The final episode of NBC’s “This Is Us” airs on May 24, and the cast has steadily been sharing emotional goodbyes. The show, which first aired in 2016, has become widely beloved for its emotional twists and turns and its memorable cast of characters. It primarily follows three siblings – Kate (Chrissy Metz), Randall (Sterling K. Brown), and Kevin (Justin Hartley) – across different periods of their lives, jumping around in time to explore their past, present, and future. The show also dives into the relationship between their parents, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), and explores various aspects of the lives of other family members.
Over the years, “This Is Us” has garnered critical acclaim, averaging 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and excelling at the Emmys, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and many more. The show wrapped up filming its sixth season on May 2, and its creators and stars have been open about their mixed feelings about the show’s end for a long time leading up to it. Last year, Brown described the finale as “heartbreakingly beautiful,” telling POPSUGAR that “at the end of the day, there is light. [The characters] go through so much, but you know that they come out on the other side even better than the way in which they entered into it.”
Many cast members and fans have even expressed their desire for a sequel. “I say no to nothing,” show creator Dan Fogelman told People. “When I want to do something again for ‘This Is Us’ with these guys, I suspect they’re gonna all be very busy and winning awards, Emmys and Oscars and all this stuff. But sure, if we can figure out a movie down the road, I’d love to get back together with these guys and do it.”
For now, though, it appears that “This Is Us” truly is coming to a close. Read on to hear what the cast had to say.
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Mandy Moore
On her Instagram, Mandy Moore celebrated her final days on the “This Is Us” set with a sentimental post. “Last day of work,” wrote the actress, who plays mother and grandmother Rebecca Pearson on the show. “The greatest 6 years at the best job I’ve ever had. Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude (and definitely lots of tears).”
In 2021, Moore elaborated on her feelings about the show coming to an end in an interview with Associated Press at PaleyFest. “We are slowly starting to say goodbye to the audience, and one another,” Moore told the audience. “It is a slow goodbye. It’s strange, but I guess I wouldn’t want it any other way. If it were like abrupt, that would feel way too aggressive. And our show has too much heart for that.”
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Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Mandy Moore’s late onscreen husband, Jack Pearson, also had a lot to say. “So, that’s it,” he said on his Instagram story, which he used to give viewers a brief tour of the set, even sharing a few clips of himself and Mandy Moore on their last commute to the set. “That is a wrap on Season 6,” he concluded. “That is a wrap on the whole series of ‘This is Us.’ Thank you for being a part of the journey. Thank you for being around for it all. Hope you’ve all enjoyed it.”
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Susan Kelechi Watson
Susan Kelechi Watson – who plays Beth Pearson, the wife of Randall (Sterling K. Brown) – paid tribute to the show by posting a photo of her and Brown on Instagram. The caption read, “We just wrapped our last scene together of the series.”
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Sterling K. Brown
Sterling K. Brown also shared an emotional video on Instagram, celebrating being a week out from the end. “We are one week away from finishing shooting on ‘This Is Us,'” the actor said. “It’s winding down. It’s been an amazing six years. Sets are being torn down, but the memories will last forever.”
On Twitter, he shared a photo of him and Watson wrote a note that honoured his onscreen wife in particular. “The end of many eras…literally!! Su, it has been an absolute joy and pleasure to be your TV husband and grow old together as Pearsons,” he wrote.
Jon Huertas, who plays Miguel Rivas on the show, expressed mixed feelings to Us Weekly shortly after filming wrapped. “I did have my final day on set and, yeah, it was bittersweet,” he said on April 28. “Part of me was really happy that we were able to end the story the way that we wanted to, and part of me is very sad that I’m not gonna be working with these actors on a daily basis and this crew. I’m gonna miss that, so that’s the sad part.”
The actor went on to say that although he will miss the show, he wouldn’t change anything about how it all turned out. “It’s really nice to be able to say, ‘We did that,’ and walk away without feeling any regret and not thinking like, ‘Oh, I wish we could’ve shot that one episode that we always talked about’ or ‘I wish we could’ve done this,'” he said. “We don’t have to worry about that . . . We’re happy and proud of [what we did].”
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Ron Cephas Jones
Ron Cephas Jones, who plays Randall’s birth father William, also paid tribute to the show on Instagram on his last day on set. “Last day shooting on ‘This Is Us’ for ‘William.’ Last season (6),” he wrote, sharing a photo with himself and Ventimiglia. “Milo stopped by to give me some love in [hair/makeup],” he added. “So many feelings (that’s for another post Haha!). Stay tuned! Blessed/Humbled/Loved.”
