LOS ANGELES, Aug 18 — Hot on the heels of Grey's Anatomy, NBC's leading series is to feature the Covid-19 crisis in the plot for its forthcoming season five.
The news has just been confirmed on Twitter by the creator of This Is Us, however, no dates have been announced for the production and release of the new season.
The Covid-19 pandemic has wrought havoc in the entertainment industry, however, the crisis has also served as a source of inspiration for writers for the small screen. Among them is This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, who confirmed on Twitter that the health crisis would feature in the story of the series' forthcoming fifth season.
So many questions. When will @NBCThisisUs go back to production? When will new episodes be on our TV? Will the writers address Covid in present day? @Dan_Fogelman Is the planned show ending the same in light of events? #ThisIsUs #DeadlineContenders pic.twitter.com/uV05VdwjRg
— Dema Hanna (@DemaHanna) August 16, 2020
'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Succession'
As it stands, the creator of the Emmy Award-winning series has not provided any further details about the plot or how the Pearson family will be affected by the virus. Nor have any dates been announced for the shooting of the fifth season or the release of the new episodes on NBC, at a time when the United States is still suffering from the full impact of the health crisis.
This Is Us is not the only series that will deal with the pandemic in its storyline. The makers of another massively successful drama also revealed similar plans in July. At a virtual conference, the executive producer of Grey's Anatomy announced that the ABC series would also raise the subject of the virus in a plot line focused on surgeon Owen Hunt, who is played by Kevin McKidd.
For its part, the HBO series Succession also intends to draw inspiration from the pandemic, but in a subtle manner as Sarah Snook explained to Variety in early August: “I think [show creator] Jesse [Armstrong] wants to be delicate about it and just classy.” — AFP-Relaxnews
