Highlights

• The Conners plan to recreate Roseanne's lottery story with a new twist that aims to be more relatable and less outlandish.
• The unexpected financial windfall in season 6 could mark a positive turning point for the Conner family, paying off debts and fulfilling dreams.
• To avoid disappointing fans, The Conners must maintain the show's focus on everyday struggles, even with newfound financial stability.

The Conners are taking a page from one of the most controversial seasons of Roseanne ahead of the end of season 6. The plot twist from Roseanne could lead to the show ending in a way that displeases fans. If The Conners does not figure out a better way to tell it. Roseanne’s worst-rated season was the one where she won the $108 million lottery and went on a number of adventures that were so outlandish they were nothing like what fans had come to enjoy from the show.

The Roseanne lottery story line was so bad that when the show was renewed in 2017, it was retconned and dismissed as a fever dream that Roseanne had. Now, The Conners season 6 is set to recreate the horrible plot twist from Roseanne. However, The Conners aim to take a more relatable angle with the lottery story line than the previous show did.

In this article, we look at how The Conners copies Roseanne’s worst plot twists and how they are making it work.

How The Conners Copies Roseanne's Unpopular Lottery Storyline

In 1988’s Roseanne, the family sitcom took an unexpected turn when the Conner family won millions in the lottery. The show is about a hardworking, blue-collar family that saw Roseanne win $108 million, and their lives changed overnight. What ensued was a crazy plot that saw Roseanne go on wild adventures, including saving the First Lady from terrorists. The show, which had become very relatable because it portrayed a blue-collar family going through everyday struggles, from unemployment to low wages, turned into a non-relatable fictional series.

The unexpected plot in Roseanne season 9, episode 2, “Millions from Heaven,” caught viewers off-guard and made the entire season one of the worst of the whole series. 2017’s The Conners aims to recreate the same scenario that ruined the original series. In season 6 of the family sitcom, the Conner family receives substantial money after Ben’s hardware store is destroyed in a tragic fire. Since The Conners has featured the characters struggling to make ends meet and going through other financial struggles like paying off their mortgage, it could mean the show will be going down the same path as Roseanne.

Roseanne’s lottery story line did not end well and was retconned. It ended up being a vivid dream that Roseanne had to cope with Dan’s death. The Conners might be copying this story line, but they will not repeat the same mistakes the original series made when improving the Conner family’s financial situation.

What The Conners' Unexpected Money Gain Could Mean For The Series

In The Conners season 6, episode 11, “Fire and Vice” the Conner family end up coming into a large sum of money. Darlene’s son, Mark comes bearing bad news that Ben’s family’s hardware store had caught fire. What could have been a huge tragedy for the Conner family turns into an unexpected blessing as the insurance company steps in and pays out their insurance policy. The large amount of money allows Ben to make major changes to his life and that of the Conners.

This plot twist during season 6, which has primarily seen the Conner family struggle, could mean their financial situation changes as the show comes to an end. According to Deadline, The Conners season 7 will be its last, with only six episodes confirmed. Since the show is ending, the unexpected financial win for the family could mean things are finally looking up. Instead of ending with a depressing ending like Roseanne did, The Conners could give a hopeful ending for the Conner clan.

With Ben's insurance money, he helped pay off the mortgage on Dan's family home. Since Roseanne, paying the house mortgage has been a huge burden on the Conner family and offsetting that would mean they would have fewer bills piling on them.

The money could change the dynamics of the show, but not completely, since it's not millions. So, they would still have to work their jobs to offset other bills, including paying off Mark's tuition.

The Only Way The Conners Could Make Their New 'Lottery' Storyline Work

One way The Conners can make this new lottery story line work for the show is by improving Darlene's life. From Roseanne, Darlene always dreamed of getting into writing as a full-time job, but their financial situation could not allow it. Instead, she has had to take low-paying jobs to provide for her family. Since the hardworking lifestyle of the Conners is the backbone of the family, the show can improve their financial situation while still retaining their working lifestyle.

Ben getting his insurance policy payout means getting into another field that would be more lucrative than owning a hardware store. Ben buys a Hardware Magazine, meaning he and Darlene can get into writing. Despite being a risky business move, it will be seen that Darlene's dreams, which had been put on the back burner for years, finally came to fruition. The show did well by enabling Ben to help Dan pay off the mortgage that had been plaguing the family since the beginning of Roseanne.

The only way The Conners can avoid a disastrous ending and make this story line work in a way that would not upset viewers is by making sure the family's newfound financial stability does not change their lives too much. Fans have come to love watching The Conners because it shows the family going through everyday struggles, which is relatable.

If the series strays away from the central theme of its characters working and living regular lives, it would ruin the show. This is highly unlikely since, despite the money Ben has acquired, he, Dan, and Darlene will not be rich enough to never work again.