Mario Lopez to Co-Host Rose Parade with 'This Is Us' ' Chrissy Metz, Replaces Susan Kelechi Watson

Chrissy Metz and Mario Lopez will be co-hosting the 133rd Rose Parade.

The pair will be leading NBC's 95th airing of the annual Jan. 1 parade in Pasadena, California, and taking over the emceeing duties from Today's Al Roker and Hoda Kotb. (Lopez was tapped to replace Metz's This Is Us costar Susan Kelechi Watson, who was originally set to co-host.)

"I'm really excited," Metz tells PEOPLE. "I love parades and I think the history is so cool, especially with the Rose Parade. The amount of volunteers, the time, the energy, the creativity is really cool."

Metz, 41, will be co-hosting ahead of her hit NBC series premiering its sixth and final season on Jan. 4.

"Whether watching on TV, or viewing all the amazing floats in person, seeing the Rose Parade has been a long-held Lopez family tradition. So, it's a great honor to be asked to co-host with my friend Chrissy Metz," Lopez, 48, tells PEOPLE.

The actress says she is "really looking forward to" not only seeing the spectacle that is the Rose Parade but also seeing the detailed works that are made by hundreds of local volunteers.

"I'm just so baffled that all of these floats are created, not only by volunteers and by hand, but countless hours with real stuff from nature. Flowers and coffee and beans and rice. You watch it from TV and you're like, 'There's no way. There's no way.' And to see behind the scenes is like, 'Wow,' " she says.

Another exciting addition to the parade this year is LeVar Burton, who will serve as the Grand Marshal.

Additionally, Metz is looking forward to the star-studded lineup of singers in the parade, including her Meet Your Makers Showdown costar LeAnn Rimes, who is kicking off the parade with a performance of "Throw My Arms Around the World," and Jimmie Allen, who will perform his hit song "Good Times Roll."

The Access Hollywood host adds, "To be at The Rose Parade with my wife Courtney and kids, Gia, Nico and Sonny, is an incredible way to kick off 2022."

As for what she is looking forward to in 2022, aside from the return of This Is Us, Metz has plans to create more music.

"I'm working on some new music and I'm really excited to hopefully put that out. Maybe after the show wraps, maybe a little tour, maybe a few cities. I never had a chance to do my tour before quarantine, lockdown and all that hit," the singer says. "So I really would like to do that before another acting gig comes along, God willing. I'm really looking forward to that. Music is my first love and something I always wanted to pursue."

Meanwhile, the Saved By the Bell star says he is looking to continue his resolutions from years past. "My goals for 2022 are the same as 2021 and the years before: to have a happy and healthy family," Lopez says.

The 133rd Rose Parade, presented by Honda, will broadcast from Pasadena, California, on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. PT.

The sixth and final season of This Is Us premieres Jan. 4 on NBC.