ABC’s ‘A Million Little Things’ returns for final season Wednesday; stars talk “responsibility” of ending things right

ABC’s acclaimed drama A Million Little Things begins its fifth and final season Wednesday, and its cast tells ABC Audio they felt the weight of winding down the show on their own terms.

The series deals with a group of friends who are left reeling in the wake of the unexpected death by suicide of their longtime friend Jonathan, played by Ron Livingston, in the show’s opening episode.

The series won accolades for its portrayal of not only friendship, but also mental illness and the fight against cancer, which personally touched two of its main characters.

Romany Malco, who plays Rome, calls it rare and a privilege to be able to wrap up its many storylines. “I also see it as very responsible. You know, because of the theme, the nature of, you know, the characters, the things that people are struggling with, it’s a very difficult thing to just drop off.”

He continues, “For a lot of people the stories are, like, paralleling their lives. It’s their reality … I do commend ABC and our team for fighting to make sure that we could close this out with some sort of respect and pay homage to the people and the stories that we tell.”

James Roday Rodriguez plays Gary, whose character is dealing both with cancer and impending fatherhood this season. He agrees with Malco, saying of the fans, “They’ve been with us from the beginning. We know, because of their willingness to share their own stories with us, how and why this show is connecting with them.”  

He says that comes with a responsibility to do right by the characters and the people invested in them.

A Million Little Things airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

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