‘This Is Us’ Fans Furious Over News Of Extended Hiatus & Return Of Hated Character For Season 5

This Is Us fans got a double whammy at the end of the most recent episode, titled “Honestly.”

Following the show, which was just the fourth to air so far this season, a promo revealed that the NBC drama will not be returning until January 5.

In the comments section to a photo shared on the official This Is Us Instagram page, seen here, angry viewers lashed out over the bad news that the Emmy-winning series will be on hiatus until after the holidays.

“January 5th? Are you freaking kidding me?” one viewer asked.

“January whyyyyyyyyyyy we just started,” another added.

A third user called the lengthy hiatus “ridiculous” and vowed to be “done” with the show.

Unfortunately, there was more bad news for loyal watchers of the series. The new promo, which can be seen below, also teased the return of Teen Kate’s (Hannah Zeile) toxic boyfriend, Marc (Austin Abrams).

Viewers last saw Kate’s creepy beau being kicked out of the Pearson family cabin by her protective brothers (Logan Shroyers, Niles Fitch) after he verbally and emotionally abused her. While Marc went so far as to lock Kate out of the cabin during a snowstorm, the “Honestly” episode teased that the teen’s unhealthy relationship may not totally be over.

On social media, fans were not happy to see Marc’s face pop up in the promo.

“no this is us until january 5th AND we have to see marc again??? double disappointment #ThisIsUs,” one viewer tweeted.

“I know it’s a flashback, but ughhh we really have to see piece of crap Marc again,” another tweeted.

Abrams is slated to appear in just one This Is Us Season 5 episode for now, as reported by The Wrap.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Ken Olin would not give any further details on Marc’s return. He only confirmed that the character will be back “to tell more of the story” of a shocking secret that will unfold about 1990s-era Kate.

This Is Us showrunner Dan Fogelman also shared a message with viewers as he hinted that the show’s production delays and long hiatus between episodes were due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He promised that it will be worth the wait.

“A lot of answers when we return. Promise,” Fogelman wrote on Twitter. “The [This Is Us‘ writers] are on fire and we’re making them as fast (and safely) as humanly possible! I’m very excited about all that comes next.”