'Next week's episode is a big episode,' creator Dan Fogelman said of Tuesday's episode addressing Jack's funeral.
This Is Us isn’t going anywhere.
NBC has officially renewed the breakout family drama for an impressive two-season pickup, bringing it to three seasons, the network announced Wednesday at the Television Critics Association press tour.
The two-season pickup includes two minimum 18-episode seasons of the beloved ensemble series, which is led by Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Ron Cephas Jones, Chris Sullivan and Susan Kelechi Watson.
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“We all got our wish that this is a hit show,” said Jennifer Salke, NBC Entertainment President, in a statement. “This Is Us is as good as anything we’ve ever had, we’re thrilled to renew it for two seasons and there’s no doubt it will have a long life on NBC. On behalf of everyone at NBC, we’re grateful for the artistry of the cast, crew, and producers assembled by our gifted creator, Dan Fogelman. In a world where there are literally hundreds of television dramas, we’re proud to have one of the very best that is also one of the highest-rated.”
New footage from next Tuesday’s episode of This Is Us revealed for the first time glimpses of Jack’s (Ventimiglia) funeral, with a photo of the late Pearson patriarch and the urn containing his ashes, all funneled through Kate’s (Metz) memories of the past. Notably missing was any hint of The Big Three’s ages at the time of Jack’s death.
“You missed that?! Wait? You really don’t know?!” Brown joked when a reporter asked about new intel on Jack’s death.
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“Next week’s episode is a big episode,” Fogelman told reporters following the exclusive sneak peek preview. “The needle we have to continue to thread is sparsing out information. … There’s a before and after to this family. There’s a hinge in this family and it’s kind of the before with Jack and the after. That’ll be interesting in future seasons as we go forward to show where that hinge was, what happened to the family before and after.”
“Slowly but surely, when, then and how [will be answered], and then we’ll see it [Jack's death], but hopefully that’ll take many, many episodes,” Fogelman said of the lingering Jack mystery.
Fogelman addressed the chances that Jack could appear in non-traditional ways in future This Is Us episodes, referencing the installment where Randall (Brown) hallucinates his late father at the cabin.
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“There are a lot of different ways,” Fogelman said, assuring everyone that Ventimiglia isn’t going anywhere: “Milo is a massive part of the series.”
This Is Us averages 14.6 million viewers with DVR ratings factored in, making it the No. 1 new show of the season in adults 18-49.
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
