Ever since Parenthood came to an end in 2015, NBC’s audiences were left wondering what new offering could possibly fill the hole it left in their hearts. (Or as one might call it, the “parenthole.”) The peacock quickly addressed everyone’s concerns with the hugely successful This Is Us, a time-hopping comedy-drama that revolves around the past and current lives of the Pearson family. What’s more, NBC officially announced on Wednesday it had renewed its new hit series for not one, but two full seasons going forward. (Or backward, depending on which temporal direction the plot requires.) Like the current season, the next two installments will produce 18 episodes each during their respective runs.
“We all got our wish that this is a hit show,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke in a statement. “This Is Us is as good as anything we’ve ever had, we’re thrilled to renew it for two seasons and there’s no doubt it will have a long life on NBC. On behalf of everyone at NBC, we’re grateful for the artistry of the cast, crew, and producers assembled by our gifted creator, Dan Fogelman. In a world where there are literally hundreds of television dramas, we’re proud to have one of the very best that is also one of the highest-rated.”
Sure enough, This Is Us has scored the network some of its biggest ratings for the 2016-2017 year — not to mention plenty of praise from TV critics like our own Alan Sepinwall. According to data gathered by Nielsen Media Research and distributed in the official release, original airings have averaged a 4.6 rating in the key 18-49 demographic and 14.6 million viewers overall once the “live plus seven day” numbers are tallied. As a result, it has become the 18-49 demo’s #1 new show of the season.
