Sterling K. Brown hints at what's to come next season on 'This Is Us'

Sterling K. Brown is dropping hints about what "This Is Us" fans can expect when the hit NBC drama picks up again next season.

Brown opened up to Entertainment Weekly about the soul-searching the Pearson family will be forced to do in light of season four's explosive finale. Amid a brutal fight between Randall (Brown) and Kevin (Justin Hartley), viewers learned that Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan) were planning to adopt a second child.

"The exploration of the adoption that Toby and Kate are going to go through is going to be very interesting," Brown said. "I'm always just curious, and kudos to Sully (for) just showing the difficulties of connecting with his child."

"It's not something that people talk about all the time, but I've talked to multiple friends that said, 'It's not an automatic thing all the time to feel this immense outpouring of unadulterated and unconditional love. There's worry and all these other things that are mixed into it.' And I really think it's cool to be able to see that on-screen," he added.

Big changes are also in store for Kevin, who's expecting twins with Madison (Caitlin Thompson). Meanwhile, Randall will further explore his roots.

"There's something there for Randall that I'm really excited about," said Brown. "It has to do with this exploration of past. In a similar way in which we went to Memphis (near the end of season one) to find out things about where he came from, his father's family, etc., it's going to be something very much akin to that."

A season four flash-forward showed Randall — who's still furious with Kevin — is absent when Kevin and Kate celebrate their 40th birthday with Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Miguel (Jon Huertas).

"I think it will be sad for him to not be with his mother," Brown said of the upcoming scene. "But he has his wife (Beth, played by Susan Kelechi Watson), and I mean that by saying that anytime he finds himself getting a little too down in the dumps, she has a way of gently lifting him up and reminding him of the man that she fell in love with, which is a good kind, generous human being."

Brown also promised viewers would learn more about how Rebecca found love again after Jack Pearson died.

"There should be some more backstory on the Miguel-Rebecca connection," said Brown. "I do think that that's something that we're trying to explore in season five."