M. Night Shyamalan Pops Up In The ‘This Is Us’ Season Four Trailer

On paper, a multigenerational drama may seem like an odd thing to capture the cultural zeitgeist, but here’s “This Is Us,” three seasons in and still going strong. And with a fourth season set to premiere in September, the first trailer offers us a look at some of our favorite regular cast members—Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, and Sterling K. Brown chief among them, of course—as well as a few unexpected guests. One perhaps a bit more unexpected than others.

For my money, the most fascinating part of this trailer happens at the 59-second mark, when M. Night Shyamalan flashes across the screen. While this is a marked departure for Shyamalan as a performer—he’s only ever acted in his own films—it makes sense that a series famously set in Pittsburgh would eventually join forces with one of Pennsylvania’s most famous sons. Shyamalan, who lives in Philadelphia, is famously loyal to his home state, going so far as telling Stephen Colbert on the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert“ that living in Philadelphia was the very essence of the American dream for his family when he grew up in India.

“‘I want to have the American Dream, and I want to go to Philadelphia where the Constitution and everything, where, you know, independence, Liberty Bell,'” Shyamalan said, quoting his father. “That was his thing. He wanted to go directly to the source of the dream.” Given the fact that Shyamalan also sets all his films in Pennsylvania—his most recent movies, “Split” and “Glass,” were both filmed around Philadelphia and Allentown—it’s not surprising in the least that Shyamalan would jump at the opportunity to appear in an episode of “This Is Us” in his own backyard.

So there you have it. A 1:20 second trailer for “This Is Us” Season 4, followed by a 200-word explanation of M. Night Shyamalan’s connections to Pittsburgh and Philadephia. Just what you were expecting when you clicked on the link, right?

“This Is Us” Season 4 returns to NBC on Sept. 24.