‘This Is Us’ Writers Brainstorm In Virtual Meeting: ‘Season 5’s Stories Are Already Coming Together’
This Is Us‘ writing team is back in the writers’ room — virtually. The writers for the NBC drama held a virtual session via Zoom with the promise that Season 5 stories are taking form, even though production for the show is temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This Is Us usually starts shooting in July, but there is no word when production will start up for the upcoming season. But In a new post on the show’s official Instagram page, 17 writers and showrunners for the NBC series were pictured in the familiar grid frame that has become a staple for workers in all types of industries during the pandemic. Some of the writers appeared to be chatting from their kitchens while others were in home offices. One This Is Us scribe even zoomed in from outdoors.
In the comments section, fans expressed excitement that the penultimate season is underway—at least on paper.
“This is so exciting!!! Can’t wait for season 5,” one fan wrote.
“Yaaaaay let’s gooooo,” another added.
“Can’t WAITT!!! More scenes with Randall and Beth!!!!!” a third person suggested.
“Not sure if I should be excited or scared,” a fourth viewer wrote of the tearjerker drama series.
The writers didn’t dish any stories ideas on Instagram, but creator Dan Fogelman previously told Deadline that This Is Us’ Season 5 premiere had already been written and several storylines had already been mapped out before the pandemic hit.
In addition, series regular Chrissy Metz teased an important storyline in the works for her character, Kate Pearson, in which viewers will get to see another layer of her complicated backstory.
While the show’s writers can stay on track with virtual brainstorming sessions, the actual filming could prove to be much trickier.
In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times’ Can’t Stop Watching podcast, This Is Us star Milo Ventimiglia envisioned the possibility of a “safe, sterile” filming environment where actors and crew scrub in and out like doctors. He also admitted that the writers for the show will have a “heavy load” as they’re forced to plot out scenes in a new way.
Ventimiglia questioned if his character Jack Pearson will even be able to kiss his wife Rebecca (Mandy Moore) in a post-pandemic filming world. He also speculated that the This Is Us cast may have to shoot their scenes while standing six feet apart before editors take the footage and make magic with it.
