Following the dramatic and emotional Season 5 finale of This Is Us, the NBC show is getting ready to say goodbye to the Pearson family. Justin Hartley, who portrays Kevin Pearson, revealed what storyline he hopes won’t be revisited in the sixth and final season, and it’s not hard to see why he’d rather move forward.
Season 4 of This Is Us ended on a dramatic note when Kevin and Randall (Sterling K. Brown)’s fight came to a head. Kevin more or less told his brother that the worst day of his life wasn’t when their father died, but was when their parents came home from the hospital with Randall. Throughout Season 5, the Pearson boys slowly tried to repair their broken relationship, and after Kevin asked Randall to be his best man, he decided to patch things up with Randall. While the two of them seem to be getting back to normal, Justin Hartley tells TV Insider why the series should move on from the estrangement and how he hopes it won’t be revisited in the final season:
I think the estrangement time period has passed and hopefully these guys can figure out how to fight without not talking. I think they both realized that was a tough thing for both of them to go through. I think they have figured out how to agree to disagree on certain things. I think there’s a huge level of respect that they each have for one another. They’ve also opened up to each other. The rings of communication are open more than they used to with the two of them. I think the resentment might have dissipated a bit. They’re actually in a healthier relationship than they’ve ever been. Hopefully, we don’t have to revisit all that stuff. That wasn’t fun anyway. I love working with Sterling. Just selfishly as an actor, hopefully, I’m friends with everybody.
When Season 5 began with a two-parter, Kevin was telling his family the good news about his twins. However, with the way Season 4 ended with the heated argument between Kevin and Randall, fans were less than thrilled with the idea of Kevin basically telling Randall he would rather not have him in his life and then asking him for fatherly advice. Kevin and Randall’s relationship throughout the fifth season was complicated, and although what Kevin told Randall will likely never be redeemable, seeing them move forward will be something that fans will be able to look forward to in Season 6.
This Is Us won’t be returning for its sixth and final season until midseason next year, but with the storylines that have already been planted in the Season 5 finale, expect it to be an emotional ride. And hopefully, like Justin Hartley wants, Kevin and Randall’s relationship stays steady. The first five seasons of This Is Us are streaming on Hulu. Season 6 premieres sometime during midseason 2022 on NBC.
