Although The Conners season 7 might be a fitting end to Roseanne’s uneven history, I still fear that the final outing of the sitcom spinoff will force me to face numerous harsh realities about the series.The Conners season 7 will bring the family sitcom to an end for the third time. Back when it was called Roseanne, the sitcom originally ran for nine seasons, from 1988 until 1997. Roseanne’s final season was roundly reviled by critics, and its finale even retconned the events of season 9 to make up for this misstep. Then came Roseanne season 10.
The Conners doesn't always manage to live up to Roseanne's legacy, but the sitcom spinoff's best episodes give its predecessor a run for its money.
2017’s Roseanne revival went even further, retconning both season 9 and its finale. Season 10 picked up decades after season 8 ended and enjoyed critical and ratings success. However, star Roseanne Barr’s racist remarks on Twitter led to her firing before season 11 entered production. Thus, the sitcom was retooled, her character was killed off, and The Conners was born. The Conners’ large cast of characters meant the show could continue without Roseanne at its center, although it took a while to find its feet. By season 4, the series was as strong as its predecessor at its best.
8 The Conners Has No Solid Spinoff Options After Season 7’s Ending
None Of The Show’s Characters Could Sustain A Spinoff Of Their Own
However, there are some things Roseanne could do that The Conners could not, and one is setting up a successful spinoff. Roseanne’s abrupt exit forced Roseanne to become The Conners or suddenly end, and dropping the show’s former title character allowed the series to focus more on Dan, Jackie, DJ, Darlene, Becky, and Darlene’s children, Mark and Harris. In contrast, The Conners season 7 can’t set up another spinoff that extends the show’s universe further. While The Big Bang Theory set up Young Sheldon and Young Sheldon set up Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Roseanne’s story is less conducive to spinoffs.
For one thing, Roseanne’s story is linear. The Conners picked up where Roseanne season 10 revival left off, much like Roseanne’s revival picked up where season 9 ended. Any subsequent spinoff could reasonably be expected to continue The Conners season 7’s story. The problem is that the sitcom doesn’t have a specific character who requires a spinoff of their own. The Conners season 7 has no spinoff potential because its most beloved character, Laurie Metcalf’s Jackie, has been around since Roseanne season 1. Meanwhile, the idea of a Darlene-centric spinoff was already rejected back in 2018, according to Variety.
7 Mark’s The Conners Character Arc Is Almost Sure To End Badly
Mark’s Ambition Has Cost Him Dearly On Numerous Occasions
The fact that the sitcom has little spinoff potential means thatThe Conners season 7 is likely to be the sitcom franchise's final outing. There is always the possibility of reboots and reunions, but a direct continuation seems unlikely. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage was announced before Young Sheldon’s final season even began, so the fact that The Conners season 7 isn’t far off and there have been no rumors of a follow-up doesn’t bode well. This is particularly bad news for Darlene’s son, Mark, who was last seen in a tricky situation. His happy ending seems vanishingly unlikely.
Some of Mark’s best character development in
The Conners
came from the fallout of his schemes, but his sketchy new job proves he still values ambition over sense.
In season 6, episode 13, “Less Money, More Problems,” Mark began working with online scammers so he could save for college. This mirrored his earlier schemes in season 4 when he abused prescription ADHD medication to study harder and saved up for tuition by letting other students purchase admission essays from him. Some of Mark’s best character development in The Connerscame from the fallout of his schemes, but his sketchy new job proves he still values ambition over sense. It seems almost inevitable that The Conners season 7 will end with him getting caught and facing serious consequences.
6 Harris’s Lunchbox Plot May End Early In The Conners Season 7
Emma Kenney Wrapped Up Filming Suspiciously Soon
Mark was first introduced as a model student, but later seasons of The Conners proved that he had an ambitious edge that would eventually get him into trouble. In contrast, Mark’s sister, Harris, originally seemed like a slacker with no ambition at all. When viewers first encountered Harris in Roseanne season 10, she was an obnoxious Gen Z stereotype whose only purpose was to prove Roseanne was a better mother than Darlene. After Roseanne was killed off, Harris became more bearable but remained obstinately directionless. That seemed to change in season 6, but season 7’s brevity may jeopardize her growth.
Harris took over control of Jackie’s restaurant, The Lunchbox, in the season 6 premiere when Jackie admitted she didn’t enjoy running the place anymore. Harris’s story seemed to finally have some momentum thanks to this event, but her character arc remained frustratingly stagnant for much of season 6. Harris’s The Conners season 7 story could potentially see her start transform the restaurant and take on more responsibility, but actor Emma Kenney wrapping up filming early in October 2024 doesn’t bode well in this regard. It seems like Harris may play a smaller role in season 7, judging by this behind-the-scenes update.
5 The Conners Season 7 Is Unlikely To Revive Bev’s Story
This Roseanne Star’s Character Arc Ended Abruptly In Season 6
Mark and Harris are major characters, but The Conners season 7 owes its supporting stars a proper sendoff too. Unfortunately, at least one major character who has been around since Roseanne season 1 is unlikely to receive much story focus. Estelle Parsons’ Bev suffered dementia in season 5, and this illness led her to finally reconcile with Jackie. An experimental drug trial seemingly cured her dementia and granted her newfound freedom in season 6, leading her to take a train trip across America on a whim. This goodbye felt forced and rushed, but season 7 likely won’t have enough screen time for anything more substantial.
4 The Conners Will Almost Certainly Never Have Another Holiday Special
The Conners Season 7 Arrives At The Wrong Time Of Year
If there is one thing that both Roseanne and The Conners excel at, it is holiday specials. Both sitcoms use the sitcom staple as an excuse to get the entire family into the same location at the same time, and the resulting conflicts are often as moving as they are funny. One of The Conners’ highest-rated episodes, season 2, episode 7, “Slappy Holidays,” centered on a heated fight between Jackie and Darlene. Roseanne season 5, episode 12, “It’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays,” illustrated the dark reality of David Healy’s abusive home life.
The show’s creators already missed Halloween 2024 and Thanksgiving 2024 and are likely to miss Christmas 2024, too.
As evidenced by these outings, Roseanne and The Conners never hid from the darker side of family life in their respective holiday episodes. This is why it is such a shame that The Conners season 7 is unlikely to feature any holiday specials. The outing is expected to arrive between late 2024 and early 2025. This means the show’s creators already missed Halloween 2024 and Thanksgiving 2024 and are likely to miss Christmas 2024, too. Considering season 6 featured no holiday episodes either, this unfortunate scheduling means the sitcom spinoff’s final outing can’t revive a long-time tradition.
3 The Conners Season 7’s Ending Is Likely To Be A Letdown
The Truncated 6-Episode Season Has Insufficient Screen Time
The Conners season 7’s brief 6-episode run most likely won’t have time to wrap up everyone’s storylines, since the show has such a large, sprawling cast. There are Harris’s attempts to establish herself as a restaurateur, along with Mark’s illegal new job and his desperate desire to pay for his University of Chicago tuition. There is Dan’s strained relationship with his financially dependent mother-in-law Crystal, as well as his marriage to Louise and struggles with retirement. There is Louise’s role as the new head of the school board, something season 6 barely even mentioned after she won the election.
The Conners Cast Member
Character
John Goodman
Dan Conner
Laurie Metcalf
Jackie Harris-Goldufski
Sara Gilbert
Darlene Conner-Olinsky
Lecy Goranson
Becky Conner-Healy
Katey Sagal
Louise Conner
Emma Kenney
Harris Conner-Healy
Ames McNamara
Mark Conner-Healy
This rundown hasn't even addressed Roseanne’s saddest character arc, the story of Becky. Becky has been put through the wringer by both the original show and its spinoff, but her relationship with Tyler and her attempts to graduate from her Psychology course may need to take a backseat. After all, she will be vying for screen time with Darlene and Ben, the former of whom is still searching for a decent job and the latter of whom has just bought a magazine. Since Ben previously ran a magazine that had to shut its doors, this plot seems destined for disaster.
2 The Conners Is Finally Ending After 36 Years
Roseanne’s Story Has Lasted Decades
Even if everything ends alright for Ben, Becky, Darlene, Dan, and everyone else in the show’s massive family, there is no avoiding the fact that The Conners season 7 is likely to be the last time viewers see the stars of Roseanne together on-screen. As outlined above, the series isn’t likely to spawn a spinoff and its storyline has already lasted over three and a half decades. In a way, this makes its ending understandable. However, when I look back on the best seasons of The Conners, I find it hard not to feel like the series could have explored Lanford’s favorite family for a little longer.
1 Roseanne Characters Are Not Likely To Appear In The Conners Season 7
The Spinoff’s Final Outing Can’t Bring Back Its Original Stars
I would love to see all of Roseanne’s best guest stars in The Conners season 7, but this is unlikely to happen. The late, great Martin Mull passed away earlier in 2024, meaning Mark will never meet Roseanne’s groundbreaking LGBTQ+ character Leon Carp in the spinoff. Since Roseanne was killed off for good reason, there is no way of bringing back Roseanne Barr that wouldn’t seem tasteless and tacky. Other stars, like Booker’s actor George Clooney, have gone on to bigger things. Regardless of the reason, The Conners season 7 can’t bring back all of Roseanne’s original stars for the spinoff's final outing.
The Hollywood Reporter
reported
The Conners
season 7 will debut in late 2024 or early 2025.
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