'This is Us' Season 4: From Jennifer Morrison to M Night Shyamalan, here are all the new cast members
'This is Us' is returning with season 4 Tuesday, September 24, and we know all too well what that means - get a giant box of tissue ready and mentally prepare to experience a whole range of emotions. Over the last three seasons, we have seen and related to the stories of the Pearson family members, and the people closely associated with them.
This time around, the story is going to get bigger and there will be way more characters than we are used to. "We have a big plan of expansion," the show's creator Dan Fogelman said regarding the upcoming season. "The show is intended to be the expansive ways our lives evolve and connect us with our people … That starts happening more and more.”
In the same spirit, we see Rebecca (Mandy Moore) telling Jack (Mio Ventimiglia) in the promo for the upcoming season, “It’s actually kind of terrifying how a single cross with one person who you’ve never met can change everything.” With the promise of starting over and expanding, 'This is Us' Season 4 is introducing many more pivotal cast members to the series and we are excited about it. So, here are some of them:
Jennifer Morrison
The star, best known for playing Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter in ABC's 'Once Upon a Time', was hired for a "major recurring role" but not much else is known about her character. We do know she is in the army from her first look on the show, and our best bet is she is potentially Kevin's (Justin Hartley) love interest and future baby mama. She may also be a part of Jack's flashbacks from Vietnam.
We also see at least two more new important characters joining the show have scenes with Morrison. In one of the scenes in the trailer, we see her interacting with actress Bahara Golestani, who wears a Burqa. It is quite possible she meets her during one of her tours.
In another scene, she is seen hugging 'Revenge' alum Nick Wechsler. They may either be close friends on the show or even romantic partners. It remains to be seen.
M. Night Shyamalan
From all the information we have, it is pretty evident Shyamalan's role will be somewhat similar to Ron Howard's in season 2. The fact that Kevin is an actor, has allowed for stars like Sylvester Stallone to make an appearance on the show and it will certainly pave way for the renowned director to pop up as well.
Timothy Omundson
The 'Supernatural' and 'Galavant' star looks like he may be in the past and it would certainly make sense for him to play Rebecca's father. The showrunners have already teased that his story will be explored in depth this season and it would make sense to get a prolific actor such as Omundson to bring him to life.
Omar Epps
There are potentially two roles that fit Epps in the context of 'This is Us,' the first being that he is Randall (Sterling K Brown) and Beth's (Susan Kelechi Watson) neighbor at their new home in Philly. It would make sense for him, Marsha Stephanie Blake's character and Asante Blackk's characters to make a family in the neighborhood. It could also be that he is someone from Jack and Rebecca's past or even William's (Ron Cephas Jones) past.
Julian Silva of 'Queen of the South' fame and actress Auden Thornton also have pivotal roles in the upcoming season. However, their characters are huge pieces of a puzzle that remain to be fitted into the 'This is Us' story.
Season 4 Episode 1 of 'This is Us' premieres September 24.