‘This Is Us’ Season 2: The Surprising Cause Of Jack’s Death Is So Big It Was Left Out Of The Script

This Is Us spoilers are few and far between—consider showrunner Dan Fogelman the new Matthew Weiner—but the show’s stars are giving fans what they can without compromising their employment status on the hit NBC drama. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Sterling K. Brown, one of the show’s most forthcoming stars, leaked everything he could about Season 2 without getting himself into major trouble.

Not only did Brown dish on the future of his This is Us character, Randall Pearson, but he talked about the storylines for his TV siblings and gave a major update on the surprising cause of death of patriarch Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia).

Of the mystery behind Jack’s death, Sterling confirmed that a big piece of the puzzle will be revealed on the first episode of This Is Us’ new season. And based on his description, it sounds like it will happen in the final scene in an episode that is at least partly set in the mid-1990s.

“We know from the past that the kids were around 15, 16, 17 when Jack passed away because we saw flashes of them at that age at the funeral,” Brown told EW.

“I’ll tell you how big of a surprise it is. The surprise is so big that when Dan wrote the script, he omitted the final scene from the script just so it couldn’t be leaked. I know what it is, but he didn’t put it in writing because he just didn’t want it to be leaked.”

Brown’s This Is Us mom, Mandy Moore, recently told Entertainment Tonight that there will be a major revelation as to what happens with Jack when the show returns next month—and it will happen in that first episode.

“Wait until September 26,” Moore told ET.

“There will be a giant hint as to what happens with Jack.”

While This Is Us fans have grown impatient waiting for details on when, where, and how Jack died, Sterling K. Brown promised that all of those burning questions will be answered by Episode 18 of the second season.

“Just know that by the end of the season, all the puzzle pieces will be in place with regards to all of it,” the This Is Us star said. “So, just be patient with us — your answers are coming.”

As for other This Is Us storylines (yes, there are other ones!), Brown told EW that Randall’s story will pick up “very much in the midst” of him making a decision to adopt a child with his wife Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson).

“They are not on the same page, I can say that much,” Brown revealed.

While his character is currently unemployed, Sterling’s TV twin brother and sister will be embarking on new career adventures. The actor revealed that Kate (Chrissy Metz) will be getting back to singing, something viewers caught a glimpse at in Season 1, and Kevin (Justin Hartley) is flying high with a revived acting career in Hollywood.

“The storyline that I am most intrigued by is Kevin’s,” Brown said. “Boy, it’s so good. Kevin is getting a little bit of success based off of the recognition that he got from the play, and he’s parlayed that into some really nice film opportunities. But that’s kept him away from Sophie [Alexandra Breckenridge], longer than he would want to be.”

Brown also teased the return of the teenage Big Three (Logan Shroyer, Hannah Zeile, and Niles Fitch) in scenes that take place in the aftermath of Jack and Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) blowout fight.

“The younger versions of the Big Three, you see some things with the teenage versions and the aftermath of the ‘separation’ between Jack and Rebecca,” Brown said. “And it’s really, really interesting to see the way in which they set up how each of them responds, given who we are at age 37 now.”

This Is Us Season 2 returns on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

[Featured Image Ron Batzdorff/NBC]