Heart-wrenching NBC drama This Is Us will come to an end next year after six seasons. It'll likely be hard for fans to be without the Pearsons, though they'll be excited to know that one cast member has already lined up a follow-up project. Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall Pearson on the Dan Fogelman-created drama, is officially heading to Hulu after the show ends.
The Emmy winner is set to lead the upcoming limited series, Washington Black, an adaptation of the Esi Edugyan novel of the same name. According to Deadline, Hulu gave the series a straight-to-series order with nine episodes. Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, best known for his work as a writer on the latest incarnation of The Twilight Zone, is adapting for 20th Television. In addition, Brown is set to serve as an executive producer.
Washington Black is a period piece set in the 19th century and centers on the character of George Washington “Wash” Black. Only a child, Wash is forced to leave the Barbados sugar plantation he calls home following an unexpected death. From there, the young man embarks on a journey that allows him to cross paths with some interesting people.
One of these people will be Medwin Harris, who will be played by Sterling K. Brown. The trade describes Harris as a jovial man, who grew up as a Black refugee in Nova Scotia. In the present, he'll cross paths with young George Washington Black, who will seemingly change his outlook on life. Brown has proven to be a natural with period pieces like Marshall, and it'll be nice to see what he brings to this part.
At present, the actor is still working on This Is Us, which isn't set to return to NBC until midseason 2022 to conclude its many storylines. One would assume that he'll jump right to that project one his work as Randall Pearson is done. Currently, Hulu has not announced a premiere date for Washington Black.
While Washington Black is an exciting opportunity for Sterling K. Brown, it's likely that fans would also love to see more of his This is Us character in the future. Over the summer, Brown reflected on his time on the series and even discussed whether he’d return in a spinoff. The show has built up several generations of characters, spanning the past, present and future, so there's plenty of spinoff potential. With this in mind, Brown mentioned that if creator Dan Fogelman is part of it, “it’s something that I would absolutely have to consider.”
It'll probably be while before fans see Sterling K. Brown as Medwin Harris, but at least we still have a little bit of time left with him as Randall Pearson. Don’t miss the sixth and final season of This Is Us when it arrives on NBC in 2022. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2021 fall TV guide to see what shows you can look forward to in the coming months!
