If This Is Us fans know anything, it’s not to get too attached to anyone on the show. So, should viewers expect to see Lizzie — the character played by Sophia Bush who quickly won Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) heart and then went home to her husband — again? Well, it’s complicated.
“We’re huge Sophia Bush fans,” co-showrunner Isaac Aptaker told TVLine in an interview published on Tuesday, January 21. “Read into that as you will.”
However, Bush, 37, seemed to confirm that Lizzy won’t be back for another episode, even though she’s currently working on another project with the This Is Us team, the TV adaptation of Love Simon.
“It was just for a moment,” the former Chicago P.D. star told Women’s Wear Daily about her arc. “I know that people were quite sad when they realized I wouldn’t be staying, and I did feel bad. But the producers asked me to come and sort of play a trick on everyone because everyone assumed I’d be here longer. We had a great time.”
That said, it would be an easy role to come back to, logistically. “I’ve known so many of them since I’ve started acting that it was kind of like a reunion on set,” she continued. “I’m working with the same producers on Love Simon and the show shoots next door, so we see each other nearly every day.”
When the news broke that the One Tree Hill alum would be joining the show, many wondered if she would be Kevin’s love interest — and the fiancée who he shares a child with in the future.
The drama gave a bit of insight into Kevin’s situation during the Tuesday, January 21, episode, showing him talking on the phone while in bed next to a blonde woman. Since he also reveals he’s in Pittsburgh for Sophie’s (Alexandra Breckinridge) mom’s funeral, one can assume it’s Sophie in bed — but that’s still to be determined.
The next episode, titled “Hell of a Week: Part Two,” will follow Kevin to Pittsburgh and “see why he decided to go to Sophie’s [mom’s] funeral, if he has any interaction with Sophie [and] what it’s like for Kevin to be back home again on his old stomping grounds,” Aptaker confirmed, adding that the Kevin-centric hour will feature a “beautiful deep dive into Kevin’s past with Sophie.”
This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
