Matt Lauria Returning for Parenthood's Fifth Season

Good news, Ryan and Amber fans! Matt Lauria is returning to Parenthoodthis season, TVLine.com reports.

On the NBC series, Lauria plays Army vet Ryan, a friend of Zeek's (Craig T. Nelson) who began dating Amber (Mae Whitman) early in Season 4. After taking some time apart, the fan-favorite couple appeared headed for a reconciliation in the season finale. Lauria is expected to return for at least half of Season 5's 22-episode run. Lauria joins Ray Romano, who will also be returning this season following his Parenthood debut last year.

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Last season, executive producer Jason Katims admitted that he initially didn't expect Ryan to stick around so long. "Sometimes you do a story and what you started out thinking would be a three or four-episode arc — you realize how rich it is and that's how we felt watching this story," he told TVGuide.com of the Ryan-Amber pairing in January. "They have a real chemistry, and also that story is very charged with Ryan's backstory and what he's going through and how it almost mirrors Sarah and her ex-husband's relationship."

Parenthood returns Thursday, Sept. 26 at 10/9c on NBC. Are you happy that Ryan will be back?