Although The Conners is primarily a comedy, Roseanne’s spinoff has some moments of truly moving character development. Despite Roseanne’s hated final season, the family comedy was one of the most fondly remembered sitcoms of the ‘90s. Roseanne’s story of a relatable working-class family struggling to get by resonated with viewers throughout the late ‘80s and into the ‘90s, and it was the show’s combination of warm drama and sharp wit that made Roseanne a huge hit. As such, it was no surprise when Roseanne received a revival in 2017. What was surprising was what happened after Roseanne season 10 aired.
Related The Conners’ Best Season 7 Ending Would Mean Abandoning Roseanne’s Spirit The Conners season 7 seems to promise a brighter future for the family, but this happy ending risks disregarding the secret weapon of Roseanne.
Series star Roseanne Barr was fired due to racist tweets and the show was retooled, with the title character being killed off between seasons. Roseanne became The Conners and The Conners’ cast of characters spent the first season mourning their loss. Fortunately, the show’s large ensemble cast meant that The Conners had plenty of other characters to follow after the show lost its erstwhile heroine. The Conners season 7 will be the spinoff’s final outing, but the abundant character development viewers have seen since Roseanne season 10 proves the series was a worthy follow-up to its famous predecessor.
10 Harris Takes Over The Lunchbox — Season 6, Episode 1
Harris Showcased Her Ambition And Vision In The Conners Season 6 Premiere
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When Harris was first introduced in Roseanne season 10, Darlene’s daughter was little more than a negative, tired Generation Z stereotype. She was bratty and entitled, but there was little else to Emma Kenney’s character. Harris seemingly existed so that the series could prove Roseanne was a better mother than Darlene, and many of her subplots felt pointless as a result. Luckily, Roseanne’s death resulted in the character receiving more focus and screen time. Without her grandmother around to berate Harris for being ungrateful, Darlene’s daughter proved to be a rebellious free spirit who valued independence despite her tight-knit family.
The Hollywood Reporter reported The Conners season 7 will debut in late 2024 or early 2025.
This put Harris at odds with her mother and resulted in numerous failed attempts to branch out on her own. In season 6, episode 1, “The Publisher Cops Show Pilot,” Harris finally graduated from thwarted attempts at independence to real maturity and career progress. The Conners season 6’s Harris storyline saw her take over her aunt Jackie’s failing restaurant, The Lunchbox, after Jackie admitted her heart was no longer in the business. Harris’s drive to improve The Lunchbox highlighted how much she has grown from the spiteful, one-dimensional bratty teenager she was potrayed as in Roseanne season 10.
9 Jackie Stands Up To Darlene — Season 5, Episode 1
Jackie Was The Family Punching Bag In Roseanne’s Original Run
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Throughout Roseanne’s original run and the show’s short-lived revival, Jackie was consistently the butt of the family’s jokes. Laurie Metcalf’s supporting character was tenacious, but she was also naive, and her high-strung attitude made her an easy target for the laconic Darlene and the laid-back Dan. As such, it was refreshing to see her stand up for herself in season 5, episode 1, “Double Honeymoon and Seeing Double.” After one jab too many about her romantic failures, Jackie stood up to Darlene and pointed out that her jibes had descended into mean-spirited bullying, something Roseanne’s Jackie would never have done.
8 Mark Loses The Contrabassoon Scholarship — Season 5, Episode 17
Mark Accepted A Huge Setback With Grace And Dignity
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Seasons 4 and 5 are some of The Conners’ best seasons and this is due in large part to Mark’s story. Mark’s desperation to get out of Lanford took him to some dark places, with Darlene’s son abusing ADHD medication to study and write admission essays for other students to save college tuition. As such, it was a massive moment of growth when Mark accepted the fact that he wouldn’t receive a scholarship to college for playing the contrabassoon after over a year of practice in season 5, episode 17, “The Contra Hearings and The Midnight Gambler.”
7 Dan Visits Chuckie Mitchell — Season 4, Episode 15
Dan Took Care Of His Friend In Roseanne’s Absence
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Dan’s friend Chuck Mitchell is only seen occasionally in The Conners, but he was the best friend of Roseanne’s widower during the show’s original run. Dan has never been good at maintaining his friendships and, despite caring for his family, he tends to view any conversations about emotions as sappy, unnecessary, and inherently girly. As such, it was impressive when Dan prioritized visiting Chuckie in season 4, episode 15, “Messy Situation, Miscommunication and Academic Probation.” His best friend had been going through a tough time and, rather than repressing or ignoring this, Dan helped Chuck acknowledge his struggles and accept help.
6 Darlene Takes The Cafeteria Job For Mark — Season 5, Episode 20
Darlene Put Her Career Plans On Hold For Her Son
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Early in The Conners season 5, the ever-principled Darlene left her job due to ethical concerns. She soon became worried about how Mark would afford college, and this was exacerbated when he didn’t receive the scholarship he had pinned his hopes on. Considering how much she cares about her work, it was a considerable sacrifice when Darlene took a cafeteria job to guarantee Mark reduced college tuition. Darlene might have been unhappy with her new role, but she could rest assured that she had put the needs of her son ahead of her own career and safeguarded his future.
5 Becky Takes Rehab Seriously — Season 3, Episode 18
Becky Finally Accepted That She Had A Problem In Season 3
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Of all the show’s heroes, Becky has the saddest character arc in The Conners history. Not only was her Roseanne love interest killed off before the revival began, but the father of her child was threatened with deportation, and she struggled with alcoholism throughout the show’s first four seasons. It is no surprise that Becky had a hard time committing to her recovery, with the character avoiding rehab throughout much of season 3. However, season 3, episode 18, “Cheating, Revelations and a Box of Doll Heads,” saw Becky finally take responsibility for her life during a moving family therapy session.
Becky blossomed into a caring, conscientious mother, a successful student, and a diligent worker.
Becky admitted that she resented her late partner Mark for holding her back, but she also owned her responsibility for abandoning her ambitions. Becky took a long sober look at herself in season 3 and started on the uneven road to self-improvement, proving that she wasn’t willing to blame her problems on her circumstances forever. In the years that followed, she blossomed into a caring, conscientious mother, a successful student, and a diligent worker. By season 6, she had even entered into a happy romantic relationship, proving just how much she had grown since season 3’s revelations.
4 Dan Stands Up To Jackie For Louise — Season 2, Episode 9
Dan Prioritized His Love Interest And Set A Boundary With Jackie
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Some of the best episodes of The Conners focus on the bond between Jackie and Dan, so it is somewhat surprising that Dan’s best moment of character development came from him standing up to Roseanne’s sister. Ordinarily, the garrulous Dan would have no problem standing up to Jackie. However, in season 2, episode 9, “Smoking Penguins and Santa on Santa Action,” the family’s Christmas without Roseanne forced Dan to tell Jackie that she couldn’t kick his new partner Louise out of the family photo. Jackie backed down and, in the process, Dan proved that he could eventually move on.
3 Harris Breaks Off Her Engagement With Aldo — Season 4, Episode 10
Darlene’s Daughter Realized Her Relationship Wasn’t Serving Her
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Throughout The Conners season 4, Harris dated the comically immature Aldo and even moved in with him, much to her mother’s chagrin. Aldo was a perfect way to assert her independence, since Darlene didn’t approve of him, and this led Harris to ignore some major red flags. After insisting that she was ready to marry him, Harris had to swallow her pride to break up with Aldo when he made it clear that he wanted children immediately after marriage. Darlene’s daughter did the mature thing, ending her engagement despite fearing her mother would smugly say she told her so.
2 Becky Opens Up To Tyler — Season 6, Episode 11
Becky Shared With Her New Love Interest In Season 6
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While The Conners’ Ben and Darlene had a messy relationship, even their struggles weren’t quite as intense as Becky’s first few weeks with the mild-mannered pilot, Tyler. Sean Astin’s sweet supporting character tried to support Becky through her work placement, but volunteering with at-risk addicts proved too much for her emotionally. Becky opened up to Tyler about her struggles with addiction and the challenges of working with addicts, looking for support where she had previously tried to go it alone. Tyler provided a shoulder to cry on, and the couple improved their relationship in the process, becoming stronger than ever.
1 Jackie Forgives Bev — Season 5, Episode 8
Jackie’s Relationship With Bev Provided The Conners’ Best Scene
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Throughout Roseanne’s original run, its revival, and The Conners, Roseanne and Jackie’s mother, Bev, always had a terrible relationship with her daughters. Bev was verbally abusive, cold, dismissive of her daughters and their dreams, and outright dishonest about important issues like money and inheritance. Eventually, Jackie decided she had done enough growth, soul-searching, and personal work and was ready to confront her mother. In season 5, episode 8, “Of Missing Minds and Fries,” Jackie verbally annihilated Bev by taking her to task for decades of emotional abuse, and her ailing mother responded with soft-voiced confusion and fear.
Jackie’s emotional growth meant she was able to let go of her resentment toward her mother.
Bev developed severe dementia while living in her nursing home and, unbeknownst to Jackie, had largely forgotten the years of abuse her daughter was finally confronting her about. In Metcalf’s best moment in the role, Jackie gradually grows more sympathetic towards her mother until, eventually, she ends up comforting Bev. Jackie’s emotional growth meant she was able to let go of her resentment toward her mother and treat her better than she had throughout the decades, ending a toxic cycle of abuse in the process. It was the most uplifting scene in The Conners’ history, and the best character development that Roseanne’s spinoff ever included.
Source: TheHollywoodReporter