This Is Us is no stranger to heartbreak, constantly crushing the feelings of viewers one breakup or major character death at a time. Most recently, fans watched as Miguel Rivas, the best friend of Jack Pearson and husband of Rebecca, ed away, leaving Rebecca alone and in the care of her children.
One of the things the show has done best over the course of its run is making the audience care about all the characters and their relationships with one another. The series wouldn't be nearly as popular if fans were indifferent to the many love stories, and affected by the breakups, hookups, and divorces that went down over the past six seasons and decades of the Pearson family's life.
Kevin & Sloan (Season 1)
Kevin and playwright Sloane got together after his brief romance with co-star Olivia. The two were an unlikely pair, but seemed to bring out the best in one another.
While it initially seemed like Sloane would have a lasting presence in his life, the love triangle proved to Kevin that he was chasing all of the wrong women, and the person he really wanted to be with was Sophie (who was a mystery to viewers at the time). Sloane and Kevin's breakup was sudden and abrupt, making it sad for those who shipped them, but it introduced Kevin's backstory in a creative way.
Cassidy & Ryan (Season 4)
Cassidy was introduced as a new character in season 4. She was a war vet who became close with Nicky and Kevin through AA meetings. Though she and Kevin had a brief romantic connection, her ultimate goal was to reunite with her estranged husband and her young son, Matty.
Cassidy and her husband Ryan had a good marriage prior to her personal struggles post-returning from overseas. Despite trying to keep her family together, things didn't work out (as revealed in season 6 after things were left ambiguous in season 4), and Cassidy remained alone. It was hard to watch Cassidy's continuing struggles in season 6, especially because she had put in so much work to make things better for herself and her family.
Teen Kevin & Teen Sophie (Season 6)
One of the greatest unsolved mysteries on This Is Us was how exactly Kevin and Sophie's first marriage ended. Fans knew that they got married fairly young, and there was some kind of infidelity involved, but they didn't get all the answers until season 6.
In the final season, viewers got to witness Thanksgiving Day 1999, in which Kevin revealed to Kate that he slept with someone in his acting class and was fearful of telling his wife. Kate urged him to come clean, and when he finally did, his marriage to his first love was over. Up until that point, Kev and Sophie had had the perfect fairytale love story, and their divorce was the beginning of Kevin losing himself.
Nicky & Sally (Season 6)
Since Uncle Nicky was introduced so late in the series, not much is known about what happened to him during the missing years between returning from Vietnam and the present day.
One story he did share with his nieces and nephews was of the one that got away, Sally, and their whirlwind romance that ended when he didn't follow her. Nicky's apprehension held him back as a young adult, and who knows how different things would've been if he had chased down the girl of his dreams back in the 70s. When they reunited in 2022, it was awkward and showed just how much time had ed, and gave Nicky a chance to recognize how he messed up by letting her get away.
Kevin & Zoe (Season 3)
Kevin and Zoe were a breath of fresh air after Kevin's several failed relationships in the first two seasons of the series. Zoe didn't put up with any of his self-pitying nonsense, and the duo formed a healthy, mature relationship.
Things fell apart due to their different visions for the future. Zoe didn't want kids, and Kevin did, putting them at a standstill. Ultimately, Zoe broke things off because she knew that Kevin needed to be a father, and even though he was willing to push that dream aside for her, she knew it wouldn't be right. Their breakup was heartbreaking, but was overall the right choice for the characters.
Deja & Malik (Season 6)
Deja and Malik seemed like they were a Jack & Rebecca or a Randall & Beth type of love story in the making. The two teenagers had electric chemistry, and a more sophisticated and healthy relationship than most of the adults on the show.
Unfortunately, the timing didn't work in their favor, and Malik made the difficult decision to end things in season 6 after seeing that Deja was willing to throw away her future to give him what he wanted. She was heartbroken and so was he, perfectly encapsulating how painful it can be to end a relationship on good but with bad timing.
Kevin & Madison (Season 5)
At the end of season 4, Madison revealed to Kevin that she was pregnant with his child. The two quickly found out that they were actually expecting twins, and decided to try and make a relationship work for the sake of their children.
In true Kevin fashion, he got caught up in the feelings of love he felt for his newborns and proposed to Madison. The two planned a wedding and were all set to walk down the aisle when she realized he didn't actually love her, and just wanted a perfect family. Madison made the difficult decision to put herself first and call things off, leaving Kevin alone once more.
Kevin & Sophie (Season 2)
After an honest conversation with Toby in season one, Kevin realized that he was chasing all of the wrong women and that the girl of his dreams was a relationship he had already messed up once.
He showed up on his first love, Sophie's, doorstep and begged for her forgiveness, and the two of them gave their love story another chance. However, Kevin managed to make things go south once again, this time secretly battling his own addiction and pushing Sophie away while doing so. The couple went their separate ways once again, making fans wonder if not Sophie, then who would be Kevin's true love?
Kate & Toby (Season 6)
A major plot point of the sixth season of This Is Us was the end of Kate and Toby's marriage. The couple, who met in the pilot episode, started having issues in season 5 that came to a head when Toby expressed wanting to move the family to San Francisco, and Kate wanted to stay where they were.
Watching the couple that got married in season 2 fight constantly was hard enough to watch on its own, but seeing their young son Jack witness their yelling at one another was even worse. Their final argument, in which Toby said he hated even being in a room with Kate, was the straw that broke the camel's back and the moment fans knew that Kate and Toby were not meant to be -- at least not anymore.
1999 Rebecca & Miguel (Season 6)
While Rebecca and Miguel weren't technically a couple in 1999, everyone around them saw right through their platonic friendship. Their chemistry was off the charts, they were incredibly in sync, and they had leaned on each other following the ing of Jack Pearson.
When Miguel announced to Bec on Thanksgiving that he was moving to Houston, her heart shattered. She had gotten so used to his company that the idea of him not being around broke her, and it hurt him all the same. Watching Rebecca be consoled by Kate (who realized what was going on) was gut-wrenching, but all worth it to know they found their way back to one another a decade later.