Show finale puts Jack and Rebecca in spotlight

Dan Fogelman, creator of “This Is Us,” thoughtfully explained the ambitious theme of his time-twisting family drama: a vision of shared humanity, without end.

“There’s no dying. There’s no you, or me, or them. It’s just us,” character Kevin says in a fifth-episode scene singled out as key by the writer-producer.

“It has always been part of our conceit that people die but stay a very active part of the lives of both the people who knew and loved them” and the generations that follow, Fogelman said.

That said, viewers should not expect revelations about the Tuesday night season finale of the hit NBC drama, already renewed through 2019.

Nor should they expect Fogelman to confess how Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) dies, how widowed Rebecca (Mandy Moore) ends up with married man Miguel (Jon Huertas), or any of the other unknowns driving fans to distraction.

Fogelman will say, though, that the season-ender represents a showcase for Ventimiglia and Moore. The two are part of a gifted ensemble cast, but their characters’ unexpected journey and the actors’ chemistry made them standouts.

“It’s a very intense hour of television, and I’m incredibly proud of Mandy and Milo’s performance in it,” Fogelman said. “I’m excited to see people react — hate it, love it, and hopefully come back to try to find out some things.”

The experience of following Jack and Rebecca, their three children and others connected to them isn’t linear. “This Is Us” hopscotches

between decades past and present introducing people at different stages in their lives. There are scenes whose place on the timeline is uncertain, and the characters’ connections emerge gradually.

The show is akin to “thirtysomething” meets “Lost” — everyday pathos sliced into a jigsaw puzzle.

In season one, Jack and Rebecca Pearson make a snap decision to adopt an abandoned African-American baby after losing one of their triplets at birth. The family’s multiethnic nature is just part of the layered and emotionally intimate series.

Because of its zigzagging, viewers get glimpses of events yet to be explained.

Moore recommends taking the stories as they come, especially the circumstances of Jack’s death.

“I encourage people to almost forget that Jack is not here present-day,” she said. “I would hate for people to be sitting

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on pins and needles and saying, ‘Is this the episode?’ ‘Is that the episode?’ “

But that intrigue partly explains the drama’s success.

“This Is Us” has reached the top 10 shows among total viewers, unusual for a freshman series, and is a big winner with advertiser-coveted viewers ages 18 to 49 and with women.

And its numbers are improving. Last Tuesday, it drew its biggest audience yet (11.2 million) and attracted 20 percent more young adults than its previous telecast. Among young-adult women, “This Is Us” is the No. 1 broadcast program for the season.

Fogelman suggests a few reasons for the show’s appeal, then ultimately says, “It honestly may work because people enjoy looking at Mandy and Milo and there’s not too much more to it than that.”