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With just a couple of weeks to go until the start of This Is Us' third season, NBC has released 16 brand-new images from the premiere, titled "Ave Maria." Click through to see all the photos, and then tweet us @BritandCo to share your theories about what's happening in them. (Photos via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
After a season 2 flash-forward showed Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and a grown-up Tess talking in the future about an unnamed "her," fans worried about the fate of Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson). But in the present, at least, Beth is very much alive. "I was really grateful that people wanted her to stay around — but also really glad that she's not going to die," Watson told Gold Derby in April. "Beth will be around. There's no plans to kill Beth. I know this has been a rumor, that possibly Beth dies — she doesn't." (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
In fact, Beth is getting her very own episode. Last May, the show's creator, Dan Fogelman, told E! News, "We have some stuff coming for Beth right away early in season 3 where you really learn about her and where she comes from and what her background is that I think is going to be really exciting for the audience." (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
As for Randall, we will (eventually) find out what that flash-forward was all about. "There will be answers given in the course of the season. Part of the fun of any family is looking at somebody in certain time frame or a family in a present-day time frame and hypothetically jumping forward 15 years and [seeing] who's still in the picture, who's not in the picture anymore, who has become ill," Fogelman told Entertainment Weekly. (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
We'll also see a new side of Randall and Beth's relationship. "There will be a bit of an exploration of marriage with regards to Randall and Beth going through times that aren't all sunshine and rainbows," Brown told People in March. "And that's not to say that they are in danger of parting ways, but marriage is real and takes work." (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
The couple will be dealing with a lot in season 3, including their decision to buy an apartment building, the return of Déjà (Lyric Ross), and their two younger kids, Annie (Faithe Herman) and Tess (Eris Baker). (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
We may find out more about Déjà’s father, too. "Obviously, Déjà has had almost no relationship with him, but she may know more about him than we previously let on," executive producer Elizabeth Berger told Entertainment Weekly in March. (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Meanwhile, Kate (Chrissy Metz) will start to move on from her guilt over Jack's death. "She is always going to feel so linked to her father and she is always going to miss him," Berger told Entertainment Weekly. "But I think this is a new stage for her, of a healthier sort of grief, as opposed to being lost in it and consumed by it." (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
That's due in part to her marriage to Toby (Chris Sullivan). "Toby and Kate have been looking for this love all their lives, so it's sort of like they're living a honeymoon in a lot of ways," Metz said during the show's "For Your Consideration" panel in August. "They're really truly happy, but there's just a lot of things they're contending with as individuals, and how that affects the marriage and the dynamic of the relationship." (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
One of the things they'll have to contend with is Toby's struggle with depression, which we saw in a flash-forward at the end of season 2. "Depression is something that Toby struggled with before, and it's something that he's gotten a hold of. But I think as many people can attest to, the path of dealing with depression isn't always a straight line, and sometimes you get off-course," Berger explained to EW. "And especially when there are stressful situations going on, things can sort of come to a head. And Kate and Toby will be thrust into some stressful situations as we move forward, and that will definitely have an impact on Toby's state of mind." (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
As with seasons 1 and 2, season 3 will begin on the Big Three's birthday. "We are picking up with [Randall, Kate and Kevin] turning 38," co-showrunner Isaac Aptaker told TV Line. "Our storylines are going to catch up to all of those [flash-forward scenes from the season 2 finale] over the course of this year." (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
When season 2 premiered last fall, Kevin (Justin Hartley) was in the middle of filming his Ron Howard movie, Hill 400. This season will see the release of the film, which means the former Manny star will be making the rounds to promote the project. One stop on his press tour: an interview with Natalie Morales. (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Hartley spoke with Entertainment Weekly about his character last month, saying, "Does he become a massive celebrity or is the movie a flop? It's a Ron Howard movie, so it's not going to be a flop. Does he win an award? How's he going to deal with that? Does his sobriety get in the way? Does it help him? And what if the movie doesn't do well, how does he deal with that?" All good questions. (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Back in the past, we'll see Jack's first date with Rebecca (Mandy Moore). "[We'll be] getting a fuller picture of who Jack [Milo Ventimiglia] and Rebecca were when they first started dating," Moore told TV Guide in June. "It's going to be good. I feel like it's our most ambitious — but it's going to be the best season yet." (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
As we already know, Jack and Rebecca eventually fell in love — but according to a sneak peek shared with fans in August, their relationship didn't have the smoothest start. Their carnival date was almost ruined when it started to rain and Jack declined to buy an umbrella. "If I bought the umbrella, I wouldn't have enough to play any of the games. … You don't bring a girl to a carnival and not let her play any games," he told her later. (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Jack's umbrella-related explanation apparently charmed Rebecca, since the season 3 trailer showed them sharing a kiss at the end of the night. (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
"For Jack, it's about what makes this man that we have all fallen in love with," Ventimiglia told E! News. "What are the things that happened to him in his younger years that have turned into this man that loves his wife, loves his family, and gave everything he could to them?" (Photo via Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
