Justin Hartley Knows How ‘This Is Us’ Ends, and ‘It’s Good’

this is us season 5 justin hartley
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We have months to go before This Is Us returns with its final season to break our hearts, but Justin Hartley is also preparing for the end.

“This is obviously something that I will miss forever,” he admits. “It’s the greatest job I’ve ever had, with just a wonderful group, this wonderful family. These are terrific people that I will forever be friends with, that I will forever do anything for. So it’s kind of sad that I won’t get to see them very often after the show. Obviously we’ll all go on and do our own things, but I will keep in touch with every one of them.”

This Is Us Justin Hartley Chrissy Metz Sterling K Brown

(Credit: Jeff Lipsky/NBC)

Hartley reveals that the cast of NBC’s emotional hit knows “kind of everything” about how the show will wrap up and from the sound of it, he’s OK with whatever awaits the expanded, complicated Pearson family. “We kind of have the whole thing figured out,” he told TV Insider during production of the sixth season’s fourth episode. “And it’s good.”

As for his Kevin Pearson, Hartley immediately offers that “I love the character. I enjoy playing him so much.” And while it will be bittersweet to say goodbye to the role, the actor is more focused on celebrating his experience on the series. “The great memories that I have and will continue to make this year will last a lifetime. So what a treat. I mean, whoever would’ve thought in a million years that I would get a chance to play a character and be on a show that impacted people in a such positive way for so long? It’s beyond anything I ever thought I would be able to do…I’m very, very grateful.”

This Is Us, Season 6 Premiere, January 2022, NBC