The next season of ‘This Is Us’ will tackle the pandemic ‘head on’

Sterling K. Brown as Randall in the “This is Us” episode, “Lights and Shadows.” | Ron Batzdorff, NBC

‘This Is Us’ will be no stranger to the coronavirus pandemic

It’s unclear when “This Is Us” will return for a fifth season because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the show will tackle the novel virus “head on,” show creator Dan Fogelman said.

Fogelman answered a fan’s question about whether the show will focus on modern day events, including the coronavirus.

• “Yes on Covid. We’ve decided to attack things head on. Very proud of @ThisIsUsWriters.”

Some vague #ThisIsUs answers (sorry)

- Not sure yet on production start.
- Not sure when new eps will air.
- Yes on Covid. We've decided to attack things head on. Very proud of @ThisIsUsWriters
- Same planned ending. Same route to get there.

Hope that's (somewhat) useful? https://t.co/gx0YJQxq5f

— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) August 17, 2020

Fogelman told Entertainment Weekly the show is trying to find a way to address the pandemic in a natural way so it doesn’t seem forced.

“It’s a really huge challenge for us. I keep saying, ‘As if juggling this show with 18,000 timelines and characters isn’t hard enough.’ It really is a complicated question. It’s been complicated for all shows. I can’t tell you the amount of debate that has gone into everything from our show existing in a world that corona has not happened, like many shows are going to choose to do, to making the entire first nine episodes all happening during a quarantine period in our offseason. We’ve been all over the map. I think we have a plan that splits the balance. ... But you know, we’re fluid writers. We have the ability to adjust as needed.”

Fogelman said the coronavirus pandemic won’t change the ending of the show, though.

One more note ...

• “Grey’s Anatomy” plans to address the pandemic as well when it returns for its 17th season, which I wrote about for Deseret.com. The show’s main hospital — Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital — will see cases of the novel coronavirus, and highlight how hard the virus can impact health care workers.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2YboyLp