Emmy nominee Asante Blackk has been upped to series regular status on This Is Us. 

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news of his status with the show. Blackk debuted in the Season 4 premiere two weeks ago alongside several new, recurring cast members such as Omar Epps and Marsha Stephanie Blake, who portray his character’s parents.

Blackk plays Malik, seemingly the new love interest for Deja (Lyric Ross), the adoptive daughter of Randall and Beth (Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson).

Series creator Dan Fogleman spoke to numerous outlets, including Shadow And Act, about the new characters ahead of the season.  “I think obviously these new characters are framed as characters who are going to have massive impacts on our main families’ lives,” he said. “It’s fair to say they’re massive parts of this season. They’re not just in a one-off episode as a person who was in a room when Nikki threw a chair through the window or to meet Deja at a party. It’s going to go far beyond that. And it’s a slow build. Part of the intent here was to establish these characters so that you met them kind of pure and outside of the purview of the Pearson family. And now, we slowly start building them into their worlds and see how they kind of effect and really change their lives. From Jennifer [Morrison] to Asante, they’re huge parts of this storyline this season.”

READ MORE:

‘This Is Us’ Creator On Season 4 Premiere Shockers And Explaining Those New Characters

 

Photo: NBC