What lies ahead for the Pearsons in This Is Us season 6? Debuting in 2016 on NBC, the hit show follows the life of Jack and Rebecca Pearson and their three kids — twins, Kevin and Kate, as well as their adopted son, Randall. This Is Us tackles the overall story of the clan, starting from the parents' respective childhood leading to their introduction and eventual marriage. It continues past the Big Three's younger years until the present time where they're fully-grown adults who also have their own families.
Given its non-linear storytelling, This Is Us is able to continue building on the Pearsons' history as they bring in characters from the main cast's past. That includes Jack's estranged brother, Nicky, who reconnected with the family after decades of being isolated. There's also Randall's biological father, William, who passed away in season 1. But most importantly, it allows the show to continue featuring Jack who died back when the Big Three kids were in their teens. However, as much as This Is Us has explored the past, it's also jumping way ahead into the future — particularly on Rebecca's death bed. Not much has been revealed about this specific timeline but the series has been teasing with glimpses of it in the last several seasons.
While the show goes back and forth in time, the Big Three’s respective storylines mainly take place in the present day. Kevin, Kate, and Randall are all dealing with their family issues on top of their relationship with each other. Given all these, there are a lot of things to look forward to as This Is Us season 6 will make its NBC premiere on January 4, 2022.
This Is Us Is Ending With Season 6
It was announced back in May 12, 2021 that This Is Us is ending with season 6. Though the news came as a disappointment to many fans, it’s not a surprise. Going back to May 2019, when NBC renewed This Is Us for three seasons, reports indicated that the Emmy-winning drama would not go beyond those three additional seasons – which series creator Dan Fogelman backed up in public remarks. On the positive side, for viewers who aren’t quite ready to say goodbye, Fogelman has also said that he’s grateful to end This Is Us on his own terms with season 6. And, regarding the ending, Fogelman pointed out that he’s planned that out since the very beginning of the show.
How Many Episodes Are In This Is Us Season 6
This Is Us season 6 will consist of 18 episodes, this puts it in line with the first four seasons. This Is Us season 5 was slightly shorter, due to COVID-19 production changes, and came in at a total of 16 episodes.
This Is Us Season 6 Story Details
When audiences last saw with Pearson family, Kevin and Randall finally addressed their long-standing tensions and disagreements in an emotional episode. And, on a more surprising note, in one of the show’s signature flashforwards, it’s revealed that Kate is divorced from Toby — not only that, but it turns out that she’s marrying Phillip. This Is Us season 6 will explore these changes in Kate’s life, showing how she drifts apart from Toby and grows closer to Phillip over time. And, in terms of what’s going on with Kevin, the upcoming batch of episodes will show him adjusting to raising twins with Madison even though the two are no longer together.
But a big portion of This Is Us season 6, as suggested by the trailer, will be focused on Rebecca who is gradually losing her memory after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. In the flashforwards, we see that Rebecca looks ready to say goodbye with her family – sons, and granddaughters, and brothers-in-law – all gathered around her. Notably, however, Kate and Miguel are missing from the future scenes. This has led to speculation about whether their characters might have died in the intervening years. Chrissy Metz, who plays Kate, told EW that more than major one character will reach the end of their journey.