The Conners is the American television sitcom created for and broadcast on ABC, also 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 perceived racist and Islamophobic 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– | 1–7 | 112 | ||
| Laurie Metcalf | Jackie Harris | 2018– | 1–7 | 112 | ||
| Sara Gilbert | Darlene Conner | 2018– | 1–7 | 112 | ||
| Lecy Goranson | Becky Conner | 2018– | 1–7 | 92 | ||
| Michael Fishman | D.J. Conner | 2018–2022 | 1–4 | 36 | ||
| Emma Kenney | Harris Healy | 2018– | 1–7 | 88 | ||
| Ames McNamara | Mark Healy II | 2018– | 1–7 | 64 | ||
| Jayden Rey | Mary Conner | 2018-2023 | 1–5 | 46 | ||
| Maya Lynne Robinson | Geena Williams | 2018–2019, 2021 | 1 | 3 | 11 | |
| Jay R. Ferguson | Ben Olinsky | 2018– | 3– | 1–2 | 68 | |
Episodes[]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | |||
| 1 | 11 | October 16, 2018 | January 22, 2019 | |
| 2 | 20 | September 24, 2019 | May 5, 2020 | |
| 3 | 20 | October 21, 2020 | May 19, 2021 | |
| 4 | 20 | September 22, 2021 | May 18, 2022 | |
| 5 | 22 | September 21, 2022 | May 3, 2023 | |
| 6 | 13 | February 7, 2024 | May 22, 2024 | |
| 7 | 6 | January 2025 | February 2025 | |
Production[]
Development[]
On May 29, 2018, ABC cancelled Roseanne, following perceived racist and Islamophobic 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 although other reports suggested that it would be entitled "The Conners", and would center around the whole family. The spinoff would only go forward when Barr signed a deal to give up rights to the show, meaning she wouldn't be involved creatively or financially. Barr likely received a one time payment in return.
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 was not involved creatively or financially in the spin-off. The Conners premiered on October 16, 2018. On March 22, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 24, 2019. On May 21, 2020, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on October 21, 2020. On May 14, 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on September 22, 2021. On May 13, 2022, the series was renewed for a fifth season, which premiered on September 21, 2022. On May 16, 2023, the series was renewed for a sixth season, which premiered on February 7, 2024. On May 10, 2024, the series was renewed for a seventh and final season.
Casting[]
Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, and Jayden Rey reprised their roles as it was announced their characters would be regulars. Many recurring characters returned as well.
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.
On September 15, 2020, it was confirmed that Jay R. Ferguson is now a major role as Ben Olinsky in this series.
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 - May 18, 2022
- Wednesday at 8:00-8:30PM on ABC: September 21, 2022 - April 24, 2024
- Wednesday at 9:30-10:00PM on ABC: May 1, 2024 - May 22, 2024
Syndication[]
On August 8, 2023, Werner Entertainment has signed a global licensing deal with Lionsgate’s Worldwide Television Distribution Group and Debmar-Mercury to make past episodes of The Conners available in syndication, which is scheduled to begin in fall 2024.[1] Reruns of The Conners aired on The CW since January 4, 2024.[2] Deadline Hollywood announced on February 14, 2024, that reruns of The Conners will air in syndication, starting September 2024.[3]
Streaming[]
The Conners is available on The CW app since January 5, 2024. As of January 2024, all seasons that have previously aired can be seen for free, with ads, on the CTV app in Canada. All past episodes of The Conners was added to Netflix on March 27, 2024. Every episode of The Conners is available to stream on Tubi.
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 article at Wikipedia
- The Conners on Facebook
