This Is Us will come to an end with its upcoming sixth and, now final, season

It’s the end of an era for NBC as it was revealed on Wednesday that the award-winning family drama created by Dan Fogelman This Is Us would be ending after its upcoming sixth, and now final, season, per a Hollywood Reporter exclusive.

It’s hard to believe that NBC would end its top-rated drama, but according to sources close to the outlet, the network intends to make the official announcement on Friday that the tear-jerker will wrap up during the 2021-22 broadcast season.

At this time, NBC representatives have declined to comment, but the network is set to reveal its upcoming fall schedule on Friday. New executives Frances Berwick and Susan Rovner are preparing to present the network’s future to the press corps for the first time.

While it might be devastating news to fans of the show, it’s actually not completely out of nowhere. Back when This Is Us was renewed for three additional seasons in May 2019, sources informed THR that the sixth season would probably be the last, although NBC execs had remained hopeful the show could continue.

Creator Dan Fogelman always had an endgame in mind for This Is Us.

But Fogelman has always said that he had an endgame in mind for the series and that the third season was its “midpoint.” He has served as the showrunner alongside Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker throughout its run and never wanted the show to go on as long as some of NBC’s procedural dramas (like the One Chicago verse).

“We never set out to make a television series that was going to last 18 seasons, so we have a very direct plan. I have script pages I have written and I’m writing that really are deep, deep, deep into the future. We have a plan for what we’re going to do, and I know what the plan is,” Fogelman told the publication in 2019.

Still, I have a hard time believing NBC is going to give up This Is Us with nothing in return. I’m curious as to whether they’re considering making any spin-off series. It’s very rare to have a network television show making the kind of numbers This Is Us achieved in this era of streaming. The only other comparable series is Grey’s Anatomy and series like NCIS.

We don’t know how many episodes will be in the final season yet, but most likely there will be enough that the show can hit the 100-episode mark. That’s generally how many episodes a series needs to get a network syndication deal.

How do you feel about This Is Us ending with its sixth season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!