This Is Us producer teases 'satisfying and twisty' wedding finale that offers 'big answers'
Ready or not — and Kevin and Madison seem to be hovering over the "or" — wedding day is here. NBC's soon-to-be-saying-goodbye family drama This Is Us will unveil its season 5 finale on Tuesday night (at a special time, 10 p.m. ET/PT), promising some resolution on the unexpected relationship that took center stage this year. Will these two pull it together and walk down the aisle, or will one of them walk away? Either way, it'll just be nice to have the Pearson gang all in one place again, something that wasn't possible during the pandemic (on screen and off).
Yes, after weathering through a year of Zoom calls and isolation, the show that built its brand on togetherness and the search for it is doing just that. "What's so exciting — for where we are as a country and where we are as a show that reflects that — is people are finally able to start having those physical shared moments again," TIU executive producer Isaac Aptaker tells EW. "I was watching a cut of the finale, and just getting to see all of our core cast and our family members sharing the frame together and living together in these spaces and not being separated by the laptop screen or the iPhone screen, I was so moved. It's such a great reflection of where we finally are getting to as a country that these characters get to all come together for this big life event for Kevin."
Whether Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Madison (Caitlin Thompson) can find a path to eternal bliss is a looming question, but their wedding planner isn't going to make it any easier. "Kevin's wedding planner may be a little bit rusty from the pandemic," Aptaker quips, "because there are quite a few logistical snafus early on in the day."
Ron Batzdorff/NBC (2) Justin Hartley and Caitlin Thompson on 'This Is Us'
Will viewers get another peek into the future, a common occurrence in the show's season and half-season enders? Aptaker isn't saying, but he will confirm a particular visit to the past: "We're going to get another peek into Jack and Rebecca's wedding day."
Aptaker also notes that in classic TIU fashion, viewers will receive resolution to some of the big questions hanging over the show in season 5 — but should also brace for at least one massive surprise and a new set of question marks. "It's really satisfying and twisty," he says of the hour. "We give some big answers and then we ask some brand-new questions, and I think this really strikes the perfect balance between the two."
The executive producer does have a key piece of advice, one that might sound awfully familiar as well: "People are definitely going to want to have [eaten] their snacks and have taken all of their bathroom breaks and be rooted in front of the TV for our last five minutes."
Aptaker had much more to say about the ramifications of last week's episode, including Kevin and Madison's cold feet, and you can find that intel over here.
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