‘This Is Us’ Will Tackle Coronavirus When The Series Returns

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman hints the Pearson family may have a brush with COVID-19

Since the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down production on NBC’s This Is Us, we’ve all been biding our time and tear ducts until its return. While we still aren’t exactly sure when that will be (more on that in a minute), creator Dan Fogelman just offered a bit more insight into what fans can expect when Season 5 finally hits our screens. And as far as the coronavirus pandemic goes, Fogelman says the show plans to bring the real-life events of the last year into the lives of the Pearson family.

On Sunday evening, Fogelman responded to a fan on Twitter who — and thank you for this, fam — pressed the series for information about its return.

Among the questions, the fan asked, “Will the writers address Covid in present day?” To that, Fogelman made the show’s intentions crystal clear. “Yes on Covid,” he replied, adding, “We’ve decided to attack things head on. Very proud of @ThisIsUsWriters.”

That tracks, right? Although some fans expressed their disappointment over the idea, even more pointed out that the decision stays true to the show. “#ThisIsUs has always been written to mirror real life & address issues rampant in our society today,” one defender wrote. “This year, COVID shone a unique & complex light on issues such as privilege, race, poverty, economy, mental health, etc. Premise of the show would be lost if not addressed!”

Speaking of staying true to itself, the show also plans to stick with its ending. Of course, none of us are privy to what that ending might entail just yet. But we know that Fogelman has already had it outlined for quite some time. Back in 2018, Mandy Moore (aka Rebecca Pearson) teased that the entire cast knows the ending already, calling it “very satisfying.”

Then, speaking with the Los Angeles Times in January 2020, Fogelman admitted they have a firm vision. “We’ve always known the plan for the show because we’re not going 15 seasons,” he said. “If you know where you’re going, you’re just playing with time. It feels like a page-turner because we’re telling the story about a family over the course of 80 years by the time we’re done. And so all of our families could seem really interesting in that way.”

So, what did Fogelman have to say on Sunday night about the show’s ending? “Same planned ending. Same route to get there,” he responded via Tweet. Fans may be keen to be clued into that ending, but we can wait. For now, we’re just ready to get back to it and see what’s going on with the Big Three, Mama Pearson and, yes, even Miguel. It goes without saying it’s now a possibility at least one beloved Pearson may wind up contracting COVID-19.

Last we saw them in the Season 4 finale, there was a lot happening. Kevin and Randall had an epic fight, Madison turned up pregnant (with twins!), Toby brought up adoption… the list goes on and on, and that’s to say nothing of the mind-blowing time-hops.

Alas, it might be a minute before we get any real resolution. As Fogelman shared in his update, they’re “not sure yet on production start” and “not sure when new eps will air.”