'This Is Us' Vietnam Teaser Released

Fans who have been itching to learn more about Jack Pearson's time in Vietnam on This Is Us were [...]

By Libby Birk

Fans who have been itching to learn more about Jack Pearson's time in Vietnam on This Is Us were treated with a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into the drama from show creator Dan Fogelman, who shared a teaser of star Milo Ventimiglia in a helicopter.

Dressed in camouflaged Army war gear and holding a gun, Ventimiglia leans partly out of the open, flying chopper, then looks at the camera.

"Yep," Fogelman simply captioned the video, adding the hashtag #ThisIsUs.

The upcoming third season of the NBC drama is set to delve into Jack's past, which has remained mostly mysterious up until this point. Viewers know he spent time serving for the military in Vietnam, where he lost his younger brother Nicky, but as for life pre-Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and kids, that's about as much as fans know (aside from the fact that he was raised by his alcoholic father).

"It's extremely good television to watch these two have their origin story," Fogelman told Entertainment Weekly earlier this month. "It's always interesting after you lose somebody — which we kind of feel like we did with Jack this past season — to almost go in and put in those old video tapes and watch them at much earlier stage of life. And I think that's what this feels like."

During a panel earlier this month in Los Angeles for Emmy voters, Fogelman confirmed that Michael Angarano (I'm Dying Up Here, Will & Grace) will play Nicky, someone Jack doesn't like talking about.

"I don't like talking about the war or my brother. It makes me sad. It makes me angry. But I like talking to you, a lot," Jack told Rebecca during their first date in a scene from season 3 that Fogelman showed during the panel.

Not only will Jack's past in the Vietnam War be featured in flashbacks during season 3, but viewers will remember from the season 2 finale that Kevin goes to Vietnam during present-day to learn more about his dad's past.

Fogelman said he brought on novelist and veteran Tim O'Brien (The Things They Carry) to co-write Jack's scenes in Vietnam.

Co-showrunner Elizabeth Berger added that it's "freeing" to move beyond Jack's death and "get to tell a whole different type of story."

"To all of a sudden be immersed in the Vietnam war, we think is really significant," she told Variety.

Aside from learning about Jack's past, viewers will also presumably learn more about Toby's (Chris Sullivan) mental health, as well as Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Tess' (Iantha Richardson) future.

This Is Us returns for its third season Tuesday, Sept. 25 on NBC.

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