‘This Is Us’ Fans Freak Out Over Surprising Sophia Bush Storyline And What It Means For Kevin

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from the This Is Us midseason premiere episode, “Light and Shadows.”

This Is Us fans are reacting to Kevin Pearson’s (Justin Hartley) latest love triangle — a triangle he didn’t even realize he was in.

On the midseason premiere episode of the NBC drama, the No. 1 Pearson son thought he met the girl of his dreams — and fans thought he met his mystery baby mama — with the introduction of Lizzie, played by guest star Sophia Bush.

A smitten Kevin pulled out all the stops after locking eyes with Lizzie in a coffee shop. After finding out she was only in L.A. for one day for a work conference, Kevin made some quick phone calls and scored access to the Hollywood Bowl while simultaneously calling in a favor to singer John Legend. The result was an afternoon concert for two, which was cut short after Lizzie confessed she was married and that her husband gave her permission to hook up with movie star Kevin in a “hall pass” sort of way.

On Instagram, fans expressed their hopes that Bush would be a recurring character on This Is Us, and possibly even the pregnant girlfriend Kevin is engaged to in flash-forward scenes set nine months in the future.

“Why does she have to be married?” one fan wrote of Bush’s Lizzie. “They killed my dreams.”

“I know I’m so disappointed,” another wrote. “They would’ve made the CUTEST BABY.”

“How creepy that she would take it this far and be married,” another This Is Us fan added.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, This Is Us executive producer Isaac Aptaker pretty much confirmed we’ve seen the last of Lizzie, as he explained how producers got Bush to agree to shoot “a really cool, little part” on the hit drama series after working with her on another show.

Of course, nothing happens on This Is Us for no reason, so maybe this “hall pass” rejection was the kick in the pants Kevin needed to realize that his true love might have been in front of him his whole life. That’s right, just as Kevin gives up hope of ever finding a love like his parents’, he misses a phone call from his childhood sweetheart turned ex-wife, Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge).

Aptaker revealed that fans will soon find out if Sophie is coming back into Kevin’s life, but he also issued a reminder.

“It definitely feels like he would be very primed to let Sophie back into his life,” Aptaker said of Kevin. “But if you remember the last time we saw Sophie, she is engaged to another man. So it’s not quite so simple.”

This Is Us fans have seen a revolving door of women in Kevin’s life, but the character is ready to settle down as he approaches 40. Flash-forward scenes show he will start a family in the next nine months, and the mother of his future son could be anyone from Sophie to Army vet Cassidy to someone fans still haven’t met.