‘This Is Us’: Sophia Bush Confirms Lizzy Won’t Return Anytime Soon
Well, it was fun while it lasted. The Jan. 14 episode of This Is Us Season 4 introduced fans to Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) latest love interest, Lizzy (Sophia Bush). However, Kevin and Lizzy’s love story ended just as quickly as it began. Nevertheless, fans speculated the This Is Us writers would eventually bring the character back. But now, Bush has confirmed she won’t return as Lizzy anytime soon.
What happened to Lizzy and Kevin in ‘This Is Us’ Season 4?
In the This Is Us Season 4 winter finale, titled “So Long, Marianne,” Kevin has an epiphany at Thanksgiving. Kevin tells Randall (Sterling K. Brown) he wants to start a family — the whole shebang. Then in the winter premiere, titled “Light and Shadows,” Kevin goes on a few blind dates set up by a matchmaker. But they don’t go as planned and Kevin doesn’t find his other half.
Later, Kevin and Kate (Chrissy Metz) are seen together at a coffee shop. Ultimately, Kevin gives up on the matchmaker and says he wants to let the universe take care of it. And in that instant, Kevin sees Lizzy. So of course, he sees it as a sign.
“Kev, the universe does not work that fast,” Kate warns her brother.
Regardless, Kevin decides to talk to Lizzy and they have a total meet-cute moment. But after hitting it off at the coffee shop, Lizzy reveals she is from Chicago, not Los Angeles. So Kevin tries to shower her with some fun before her flight back home.
During their conversation, Lizzy reveals her favorite singer is John Legend. And of course, Kevin — who is seeping in desperation to discover love — takes her to the Hollywood Bowl for a private concert. Eventually, Kevin kisses Lizzy. But she stops him immediately.
As it turns out, Lizzy is married and her husband has been texting her throughout the day. She also reveals Kevin is her celebrity “hall pass” and her husband told her to “go for it” when she ran into him at the coffee shop. But Lizzy doesn’t want to go any further. She apologizes and awkwardly leaves. Meanwhile, Kevin is stunned.
Showrunners tease Sophia Bush’s return as Lizzy in ‘This Is Us’
After the This Is Us Season 4 winter premiere, executive producer Isaac Aptaker gushed over Bush’s performance during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“We originally were going to have Sophia Bush do an arc on our other show based on our movie Love Simon, and she’s just the coolest person,” Aptaker said. “She’s really politically engaged, she’s always traveling around, serving on panels and doing great stuff for the world, and she’s an incredible actress to boot.”
Then when speaking with Glamour, Aptaker teased Bush’s potential return as Lizzy sometime in the future.
“She might be back. We’re huge Sophia Bush fans,” he said, noting the This Is Us team was “charmed” and “enamored” by her performance and they were “lucky she agreed.”
Nevertheless, Aptaker also hinted it would be difficult to bring Bush back as Lizzy, especially how things ended with Kevin.
“They have such great chemistry together,” Aptaker said. “That said, what a devastating end to a seemingly perfect love story where she reveals that she’s married. So it seems like there’s some immediate obstacles to them ever being together in a real way.”
Sophia Bush says Lizzy on ‘This Is Us’ was temporary
Although Aptaker’s remarks about Lizzy’s return appear open-ended, it seems more likely Bush won’t be coming back anytime soon. After the episode ended, a fan commented on Bush’s short cameo on This Is Us.
“Caught up on the last 15 episodes of This is Us because I heard
@SophiaBush was going to be on it,” the fan wrote on Twitter. “I thought it would be more than one episode.”
Meanwhile, Bush responded to the comment, which seemed to confirm her one-time-only appearance.
“Hahaha. So sorry. Didn’t mean to crush anyone’s dreams! Besides ‘Kevin’s,'” Bush wrote, adding a winky face.
Then on Jan. 20, Bush spoke with Women’s Wear Daily opened up about her guest-starring role on This Is Us.
“It was just for a moment. I know that people were quite sad when they realized I wouldn’t be staying, and I did feel bad,” Bush said. “But the producers asked me to come and sort of play a trick on everyone, because everyone assumed I’d be here longer. We had a great time.”
