This Is Us Season 5 Cut Short: How Many Episodes Remain?

This Is Us will end its current season sooner than planned.

Per The Wrap, the beloved NBC drama will conclude two episodes shy of its original 18-episode order.

This Is Us Season 5 Episode 16, the season finale, is set to air Tuesday, May 25.

With three fresh installments of This Is Us Season 5 remaining, the series will be off the air until May 11.

The series typically airs with minimal breaks between episodes, but like many other shows, the series is in production during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's been more difficult to produce TV with the stringent protocols to keep the cast and crew safe while making the show for fans.

Many TV shows have been forced to take more breaks than usual, and This Is Us is one of them.

The good news for fans is that the future is already secure. This Is Us Season 6 has been ordered by NBC, and it's still expected to be the last hurrah for the Pearson family.

This Is Us Season 5 Episode 13 was a pivotal episode of the series, which finally brought brothers Randall and Kevin together to hash out their differences.

If you watch This Is Us online, you know the brothers have not been getting along, and it was clearly therapeutic for them to speak about everything that happened.

The future is looking up for the brothers, but with this series, the drama is never far behind.

Unfortunately, the series has been losing ground in the ratings this season.

This Is Us Season 5 Episode 1 drew 7.3 million viewers and a 1.4 rating in the demo, but the numbers have slowly been creeping downward.

This Is Us Season 5 Episode 13, for example, had 4.8 million viewers and a 0.8 rating -- quite a drop from the premiere.

But we need to remember the random breaks in between episodes are tough. Many viewers probably forget the show is back.

Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz,  Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, Jon Huertas, and Caitlin Thompson star on the series.

What are your thoughts on This Is Us Season 5 getting cut short?

Hit the comments below.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.