This Is Us: Malcolm in the Middle’s Jane Kaczmarek to appear on Season 3

Jane Kaczmarek who played, Lois, the beleaguered and unconventional mom on Malcolm in the Middle, will appear on This Is Us Season 3.

Kaczmarek, who earned seven Emmy nominations for her role on the FOX comedy, will play a liberal university professor on This Is Us, but the details surrounding her storyline haven’t been disclosed.

Kaczmarek’s character is described as “intelligent, warm and down to earth.”

Kaczmarek’s other credits include: Playing House, CHIPS and Raising the Bar.

Here’s a few theories on how Kaczmarek’s episode may fit into the series.

1. She’s friend of Rebecca’s

Rebecca doesn’t have many female friends (she had a tight relationship with Miguel’s wife Shelly, even after the couple divorced). Kaczmarek’s character could be someone who Rebecca hangs out with pre-Jack, or someone who enters her life not long after his death. We already know Rebecca and the Big Three will be leaning on Miguel in the months following Jack’s death, but Rebecca may long for another woman to bond with since she’s not close to her mother or sister. With her children fleeing the coop, maybe Rebecca decides to go back to school or just finds some common ground with this character. She could be a part of Rebecca’s present-day life as well.

2. She has a connection to Randall and Beth

Randall is the only one of the Big Three who matriculates in the traditional sense (Kate attends night school in her ’20s). Kaczmarek could factor into his life and/or Beth’s since they meet while in college. Those immediate years following Jack’s death are presumably brutal. We already know Kate never makes it to music school, and Kevin marries and subsequently divorces Sophie. So, what is Randall like during this time? Who influences him?

3. She’s part of the upcoming political storyline

Rob Morgan (Daredevil) has been cast in a recurring role as Solomon Brown — a city councilman in the district where Randall and Beth’s apartment building is located. The fact that Kaczmarek’s character is liberal could be a clue she’s a potential adversary of Brown’s who’s described as “sharp” and “charming.” He’s also religious which could mean he’s a bit … conservative in his political leanings.

We’ll just have to wait and wonder until This Is Us returns on September 25.

This Is Us Season 3 premieres Tuesday, September 25 at 9/8c on NBC. Tune in to see what’s next for the Pearsons. 

What do you think of our theories? Have you got some of your own? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.