'This Is Us' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far

I don’t blame you if you’re still reeling from the This Is Us Season 3 finale. It was a lot to process, especially those last five minutes — spoilers ahead — in which we learned so many things about the Future Pearsons. Here’s a non-exhaustive list: Rebecca is sick (and possibly dying), Kevin has a son, Nicky is back in the picture, Kate’s nowhere to be found, and Toby has a goatee that desperately needs shaving. I’ve spent the past 24 hours thinking about nothing else (especially that goatee), and I need answers.

Unfortunately, we won’t get them concretely until This Is Us Season 4 premieres next fall. That’s a long time from now, so we’re doing our best to gather as much information about what’s to come as we can. Thankfully, we chatted with some of the cast and producers of This Is Us before Season 3 wrapped, and they dropped some hints.

Here’s everything we know so far about This Is Us Season 4. Of course, we’ll continually update this post as more info comes in.

Premiere date: September 24, 2019

The "future" scenes takes place roughly 12 to 15 years from the present day. This comes straight from This Is Us showrunner Elizabeth Berger.

Rebecca’s not recognizing Randall in the future might not be as bad as you think. "Possibly this is someone near the end of their life experiencing a lack of awareness and confusion that comes with extreme old age," Berger tells Glamour.

However, she is probably close to dying. "I think it definitely feels like Rebecca is very near the end of her life and that her passing is imminent, and that’s why everyone has decided to descend upon Kevin’s house," showrunner Isaac Aptaker says.

Nicky turns his life around. The Pearsons tried to help him get sober in Season 3, but he obstinately refused their help. However, he’s a different person in the flash-forward: clean-cut, nice, and sitting right by Rebecca’s side. "We’re seeing a guy in a better place than when we last left him," Aptaker says. "The fact that he aged really well shows he’s in a much better place mentally and physically than when we left him in that trailer."

Miguel is missing in the flash-forward too. But we won’t find out why until Season 5 or 6, according to Aptaker.

Zoe (Melanie Liburd) isn’t going anywhere, even though she and Kevin broke up. "We love writing for her, so we’re always going to be looking for ways to bring her back into the story and into the fold," Aptaker says. "But we will not be watching week-to-week storylines between her and Kevin next year."

It’s not guaranteed that Kate is alive in the future. "I think it’s wide open at this point what has become of Kate," Berger says.

Figuring out what happened to Kate will be a top priority. "I can’t promise next season," Aptaker says. "But we know that in terms of the rank of people’s burning questions, that one is probably working its way up there. We’ll be mindful of that."

Tess’s feelings about moving to Philadelphia will be fully explored. The look on her face when Beth and Randall were packing was not good. "To be Tess’s age and already be in the middle of coming to terms with your sexuality and then to throw in a move is only going to make things feel more complicated and more overwhelming," Berger says. "We’re definitely going to be exploring that as soon as we come back next season."

Season 4 begins in the 1970s. "We’re excited to get back to the ’70s with Jack and Rebecca when we return," Berger says. "It’s a really romantic period, and we’re going to be seeing what happens when they come back from that amazing road trip and reality sets in and what happens next. We’re excited to see our 12-year-olds explore meatier stories about adolescence, and we’re excited to meet some new people that haven’t yet been introduced."

The younger "Big Three" will be introduced in Season 4.

This info comes via series creator Dan Fogelman, who tweeted a photo in July of what appears to be the three young kids who will play the "Big Three" in the upcoming season. We’ve seen the trio as adults, late teens, and 10-year-olds, but the latest junior versions of Kevin, Kate and Randall look to be around 4.

The writers on the show confirmed the casting via their own Twitter, retweeting Fogelman’s photo with "We can’t wait for you guys to meet these cuties. #LittlelestBigThree #ThisIsUs." In the comments of both tweets, fans pointed out just how similar these little ones are to the various older versions of the characters on the show — and it definitely seems like the casting director has some superpowers.

The Pearson world is "expanding." This comes from creator Dan Fogelman. "Where we’re starting the new season is kind of as ambitious as we’ve ever been," he tells Glamour.

Rebecca’s father is going to become a prominent part of the storyline. Another tidbit from Fogelman. So get ready for a lot of young Rebecca!

But don’t expect all the storylines to wrap up neatly at the end of Season 4. NBC announced on May 12 that there will be three more seasons of the show, so buckle up.

Reporting by Jessica Radloff, Glamour’s West Coast editor. Follow her on Twitter at @JRadloff. Christopher Rosa is Glamour’s entertainment staff writer. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisrosa92.

Originally Appeared on Glamour