Filming Schedule and Production Timeline
Principal photography for This Is Us began in July 2016, with the series moving through multiple seasons of production across California and Georgia. The show's creators structured the filming to accommodate the non-linear storytelling, shooting scenes from different time periods out of sequence to maintain narrative continuity across the ensemble cast.
Each season typically required between 8 and 10 months of active shooting, with the production team utilizing soundstages at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach and location shoots throughout Los Angeles County. The series maintained a consistent filming pace of approximately 8 to 10 episodes per season, with each episode requiring roughly 8 days of principal photography.
Primary Filming Locations and Set Design
The show's production design team constructed detailed period-specific sets at the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood, where the Pearson family home interior was built on a soundstage. Exterior residential shots were captured in actual Pasadena neighborhoods, with the production securing permits for street closures and residential facades to match the script's requirements.
For scenes set in Pittsburgh, the production utilized a combination of location shooting in the greater Los Angeles area and studio work to recreate the Pennsylvania setting. The show's art department sourced period-appropriate props and architectural details to transform Southern California locations into the fictional Pittsburgh suburb where the Pearson family lived during the 1980s and 1990s.
Production Companies and Distribution Details
This Is Us was produced by 20th Century Fox Television in association with Rhode Island Ave. Productions and Zaftig Films, with the series distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television for broadcast syndication. The production maintained a crew size of approximately 150 to 200 individuals per episode, including directors, cinematographers, and post-production teams working across multiple soundstages simultaneously.
The series premiered on NBC on September 20, 2016, and ran for six seasons, concluding on May 24, 2022. The show's final season wrapped production in early 2022, with post-production work continuing through the summer months before the series finale aired in the network's fall schedule. For more information on the production companies involved, see the Forbes article on TV production and the official NBC show page.