The end of “This Is Us” could trigger a bit of a spiral for series creator Dan Fogelman as he tries to figure out what’s next.
During NBC’s Scripted Press Day on Friday, the showrunner shared that the series finale of the critically acclaimed drama will air on May 24.
Fogelman has remained adamant that he had a six-season plan for the series. However, he isn’t ruling out revisiting the Pearson family in the future. When asked about the possibility of a “This Is Us” movie, Fogelman said: “I say no to nothing.”
“I’m very aware that a midlife crisis is right around the corner for me, and that whatever I do next, I’m going to hate in comparison to the show and these actors,” he told reporters.
While he would “love to get back together” with the cast for a follow-up to the critically acclaimed series, the executive producer still repeated the sentiment that the upcoming series finale will not leave the door open for the story to continue.
“It’s not because we don’t have any more story to tell,” Fogelman said Friday. “It’s because we exactly planned it to go this way. We’re on a five-year path and to suddenly pivot and add more because we don’t want it to end wouldn’t be quite responsible for the show and what we have planned and it would start becoming something else.”
Once the story is brought full circle, any future projects would likely require a bit of imagination.
“I don’t know what that [movie] would be,” Fogelman said. “By the end of this season, I think we’ll have told the complete story, so I’m not sure it’s like if you’re doing the movie of like what would have happened if Jack survived the fire or something.”
For the panel, Fogelman was joined by stars Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Susan Kelechi Watson, Justin Hartley and Jon Huertas — all of whom also expressed their enthusiasm for returning to their characters eventually.
When Fogelman is ready to explore those stories, NBC appears willing to give him the green light.
“The President of NBC is literally texting me right now, ‘Yes to the movie!’” he joked.
Before Fogelman can think about a potential franchise, he’s focused on the final season six scripts to bring the story home. He and the cast remained tight-lipped about what to expect, but said viewers will see more of the Pearsons’ future, specifically Kate’s second wedding and Rebecca on her deathbed.
“It’s fair to say that in the course of the end of the season, we’ll live there more,” Fogelman said.
“This Is Us” airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.