‘This Is Us’ Star Mandy Moore On First Emmy Nomination & What To Expect In Season 4

Mandy Moore has officially entered the Emmy race. The matriarch of NBC’s hit series, This Is Us, landed her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series, joining fellow repeatedly nominated co-stars Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia.

“It hasn’t sunk in. Not sure if it ever will. I’ve never dreamed of something like this. I’m really blown away. To say this is unexpected is a huge understatement,” Moore beamed while speaking with Deadline following the announcement.

While she may have been in disbelief over her individual nom, Moore was not surprised that she show picked up its third another nomination for outstanding drama series, especially in a Peak TV era where network television has fallen prey to premium cablers and streaming platforms.

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“I believe [the show] deserves to be right there with everyone else, said Moore. “I think people love the cathartic nature of our show during these very tumultuous, confusing, emotionally charged times where I feel like life itself is sort of forcing us to be on one side or the other. Our show is just this middle ground that shows there’s more to celebrate.

Moore’s recognition from the TV Academy couldn’t come at a better time. Her character, Rebecca Pearson, really stepped up this last season and is “finally getting her credit as a fellow superhero along with Jack,” Moore reflected.

“This last season we saw her grappling with being a widow and being a single parent and watching the kids go off to college and graduate and picking up the pieces of her shattered life to figure out what she was going to do next. That’s all very real and resonant, said Moore. “She constantly has 50 balls in the air, as most moms do, and makes it all work pretty seamlessly.”

As production on season 4 is underway, Moore teased that “the very first episode is going to surprise people in a really beautiful way… there’s a couple of twist in that first episode that I think people are going to be shocked by in the best way.”

Without giving too much away, Moore hinted to expect “happy times” and “a little bit of levity.” “Myself and Milo [characters], we’re picking up where we left off after that fateful road trip out to California. We just arrived back in Pittsburgh and we’re trying to figure out how we move forward with our relationship and meet each other’s respective families.”

But don’t be quick to put those Kleenex boxes away. “What people have come to expect from the show, you will not be disappointed.”

Season 4 of This Is Us returns this fall.