'This Is Us' Season 2 End Date Set; High School Musical Drama 'Rise' Debuts as Replacement
NBC announced the end date for the second season of its hit series "This Is Us." The network also revealed that a new high school musical drama series, "Rise," will take its place.
"This Is Us" season 2 will air its finale on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at 9:00 p.m. EST. The family drama starring Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore will return for season 3 in the fall with 18 new episodes.
Fans may recall that "This Is Us" earned a two-season renewal in January from NBC for its stellar ratings and feedback from viewers and critics. The series averages 10.5 million viewers weekly with a key demo high of 2.84 million.
As "This Is Us" bows out for the season, "Rise" will take over its Tuesday schedule beginning March 20. The new show, however, will debut its pilot episode on the same night that "This Is Us" finishes its run.
"Rise" is from "Parenthood" creator Jason Katims and it is based on the 2013 book "Drama High" from author Michael Sokolove, who was a drama teacher for over 40 years. Its focus is on a high school theater program and its training of teenagers who eventually become revered artists in the entertainment industry.
The series will run for 10 episodes for season 1. The show will feature Josh Radnor ("How I Met Your Mother") as Lou Volpe, the school's drama teacher alongside Rosie Perez ("The View").
"Moana" voice actress and singer Auli'l Cravalho will star as one of the students alongside newcomer Damon J. Gillespie. "Stranger Things" fan favorite Shannon Purser (Barbara) has a recurring role in the upcoming series as well.
Katims wrote the scripts for "Rise" with support from "Hamilton" producer Jeffrey Seller. Catch the show's debut on Tuesday, March 13, at 10:00 p.m. or right after the season finale of "This Is Us." Then the following week, "Rise" will settle in its 9:00 p.m. schedule on NBC.
