‘This Is Us’: A guide to the all-star cast and where you’ve seen them before

Sterling K. Brown is Randall

In This Is Us, Sterling K. Brown stars as Randall, a 36-year-old married father of two who’s on a journey to find and get to know the biological father who abandoned him as a child.

TV lovers will recognize Brown from his star-making turn as Christopher Darden in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, for which he won an Emmy, and Lifetime’s Army Wives, in which he played the one Army Husband of the group. Brown has had a long career in film and television, making guest appearances in everything from Supernatural to Third Watch. In addition to his work in front of the camera, Brown also enjoys acting on a stage, appearing in multiple off-Broadway shows and plays along the way.

Ron Cephas Jones is William

Ron Cephas Jones plays Randall’s father, William, in This Is Us, but TV junkies probably know him as Romero from Mr. Robot. Recently Jones also appeared in a few episodes of Netflix’s The Get Down and NBC’s The Blacklist. Jones might not be a household name, but odds are you’ve seen one of his many television and movie performances — he appeared alongside Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson and played Alvin in Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown.

Susan Kelechi Watson is Beth

Playing Beth, Randall’s wife in This Is Us, will be Susan Kelechi Watson’s first leading role in a television show, but that’s not to say she doesn’t know her way around a set. Watson has appeared in episodes of The Blacklist, Limitless, Billions and Divorce — and that’s all in 2016. She’s probably best-known for her guest arcs as Cindy in The Following and Janet in Louie. 

Chrissy Metz is Kate

Chrissy Metz is best-known for playing Ima ‘Barbara’ Wiggles in American Horror Story: Freak Show (the show’s fourth season), having only a few television shows to her name, including a guest spot on Entourage and Huge.

If This Is Us is the hit it looks to be, look out for Metz to be remembered as Kate, a woman who joins a weight loss support group in the hopes of losing some pounds and gaining some self-confidence. Coincidentally (read: not so coincidentally), Kate is also celebrating her 36th birthday, just like Randall.

Justin Hartley is Kevin

As Kevin, Kate’s twin brother in This Is Us, Justin Hartley stars as an actor tired of his bachelor lifestyle and feeling trapped in his job. It looks like he’ll be going on a journey to find a deeper meaning in his life, not unlike some of Hartley’s previous characters.

Hartley is a television staple, having appeared in multiple prime-time dramas and soap operas. Most recently, fans saw him play Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless and Scott Trosman on Mistresses. Audiences might also recognize him as the first Oliver Queen/Green Arrow to grace The CW in Smallville, Patrick Osbourne from Revenge or from his first big break — playing Nicholas Foxworth Crane on Passions for almost 10 years.

Chris Sullivan is Toby

In This Is Us, Chris Sullivan plays Toby, a man who catches Kate’s eye at her weight loss support group and goes on to sweep her off her feet.

It’s a far cry from his recent role as a white supremacist opposite Daniel Radcliffe in Imperium and from his small role as the sweet but tragically fated chef in Stranger Things. Though his IMDb credits go back to 2006, Sullivan is probably best-known to TV viewers as Tom Cleary in The Knick. Broadway fans, however, might know him from his performances in Chicago and Nice Work If You Can Get It. He’s also a musician and plays in his band Sully and the Benevolent Folk.

Milo Ventimiglia is Jack

Milo Ventimiglia stars as Jack, the fourth (and final) character celebrating his 36th birthday when This Is Us begins. At 36, Jack is getting ready for a huge life change: His wife is pregnant with triplets and goes into labor right after presenting him with a birthday cupcake.

Ventimiglia has a long list of credits to his name, but let’s face it, he is and always will be Jess Mariano, Rory’s bad-boy boyfriend from Gilmore Girls, or, to science fiction/fantasy fans, Peter Petrelli from Heroes. Recently Ventimiglia appeared in Mob City, Gotham and The Whispers. 

Mandy Moore is Rebecca

In This Is Us, Moore plays Jack’s pregnant wife, Rebecca, who experiences problems while in labor in the first episode. Based on the trailer, it looks like one of their babies doesn’t make it (you’re going to want tissues with this one). Believe it or not, This Is Us is not going to be the most heart-wrenching credit on Mandy Moore’s résumé.

The former pop star (raise your hand if you remember the lyrics to the iconic “Candy”) made her acting debut in A Walk to Remember, the movie that makes even the coldest among us cry. Over the course of Moore’s career, she has appeared in other early 2000s hits like Chasing Liberty and The Princess Diaries and has voiced a Disney princess — Rapunzel in Tangled. It’s unclear whether or not we’ll get to hear Moore sing on This Is Us, but I, for one, have my fingers crossed.

Gerald McRaney is Doctor K

He doesn’t appear to be a regular, but something tells me Gerald McRaney’s Dr. K is going to be a major player in This Is Us. In previews, Dr. K is seen delivering Jack and Rebecca’s babies, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s part of the mystery that ties all these characters together (but that’s just a guess).

Regardless of how long he sticks around, fans will recognize McRaney from House of Cards, Longmire, Mike & Molly, Jericho and the series Simon & Simon, which ran for eight seasons from 1981–1989.

Katey Sagal and more familiar faces

So far there are only two episodes of This Is Us with credits listed on IMDb, but it already looks like we can expect a lot of familiar faces to guest star in NBC’s new drama. Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) and Jon Huertas (Castle) both are listed as appearing in This Is Us‘ second episode, “The Big Three.”