It certainly didn't take long for fans to fall in love with This Is Us. Not only did the show break records for the most watched trailer for a new Fall show, but it also only took one episode for it to get picked up for a full-season order. But the good news doesn't stop there: it's officially been renewed for seasons four, five, and six!
NBC announced the news on May 12, confirming that each of the seasons will consist of 18 episodes. The series will also likely end with the sixth installment (though we don't really want to think about that part). NBC Entertainment scripted presidents Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta shared their excitement in a joint statement:
"In a television landscape with nearly 500 original scripted series, there are very few, if any, that have the critical and cultural impact of This Is Us and we couldn't be more proud to bring fans three more seasons of a show that so well represents the NBC brand. A huge thank you and congratulations to our executive producers, cast and crew who reach new heights every week with the show's inventive and compelling storytelling."
The multiseason commitment shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Not only are fans emotionally invested in the amazing characters and the well-written storylines, but when creator Dan Fogelman first pitched the pilot, he also already had the first four seasons of the show planned out. "When you're making a television show, you don't even know that it's going to get picked up, let alone become this giant thing that gets out of control, nor what people are going to respond to," he told Entertainment Weekly in September 2017. "So we had a plan from day one. I delivered the script for the pilot, and I also had a pitch for the next four seasons of the show."
So why did it take some time for NBC to officially announced the show's renewal? When POPSUGAR spoke with Mandy Moore in February, she said they were just trying to work out how many seasons the series will have so they could announce it all at once. "We've been told pretty much what happens next season, and we know how the show ends, so it's just whether or not it's five or six seasons is what they're deciding on right now," she explained. Showrunner Isaac Aptaker echoed those sentiments when he spoke with Deadline, adding that they were planning the series finale "about three seasons in the future." Looks like that plan panned out!
