‘This Is Us’ Promotes Guest Star to Series Regular — What It Means for Season 3
This Is Us is adding another character to its powerhouse cast of series regulars.
NBC has upgraded actress Melanie Liburd to a Season 3 regular, a big leap from her guest role in the Season 2 finale. But this is more than a promotion — it tells a lot about a storyline fans were teased with at the end of last season.
Introduced as Beth’s (Susan Kelechi Watson) cousin Zoe, Liburd was seen in a revealing flash-forward as Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) “future” girlfriend who flies with him to Vietnam. It makes sense considering during Toby (Chris Sullivan) and Kate’s (Chrissy Metz) wedding reception, the pair really seemed to hit it off.
Co-showrunner Isaac Aptaker tells TV Line “our storylines are going to catch up to all of those [flash-forward scenes from the Season 2 finale] over the course of this year.” This indicates a greater chance for Liburd to stick around, as that plane flash-forward scene wasn’t in the too-near future.
Justin Hartley as Kevin and Liburd as Zoe in This Is Us.
If the season follows the characters throughout that year, fans are likely to see how Zoe and Kevin’s romance begins and leads them to Vietnam. However, Kevin’s ex-wife Sophie was considered a series regular at one time, and actress Alexandra Breckenridge left halfway through the season, so there’s no guarantee.
With all of the buzz surrounding Jack’s (Milo Ventimiglia) years as a soldier fighting in Vietnam, could Kevin and Zoe play a larger role in exploring that story? There’s no way to know for sure, but it can certainly be speculated.
Compared to Kevin’s Season 2 storyline of addiction, it sounds like we’ll see a happier time for him come fall. Thankfully, the premiere is just over a month away so fans won’t have to wait too long to see their romance come to life.
This Is Us, Season 3 Premiere, Tuesday, September 25, 9/8c, NBC
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