‘This Is Us’ Creator Teases Randall’s First Days With William in New Season 3 Photo

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman gave fans of the NBC series a reason to cry, with a tease to William’s (Ron Cephas Jones) return and an adorable baby photo.

Fogelman took to Twitter Thursday to give fans the emotional sneak peek to the upcoming third season of the hit NBC family drama.

“Season 3. Brace yourselves,” Fogelman tweeted, along with the photo of Jones’ William holding an adorable baby boy, presumably a baby Randall (Sterling K. Brown) before he was left at a fire station to later be adopted by the Pearson family.

“I’ve never looked so forward to crying,” one user commented on the photo, ready to stock up on tissues ahead of the series premiere this fall.

“WILLIAM IS BACK?! Even if it is flashbacks, it is still great to see him. Hope we get to see his partner Jesse again,” another one wrote.

Jones’ William passed away at the end of season one after a quick but tragic battle with cancer, but not before reconnecting with his son Randall and breaking the hearts of This Is Us fans forever.

Jones has made a few appearances in flashbacks throughout the show, which makes the sneak peek not a complete surprise.

The sneak peek comes days after This Is Us executive producers promised season three would feel more “hopeful” compared to season two’s grief-filled story arc.

“We felt like at the end of Season 2 our family had grieved and processed the loss of Jack at a deeper level than they ever had before, so I think this is a hopeful season, and it’s a season about new beginnings for everybody,” co-showrunner Elizabeth Berger said at a Television Critics Association press tour panel.

Season three, which will consist of 18 episodes, will start with the Big Three’s 38th birthday, executive producer Isaac Aptaker teased. He added that although the “audience will go with us” as they “break all of the rules,” regarding timeline, starting every season on a new birthday “grounds everyone.”

The season will also reportedly explore Jack Pearson’s (Milo Ventimiglia) time in Vietnam.

“What’s so cool about the style of our show is we can keep growing and expanding out in time,” executive producer Isaac Aptaker said. “We’ve really only spent 36 hours with [the characters] and there’s so much more” to explore.

This Is Us will return for its third season Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.