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Since the final curtain dropped on This Is Us in 2022, viewers still can’t emotionally let go of the fictional Pearson family. The NBC series continues to stream on Hulu, attracting new followers who’ve become deeply involved in its heartfelt, family-centric storylines. Three of the series’ actors reunited to celebrate a never-seen on TV major life moment, giving viewers the feels all over again.

‘This Is Us’ stars celebrate a major life moment

Many This Is Us actors continue to celebrate the close bond they forged throughout the six seasons of the titular NBC family drama. Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise when three reunited to celebrate a significant life moment that tragically wasn’t played out on the series.

Milo Ventimiglia, who played Pearson family patriarch Jack, attended the college graduation of his TV son Niles Fitch (Randall Pearson). The duo was joined by Hannah Zeile, who portrayed Kate Pearson.

Fitch took his place among the 2024 University of Southern California graduates on May 22. He captioned a photo “Dad, I did it,” honoring his late father, Frederick, who died of Lupus when Fitch was 12.

The image was captured on Fitch’s and Zeile’s Instagram stories and shared by the That Was Us podcast’s social media page. Also adding congratulatory remarks to the comments of Fitch’s Instagram photograph were TV mom Mandy Moore (Rebecca), Sterling K. Brown (who played Randall as an adult), Eris Baker (Tess Pearson), and Lonnie Chavis (young Randall).

Fitch, Zeile, and Logan Shroyer (Kevin), played “The Big Three” as teens during the series’ run. Throughout, their characters were represented as toddlers, pre-teens, teenagers, and adults.

Ironically, in a storyline twist, the character of Jack died before his fictional TV son Randall graduated from college. Therefore, Ventimiglia and Fitch’s real-life moment was indeed bittersweet for longtime This Is Us viewers.

‘This Is Us’ is a multigenerational drama focused on the Pearson family

This Is Us focused on the multigenerational storyline of the Pearson family. The in-depth legacy story of Jack and Rebecca Pearson unfolded weekly in a unique storytelling approach by showrunner Dan Fogelman.

Fogelman told the story of this five-person clan, using flashbacks, flashforwards, and present-day storylines. This method utilized many actors to flesh out the beginning, middle, and end of the Pearson family’s story.

At its core, This Is Us is a story of strength and love. Most of all, it was about family, and viewers became invested in the series and its characters.

Therefore, it was essential to show the clan throughout its many stages. Fogelman hired four sets of actors to play the characters of Kevin, Kate, and Randall Pearson, with Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia featured as their parents throughout.

The series continues to spark interest with a new podcast ‘That Was Us’

In May 2024, Mandy Moore, Chris Sullivan, and Sterling K. Brown debuted a new rewatch podcast titled That Was Us. Each week, the trio of actors who played Rebecca, Randall Pearson, and Toby Damon take a deep dive into an episode of This Is Us.

After that, they share their insights on the characters, storylines, and plot twists that made the series so beloved. Uniquely, the actors are watching the episodes for the first time since they were filmed. Therefore their perspective on the stories told in hindsight take on a different lens.

All six seasons of This Is Us air on Hulu. 

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