This Is Us is the rare broadcast TV drama that spawns as many fan theories as an HBO fantasy TV series. Since the first season way back in 2016, fans have been trying to put together the puzzle pieces from three timelines of the Pearson clan: The 1980s, the 1990s, and today. With four seasons and 72 episodes under the show's belt, that has now expanded to a full century, ranging from the 1950s to the 2050s. As fans wait for the next round of 18 episodes to begin, these This Is Us Season 5 theories will help put into perspective where the show is heading.
The show seemingly will never be done with the past, and fans shouldn't worry the show has seen the last of the late Jack Pearson. But it's the future where the biggest mysteries lie now. Fans still don't have a full picture, for instance, of what is going on in 2034, where Rebecca lays dying. Viewers haven't seen older Kate or her presumed soon-to-be-adopted daughter Hailey, nor have Kevin or Nicky's wives shown up.
And what of 2050? In the far future, Kate and Toby's son Jack had just had his first child, a daughter. But his parents haven't turned up yet, nor have his aunts or uncles. Could viewers expect the Big Three in their twilight years before this is all said and done?
But that's for further into the future. For now, here are the top concerned for when Season 5 begins.
Next season will be all about the adoption process for Kate and Toby. It's a difficult journey for many, and This Is Us will probably be realistic about that.
There are times when both parties may have doubts, but Kate is going to be particularly vulnerable, especially seeing her brothers split. Toby's entire argument hinged on the Pearsons' track record with adoption. Kevin's words that the worst thing that ever happened to him was Randall being brought home would probably give Kate pause.
Viewers have seen Young Rebecca as a woman independent of her husband and kids. But Older Rebecca has never been allowed a story outside of her grown children, until now.
Rebecca and Miguel's move to St. Louis won't just be about her treatment. It will be the first time the show has presented them independent of the rest of the family. That can only mean one thing: Flashback time! It's past time fans finally understood how this relationship happened.
What will heal the rift between Randall and Kevin? While some might say it depends on how Rebecca's treatment goes, that's not a given. If it works, Randall will be "I told you so," and if it doesn't, Kevin will only be angrier Randall wasted what little time they had in the first place.
A much more likely impetus for reconciliation is the birth of Kevin's kids. Everyone loves the next generation. Even something as small as Kate (Team Kevin) calling Beth (Team Randall) to share the news and invite them to come to see the babies could be enough to begin a thaw.
When Kevin was shown wearing a wedding band in 2034, fans took it as a sign his and Madison's marriage triumphed against the odds. That would undoubtedly be one great love story. But don't forget, both Cassidy and Sophie appeared in the closing moments of the finale as well.
Kevin might tell himself he's renouncing his search for a love story in favor of children, but human hearts don't work that way, and neither does life. Fans don't even know if he and Madison go through with getting married at al, and a twist of that magnitude is precisely the kind of thing This Is Us loves to pull.
