‘This Is Us’ brings ‘The Leftovers’ actress Amanda Warren aboard as William’s mother

So far on “This Is Us,” there have been multiple opportunities to get to know the history of Jack and Rebecca; isn’t the timing right to take on William’s past for a little while?

As first reported by Entertainment Weekly, Amanda Warren of “The Leftovers,” “The Good Wife,” and the upcoming “Taken” on NBC will be appearing on the smash hit drama as William’s mother Dorothy. His story will flash back to an earlier time in his life, and you’ll see precisely where he came from and some of the circumstances that led to him being in the position that he is now in today. Jermel Nakia will be playing the part of a younger William, and Brian Tyree Henry of “Atlanta” fame is also poised to be coming on for a guest spot as William’s cousin.

One of the things that “This Is Us” has chosen to do in production of this show that is so smart is take its time slowly introducing the world of the show and some of the people who are a part of it. Through the pilot, we had a chance for the first time to meet the characters, but did not know they were connected until the end of the episode. From there, we’ve received further backstory and learned more and more about other characters, including supporting characters such as Dr. K.

The timing feels right now to learn more about William, especially given our fears that something sad could happen to this character and there may be only so much time that we have him left. This is particularly sad when you stop for a moment and consider how little time Randall has had to actually get to know him. Just like with Randall, we as viewers have to take advantage of almost every opportunity that we get before they disappear into the wind.

New episodes of “This Is Us” are going to continue airing on NBC Tuesday night. Share your thoughts on the casting below, and be sure to head over here to receive some other news, previews, and much more on “This Is Us.” (Photo: NBC.)