‘This Is Us’ Creator Reveals Why Kevin Pearson Will Never Hook Up With Kate’s Friend Madison
This Is Us fans saw a spark, but it was quickly extinguished. On the show’s This Is Us Season 2 finale episode, “The Wedding,” Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley) had a flirty exchange with his sister Kate’s new friend Madison (Caitlin Thompson.) For a moment, it even seemed like there could be a hookup of sorts between the two members of the wedding party.
After Randall (Sterling K. Brown) surmised that Kate’s self-appointed maid of honor Madison is “crazy,” Kevin agreed, saying, “Yeah, man, Don’t let me sleep with her.” Which pretty much meant he would. Except…
Flash forward to the wedding reception, and Kevin found himself under the spell of yet another woman: His sister-in-law Beth’s cousin Zoe (Melanie Liburd). Now, Liburd has been named a series regular for This Is Us’ third season, and fans can be assured that Kevin won’t have any more exchanges with Madison.
After the finale episode aired, This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman set the record straight as fans hit social media to predict a Kadison romance.
“Just FYI: Madison is my wife in real life @CaitwithaC,” the This Is Us showrunner tweeted. “And if you thought I was letting her sleep with @justinhartley on national television you’re nuts.”
Just FYI: Madison is my wife in real life @CaitwithaC
And if you thought I was letting her sleep with @justinhartley on national television you're nuts. #ThisIsUs
— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) March 14, 2018
Dan Fogelman is no dummy. The This Is Us creator made it clear he never planned to put his wife in an uncompromising position with Hartley, who was recently named one of People magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive alongside his TV brother and dad (Sterling K. Brown, Milo Ventimiglia). In fact, Fogelman and the rest of the This Is Us writers will have Kevin secured in a relationship with Zoe when Season 3 of the show picks up next fall, so it’s a safe bet Madison won’t be a part of the Pearson family anytime soon.
In an interview with TV Line, This Is Us executive producer Elizabeth Berger said the plan is for Kevin to have a new relationship with Zoe next season after a bad breakup with his childhood sweetheart, Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge).
“We are really excited for Kevin to start this new chapter, and it doesn’t mean that we’ve heard the last of Sophie forever,” the This Is Us producer said.
“But definitely when we come back, he’s going to be embarking on something new.”
As for Breckenridge, TV Line reports that she will not be a series regular in Season 3 of This Is Us, but that doesn’t mean Kevin’s longtime love won’t be back at a later date. TV Line did confirm that Kevin and Sophie are “over… for now at least,” but that Breckenridge could make a guest appearance at some point.
As for Kevin’s new love interest, who is not now and never will be Madison, This Is Us’ Elizabeth Berger added: “One of the fun things about Zoe being Beth’s cousin is that they share family. So now you have Kevin and Randall who have the same extended family, and we’re really excited to get to know members of Beth’s family that we haven’t seen before and throw everyone together in a way we haven’t yet.”
This Is Us returns to NBC for Season 3 this fall.
