Dan Fogelman is not the kind of guy to dwell on his victories. The busy showrunner just doesn’t have the time.
As he prepares for the last 18-episode run of his NBC drama series “This Is Us,” which begins its sixth and final season on Jan. 4, Fogelman is also shepherding a new hit, Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” which is in the midst of production on Season 2.
But during a lengthy interview in November, Fogelman allows himself a moment to indulge his thoughts on “This Is Us” and its legacy for network television at a time of massive transition.
“I have been finding myself feeling moments of nostalgia and being a little sentimental. This is something I’m going to miss doing very much, and it’s moved so quickly,” Fogelman says. “It feels a little like when you’re raising a child. You turn around and they’re 6 — and they were a newborn yesterday.”
Now, as Fogelman and his writing team lay down their pencils, and cast members move closer to their series-wrap scenes, fans know to keep their tissue boxes handy. Expect nothing less than an emotional roller coaster of joy, heartache, triumph and loss as the series finale looms.
“We’ve planned out the show for so long and where it was going, and now I’m actually executing those things,” says Fogelman, who has had an idea for some time about how “This Is Us” will end, even as the series’ journey has evolved and changed. “And that’s super strange, this kind of ambiguous thing we talked about for quite a lot of time to be put into motion.”
The entire television business has undergone a seismic shift since “This Is Us” debuted on NBC in 2016. When Fogelman first began pitching the series, streaming was in its infancy and fall TV launches came with major fanfare, and there was much higher awareness even for shows without major preexisting IP.
Indeed, Fogelman admits his surprise. “I remember it being like an overwhelming whirlwind,” he says. “It was the first time in my life I’d ever been invited to the fancy parties. It was my first time when we got nominations for things. I don’t think I’d worn a tuxedo since my prom. Everything was new, and everything was overwhelming.”
Moore adds that it’s “no small coincidence the show really found its footing in the midst of this very dicey time for the last four years, five years.”
“Watching the world change for all of us, what this show has sort of brought into all of our lives collectively, it’s been so fun to see,” Moore says.
The success of “This Is Us” inspired a new generation of family-centric dramas with unusual twists, some of which became hits on their own, such as ABC’s “A Million Little Things.” Fogelman notes that these kinds of shows aren’t new — “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” come to recent mind. “Nobody was twirling their mustache thinking they’re going to make another ‘This Is Us.’ If they were thinking anything, it’s like, ‘Maybe the success of that show opens up an opportunity.’” •You guys are a part of something really special.’ Who knows if that’s really going to be the case. But it does feel like that in certain respects. I mean, our viewing habits have changed.”
The entire television business has undergone a seismic shift since “This Is Us” debuted on NBC in 2016. When Fogelman first began pitching the series, streaming was in its infancy and fall TV launches came with major fanfare, and there was much higher awareness even for shows without major preexisting IP.
Indeed, Fogelman admits his surprise. “I remember it being like an overwhelming whirlwind,” he says. “It was the first time in my life I’d ever been invited to the fancy parties. It was my first time when we got nominations for things. I don’t think I’d worn a tuxedo since my prom. Everything was new, and everything was overwhelming.”
Moore adds that it’s “no small coincidence the show really found its footing in the midst of this very dicey time for the last four years, five years.”
“Watching the world change for all of us, what this show has sort of brought into all of our lives collectively, it’s been so fun to see,” Moore says.
The success of “This Is Us” inspired a new generation of family-centric dramas with unusual twists, some of which became hits on their own, such as ABC’s “A Million Little Things.” Fogelman notes that these kinds of shows aren’t new — “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” come to recent mind. “Nobody was twirling their mustache thinking they’re going to make another ‘This Is Us.’ If they were thinking anything, it’s like, ‘Maybe the success of that show opens up an opportunity.’” •
