Fogelman took to Twitter on May 14 to share that Season 6 was confirmed as the series finale, writing that while he’s “sad” for the end: “We’ll work hard to stick the landing.”

The first trailer for This Is Us final season arrived on Thanksgiving, debuting as part of NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade package. Although a lot of it was recycled from earlier seasons as part of the memories Rebecca is desperately trying to hold onto, there were some new clips, including Chrissy Metz as Kate singing.

The Pearson clan has been the heart of This Is Us since the show's inception, and fans can expect all three siblings, their spouses, their parents, and their children to return for the final run.

That includes:

• The Pearson "Big Three" Triplets: Sterling K. Brown plays Randall, Chrissy Metz plays Kate, and Justin Hartley plays Kevin. Their teen versions are played by Niles Fitch, Hannah Zeile, and Logan Shroyer, and their tween versions are played by Lonnie Chavis, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, and Parker Bates.
• The Older Pearson Generation: Mandy Moore is their mother, Rebecca, Milo Ventimiglia is her beloved late husband, Jack, and Jon Huertas is her current husband, Miguel. Also, Griffin Dunne plays Nicky, Jack's younger brother and uncle to the Big Three. He's the only character of this generation to have a "younger" version played by a different actor, Michael Angarano.
• The Pearson Spouses: Susan Kelechi Watson plays Randall's wife Beth, Chris Sullivan plays Kate's (soon-to-be ex-)husband Toby, and Caitlin Thompson plays Kevin's fiancée, Madison. Of this group, only Beth has recurring younger versions, played by Rachel Hilson and Akira Akbar.
• The Pearsons: The Next Generation: The oldest kids are Randall's three children: Eris Baker as Tess, Lyric Ross as Deja, and Faithe Herman as Annie. Their adult versions (Iantha Richardson, La Trice Harper, and Iyana Halley) will also turn up in flash forwards. Kate's toddler son Jack and adopted baby daughter Hailey, and Kevin's newborn twins, Nicholas and Frances, will also be around. Fans have met Jack and Hailey's adult counterparts (Blake Stadnik and Adelaide Kane) in the future-set scenes, but not their teen versions. Conversely, fans have glimpsed Nicholas and Frances as tweens but have not seen adult versions yet.

As for recurring roles, Asante Blackk will be back as Deja's boyfriend, Malik. Phylicia Rashad will also be around as Beth's mother, Carol. Ron Cephas Jones will appear in flashbacks as Randall's biological dad William. And judging by the plot twist at the end of Season 5’s finale, Chris Geere is almost definitely returning as Phillip.

Also, Alexandra Breckenridge may be back as Kevin's ex-wife Sophie (as may her teen and kid counterparts, Amanda Leighton and Sophia Coto). Fans also hope Jennifer Morrison will be back as Cassidy Sharp, Nicky's friend from rehab. As for the rest, fans will have to wait and see.

Like the first five seasons, This Is Us will continue to unfold the final layers of the 100-year story of the all-American family of the Pearsons. So far, the series has covered stories from Jack’s birth in 1950 to the birth of his great-granddaughter, Hope, in 2050.

But the Season 5 finale threw much of what fans assumed into chaos by revealing that not only do Madison and Kevin fail to tie the knot, but Kate will be getting divorced and remarried in the near future, and to a character fans barely know.

Speaking to Deadline after the Season 5 finale aired, Fogelman promised Season 6 would resolve all of these loose ends: “All of these timelines will be brought to a conclusion and explained,” Fogelman promised. “There will be no looming questions when we get through next season. Everything will be resolved.”

Among some of the things fans can look forward to, according to an interview with the cast:

• Chris Sullivan called Season 6 a “painful” time for his character, Toby, who will have a “mid-life crisis”
• That being said, Kate and Philip’s relationship will be a “slow burn” this season.
• Jon Huertas said his character will have “his own little showcase,” a This Is Miguel episode, if you will
• Sterling Brown said there will be an arc between him and Deja and him handling her growing up

Other plot points include Nicky’s eventual marriage, Kevin’s love life resolving, and a return of William in flashbacks. Also of note, Chrissy Metz co-wrote an episode for the final season, and Huertas will once again direct at least one installment.

Also, this final season is planned as a tour-de-force for Mandy Moore. Fogelman stated her character, Rebecca, would have, by far, the most ambitious storyline of all. Let’s just start the Mandy Moore 2022 Best Actress Emmy campaign now.

According to NBC, the finale season of This Is Us will be treated like “an event, with all 18 episodes airing straight through in a row” (or as close as NBC can manage). To do that, the series won’t begin airing until after the 2021 winter break, making This Is Us technically a “mid-season” premiere, arriving in early 2022.

Season 6 will premiere on Jan. 4, 2022.