【1977 Archives】

Your weekly emotion-fest isn't going anywhere: NBC just renewed breakout freshman drama This977 ArchivesUsfor not one, but two, new seasons.

Each new season will have a minimum of 18 episodes, so that means fans will be getting at least36 new episodes to cry at/with.

The move isn't a total surprise, as NBC is obviously thrilled with the new show's performance: The drama is the highest-rated new series of the 2016-17 season.

You'd be forgiven for worrying that such a specific episode order might mean that This Is Ushas a limited lifespan (much like everyone's new favorite TV dad, Jack), but creator Dan Fogelman reassured reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour that he has big plans for the series.

"I know where the show goes. I have a number of seasons in my brain and we’ll see if we get there. In success, people are gonna want more, but in failure people are gonna maybe want less," he chuckled. "I know where the series goes for multiple, multiple seasons. The great thing about this show is the nature of the timeline -- we’ll never run out of stories, really."

This Is Ushas quickly become known for its plot twists, but as far as Fogelman's concerned, they're not doing anything particularly shocking.

"I think our theme, something we play with inside the show, is that life will surprise you a little bit. I know this family, I know the history of this family. As a starting point for all of this, I wrote out the history of the family for these guys, [so] there’s no big surprises for us," he explained during a Q&A with reporters. "If you knew the whole history of your family, it’s just the order that you’re revealing pieces of information about their life that would make it surprising. It’s not a big surprise to say a young woman wound up with a different husband many years down the line. What’s surprising for the audience is the order in which we choose to tell the story."

So even when the twists seem shocking, Fogelman wants to reassure us: "We have a plan… we know where this series is going and how we’re gonna keep people on their toes. I feel really confident."

This Is Usairs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.