‘This Is Us’ Creator Dan Fogelman Talks Season 5 Premiere Shocker: ‘Nobody Else Is Coming Back To Life’

Spoiler Alert: This story contains information regarding an episode of This Is Us which aired October 27, titled “Forty Part 1 and Forty Part 2.”

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman spoke about the stunning turn of events during the season premiere where a presumed-dead character was brought back to life. In an interview with Deadline, Dan shared that viewers could rest easy as the remainder of the season progresses and assured fans that no one else would be resurrected from the dead. Viewers were shocked to learn that at the close of the two-hour premiere where Randall questioned many aspects of his life as a Black man in the current social climate, the narrative of his past had a new twist.

In the episode, Randall discussed at length with his wife, Beth, that despite having celebrated his birthday with his adopted siblings — Kate and Kevin — for the past 40 years, he had some lingering questions regarding his actual birthdate. He did not understand how, as an infant, he was dropped off at a fire station, brought to a hospital, and adopted by the Pearson family all in one day.

The show took the opportunity to address these questions via flashbacks which showed that his mother Laurel had not died of an overdose in the days after Randall’s birth. His father, William, left him to be discovered on the steps of a firehouse in an attempt to give the child a better upbringing than he could have afforded him.

Dan shared with Deadline there was a reason for Laurel to awaken in the last moments of the episode due to the efforts of a paramedic who refused to stop CPR, despite repeated encouragement from his partner to cease his attempts at reviving the new mother.

“That’s a big part of Randall’s journey in the front half of this season. It’s about her, and it’s also really about Randall’s character and what learning her story does for him,” he explained.

He also revealed that Laurel’s origin story will be discussed.

In addition, the showrunner addressed rumors that other presumed-dead characters would return as the show heads toward the close of its sixth and final season in 2022. This Is Us previously introduced Jack’s brother, Nicky, as a pivotal member of the Pearson family after fans presumed he had died while serving a tour of duty in Vietnam.

Dan addressed fan theories that as the series continued, it would be revealed that Jack did not die from the fire that destroyed his family’s home.

“No, Jack is definitely not alive, and no, nobody else is coming back to life,” he explained.