This Is Us has taken viewers to multiple decades during its three-season run: The 1950s, ’60s ’70s, 80’s, 90’s, the present day, and even the future. But here’s one era viewers probably never saw coming on the time-hopping NBC drama: Up to the minute, as in live.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter , This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman revealed that this week’s episode “The Waiting Room,” will play with “real” time once again, and the showrunner also teased the possibility of a future live episode of the hit drama series.
“Because we had the right set-up based off where our episodes are going, we challenged ourselves with, ‘Let’s put a play on national television,’” Fogelman told THR .
“And to me, not just because it was ambitious, but because of how it turned out, it’s a very exciting showcase for our writing staff and for our cast. No bells and whistles. It’s just a lot of great actors saying some really cool words and shot in a beautiful way and I’m really excited.”
“The Waiting Room” episode is being described as essentially a “play” format and it was written by playwright Bekah Brunstetter. The episode will feature the entire Pearson family gathered together in a hospital waiting room and it will play out in near-real time as they await news on Kate’s (Chrissy Metz) pregnancy emergency. While it’s not a “live” episode, Fogelman says it could be, and he says he would trust his cast with such a task.
“I would put our cast on live television very comfortably because of how good they all are and because there’s not a weak link you ever have to protect, which is usually the reason you don’t do it. [‘The Waiting Room’], it’s not a live episode. But it very much feels like that. It’s long, long, long takes and it’s basically in one room, so I would do that.”
There’s nothing like the excitement of live TV, where anything can go wrong—or right. If This Is Us ever attempts a live episode it would join the ranks of past hit NBC shows like Will & Grace and 30 Rock. Will & Grace’s final season (before the recent revival) kicked off with a live episode, and 30 Rock also aired a pair of live episodes in Season 5 and Season 6.
But comedy may be a bit easier to perform live than a drama like This Is Us , so Fogelman’s tease is indeed an ambitious one. While the This Is Us writers have explored multiple formats, a live episode would be unprecedented for such a complex show.
For now, This Is Us will continue to play with time in unconventional ways. Fogelman even told THR, “There is a moment in the show where, in a weird way, the present becomes the past and the future becomes the present.”
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 pm. on NBC.
