This Is Us is known for its shocking twists and turns. From the moment the NBC drama series premiered in 2016 — This Is Us showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Dan Fogelman have found all kinds of ways to make us weep with anguish or chuckle with laughter. Now– Aptaker and Fogelman have revealed their most shocking twist yet. Though This Is Us is currently just over half-way through Season 3 –the showrunners say the show could end after Season 6.

Why is This Is Us ending after Season 6?

In a recent interview with Deadline, Aptaker revealed that he already has a series finale in mind. He explained that it is set for about three seasons in the future. Apparently, he and Fogelman have had an ending in mind for This Is Us since the show was given the green light. He explained,

From day one, Dan came in with his master plan for the big picture stuff of the show and said, ‘I think this is where we end up. I think this is what I know. Let’s figure out the rest together.’ So all of the writers and the actors really know everything. We’re all pretty good at keeping secrets by now, it’s been three years, but it’s a total open book for everyone who works on the show, so there are no secrets from each other.

With such a powerhouse cast including Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Mandy Moore, and Milo Ventimiglia among countless other, Aptaker and Fogelman want to see their cast flourish. Knowing that we can’t watch the Pearsons for the rest of our lives –they want to make sure we let them go when the show is still good.

Aptaker explained, “We’ve had this end in mind for a long time, so we’re able to plan for it, and try to make it feel like it’s a whole, as opposed to a series that’s going to go endlessly.”

How will This Is Us end?

We all know that Aptaker and Fogelman love to keep things mysterious. We spent nearly two seasons trying to uncover how Pearson patriarch, Jack died. Therefore, there is no way they will actually reveal how This Is Us ends. However, they did say that fans will get a series finale that is both “elegant” and “satisfying.”

Aptaker said, “I would hope that when we reach our ending, people think it’s a really satisfying end place, that makes sense, and it feels like they’ve watched something that is a complete piece of work because that’s really how we’re trying to plan it.”

As we prepare to say goodbye to the Pearsons in 2022 — you can still watch their lives as they unfold in the past, future, and present when This Is Us airs Tuesday nights on NBC.Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!