This Is Us Is Taking *Another* Break Before Airing Its Next Episode

This Is Us is gearing up for the final Thanksgiving episode of the series, and the chances of it not being a weep-fest are approximately zero. Thanksgiving has always been the most dramatic Pearson meal, even when things go smoothly. But with Season 6, Episode 6 spending a large portion of the hour building up to the big day, fans are already ready for helpings of turkey, stuffing, and tears. But they’ll have a bit of a wait before that can happen, because This Is Us isn’t airing on March 1, 2022, like most viewers expected.

Warning: Spoilers for This Is Us Season 6, Episode 6 follow. Although “Our Little Island Girl, Part 2” was Beth’s time to shine, across the country in California, the rest of the Pearson clan was prepping to travel back East. In particular, Kevin was pressuring Madison to upend her life and take a pair of fussy one-year-old twins on a plane, all so she could watch the Pearsons do their drama dance on Turkey Day.

Naturally, she was not into this plan, especially now that she’s building a life with Elijah. It took Kevin the entire episode to adjust his expectations, but he got there. The problem is, Madison is only the first person he’ll need to change his expectations for. Both and his siblings will probably also have to reconsider how Thanksgiving will look from here on out, as Rebecca faces her long-term diagnosis.

Unfortunately, fans won’t see this all play out on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Instead, that evening will bring a different kind of drama as the President addresses congress and the nation in the annual State of the Union.

Ever since This Is Us debuted on Tuesdays, there have been two standing interruptions in the series’ schedule, one in the fall and one in the early spring. Election night coverage brings a one-week delay nearly every November, and the State of the Union brings one every year somewhere between late January and early March. This year’s State of the Union comes on Tuesday, March 1, at 9 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast across multiple channels. That means everyone’s Tuesday night programming will be upended, including Pearson Thanksgiving.

But fans can breathe a sigh of relief after this break. With the Winter Olympics and the SOTU out of the way, the rest of the season should be smooth sailing. This Is Us: The Final Season will return with new episodes beginning Tuesday, March 8, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Hulu the next day.