore more of that as Kevin looks to finally "make amends" with his deceased father. Hopefully Kevin copes with things appropriately.

This Is Us will air a new episode on NBC at a special time following the Super Bowl Sunday, February 4. For a look at upcoming new or returning shows, visit our midseason premiere guide.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the latest episode of This Is Us! Read at your own risk!

This Is Us fans are still up in arms after the series' latest episode, where it was revealed that a faulty Crock-Pot slow cooker was the cause of the big house fire that burned down the Pearson home and probably killed Jack. After a group of fans took to social media to harass the company, creator Dan Fogelman felt compelled to share his thoughts on the outcry and come to Crock-Pot's defense:

Dan Fogelman gave the Crock-Pot social media person a break and did about the best job defending the company that he could since this whole mess started. It seems that This Is Us fans were so eager to cause a ruckus over a faulty slow cooker, they forgot that the gift from the Pearson's neighbor was described as "old junk," earlier in the episode. Had the Pearson's bought a new slow cooker from the store that caused the house to erupt into flames it'd be a different story, but given the appliance was a hand-me-down and had been sitting in a garage for who knows how long, it's a wonder it didn't spark up before then!

Dan Fogelman also reminded This Is Us fans that this is a fictional show, and while slow cookers can burn down homes, that wasn't the message the episode tried to send. Planes can also go down on a trip from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, California, and strand people on an island, but Lost hasn't kept airlines from running that flight. Fogelman's point sounds like he didn't craft Jack's death plotline just to spark a smear campaign against one of America's biggest slow cooker companies, so fans should chill out and accept that, sometimes, fiction is just that.

If there is anything positive that's come out of this Crock-Pot debacle it's that some This Is Us fans are pitching old slow cookers that probably should've been disposed of long ago. One woman responded to Dan Fogelman's tweet with a picture of a slow cooker she threw out that looks so sketchy it could've burned down the Pearson home twice:

This Is Us will not air at its usual time next Tuesday, and will instead air a special episode on NBC following the conclusion of the Super Bowl Sunday, February 4. The episode looks to be the one that finally shows Jack's death, so any fans who aren't caught up yet certainly should binge episodes in an effort to catch up before the big game. Those already caught up can visit our midseason premiere guide and see what new shows are coming to television in 2018.