The Conners is the title of the American television sitcom created for ABC and is a spin-off of Roseanne. The series is produced by Werner Entertainment, with Bruce Helford serving as showrunner.
The series stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, and Michael Fishman, reprising their roles from Roseanne. Development on a spin-off began following the cancellation of Roseanne in May 2018, due to racist remarks made by Roseanne Barr on Twitter. The next month, ABC ordered the series and confirmed the cast's involvement. The series premiered on October 16, 2018.
Summary
The series follows the Conners, a working-class family, struggling to get by on a limited household income who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in their home in the drab fictional mid-state exurb of Lanford, Illinois in a way they never have before.
Cast
| Cast | Character | Years | Seasons | Episodes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | Recurring | Guest | ||||
| John Goodman | Dan Conner | 2018– | 1– | 51 | ||
| Laurie Metcalf | Jackie Harris | 2018– | 1– | 51 | ||
| Sara Gilbert | Darlene Conner | 2018– | 1– | 51 | ||
| Lecy Goranson | Becky Conner | 2018– | 1– | 51 | ||
| Michael Fishman | D.J. Conner | 2018– | 1– | 29 | ||
| Emma Kenney | Harris Healy | 2018– | 1– | 46 | ||
| Ames McNamara | Mark Healy II | 2018– | 1– | 41 | ||
| Jayden Rey | Mary Conner | 2018– | 1– | 34 | ||
| Maya Lynne Robinson | Geena Williams | 2018–2019, 2021 | 1 | 3 | 11 | |
| Jay R. Ferguson | Ben Olinsky | 2018– | 3– | 35 | ||
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | ||||
| 1 | 11 | October 16, 2018 | January 22, 2019 | TBA | |
| 2 | 20 | September 24, 2019 | May 5, 2020 | TBA | |
| 3 | 20 | October 21, 2020 | May 19, 2021 | ||
| 4 | 20 | September, 2021 | |||
Production
Development
On May 29, 2018, ABC cancelled Roseanne, following racist remarks made by Roseanne Barr, who starred as Roseanne Conner, on Twitter about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to Barack Obama. Some time after the cancellation was confirmed, some news sources announced that the show could possibly be retooled as a spin-off focusing on Sara Gilbert's character of Darlene. Around June 15, 2018 reports emerged that ABC was close to making a deal to indeed continue the show as a Darlene-centric show. Though it is also possible that it will be entitled “The Conners”, and would center around the whole family. The spinoff will only go forward assuming Barr signs a deal to give up rights to the show, meaning she won’t be involved creatively or financially. Barr will likely receive a one time payment in return. If the spinoff happens, Barr’s racism scandal will be addressed on the show.
On June 21, 2018, it was announced that ABC had officially ordered a 10-episode spin-off tentatively titled The Conners, and that it would involve every cast member except Barr. Barr will not be involved creatively or financially in the spin-off.
Casting
Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, and Jayden Rey will be reprising their roles as it was announced their characters will be regulars. Recurring characters have not been confirmed as of yet.
The role of Geena was announced that she was recast with a new cast member, Maya Lynne Robinson and promoted to a regular on September 14, 2018.
The role of Ed Jr. was announced that he was cast as a recurring cast member, Noel Fisher on January 8, 2020.
The series is produced by Werner Entertainment, with Bruce Helford serving as showrunner.
Broadcast history
- Tuesday at 8:00-8:30 PM on ABC: October 16, 2018 - May 5, 2020
- Wednesday at 9:00-9:30PM on ABC: October 21, 2020 - present
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating from critics with an average rating of 8.02/10 based on 45 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "The Conners offers the comforts of its source show, but more focus on the family's ever-evolving dynamics adds a welcome layer of working-class empathy without losing any of the laughs." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". As part of the conditions of receiving an advance release, critics were forbidden from divulging how Roseanne Conner was written out of the series.
Roseanne Barr said having her character killed by an opioid overdose "lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an otherwise happy family show."
Lecy Goranson received particular praise from critics for her performance in "Miracles".
Gallery
External links
- The Conners on ABC Database (Fandom)
- The Conners on Television Fandom
- The Conners on Wikipedia
- The Conners on Facebook