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Milo Ventimiglia as Jack, Lonnie Chavis as Randall, Parker Bates as Kevin, Mandy Moore as Rebecca, Mackenzie Hancsicsak as Kate on NBC's
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TV Q&A: Were ‘This is Us’ flashback scenes filmed years in advance?

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

TV Q&A: Were ‘This is Us’ flashback scenes filmed years in advance?

Questions answered about “The Windsors,” “Lego Masters,” “The Bachelor” and Hulu bundles

Post-Gazette TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions online every Friday in Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv. Here’s a selection of recent queries.

Q: Hopefully, you can settle a bet: On “This is Us,” the actors portraying the high school version of the triplets don't seem to have aged after four seasons of appearing in the flashbacks. Is it possible that the storylines of the entire series are known, and their scenes have already been filmed for the entire run of the series? Thanks in advance for your insights.

— BRIAN, BRENTWOOD

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Rob: Although “This is Us” executive producer Dan Fogelman has said some scenes for the series finale and later episodes have already been filmed, for the most part the teen actors film episodes each season along with the rest of the cast. The teen actors have aged, and the characters they play have also aged each season the show has been on the air (this past season, for instance, we saw them after Jack’s death, not before).

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Also, in order for them to have filmed all their storylines for the next two seasons, that means scripts for the remainder of the series have all been written and — other than a few scenes already dreamed up and filmed — that’s simply not the case.

Q: Are the final two episodes of “The Windsors” (CNN) going to be shown do you think?

— KITTY, SPEERS

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Rob: The last two episodes of “The Windsors” were preempted because of CNN’s coronavirus coverage. They don’t have dates yet for when they will air.

The remaining two episodes are currently scheduled to air sometime in the fall, but we’ll see.

Q: What happened to all the Legos used on Fox’s “Lego Masters” after they filmed the first season? Were they donated to children’s charities?

— JUSTIN VIA E-MAIL

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Rob: According to the show’s Fox publicist, some of the 3 million Lego bricks used in season one will be donated to children’s charities. Some will be stored for potential future seasons.

Despite pretty strong ratings, “Lego Masters” has not officially been renewed for a second season, although I think it would have been by now if not for the pandemic.

Q: Is “The Bachelor”/“The Bachelorette” scripted or do you think there is any reality to it? They don't even try to be credible anymore by having people run into their exes as if it is coincidence. I don't believe the show is what it claims to be, but I wonder how much is contrived and how much might actually really occur.

— JOY, SCOTT TOWNSHIP

Rob: I think it is fair to say “The Bachelor” franchise shows are heavily produced, meaning that a lot of situations on the show are concocted by producers, but what goes on during those contrived scenes may be closer to real.

Q: I have basic Hulu that I watch via the Comcast app. (I had it prior to Comcast offering the app.) If I upgrade Hulu to the tier that includes Disney+ and ESPN+, will I be able to watch both of them via the app?

-KITTY, CHARLEROI

Rob: Alas, no, Disney+ is not available through Comcast or the Comcast app even though Hulu is. However, if you have another device beyond Comcast attached to your TV — a Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV or Chromecast — you would be able to access your bundle via one of those devices.

Ask TV questions by emailing rowen@post-gazette.com, including your first name and location.

First Published: July 22, 2020, 12:00 p.m.
Updated: July 22, 2020, 12:31 p.m.

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