WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for The Conners season 5, episode 22.

Although The Conners season 5 teased a Roseanne cameo with the news that Mark’s father was invited to his graduation, this storyline ended up providing something much better. It is always a mixed blessing when the original stars of a sitcom show up for a cameo role in a spinoff. Sometimes, this can give viewers a nostalgic treat, as was the case when How I Met Your Father and That ‘90s Show brought back the stars of their predecessors. However, at other times, this approach can be distracting. Reminding viewers of an earlier sitcom can distract them from the spinoff’s action and leave viewers wishing they watched a rerun instead.

While The Conners keeps Roseanne’s themes alive, the family sitcom struggled to find the right balance when bringing back cast from the earlier series. The Conners brought back Bev, Roseanne and Jackie’s mother, for a poignant, funny subplot early in season 5. However, later in The Conners season 5, the spinoff brought back a long-forgotten character from one episode of Roseanne, Bobo, whose appearance served almost no purpose in the story. After such a mixed bag, viewers might reasonably have been worried by Mark’s announcement that his father was coming to graduation. Fortunately, The Conners season 5 finale handled this plot perfectly.

The Conners Season 5 Finale Didn’t Include Roseanne’s David

Sara Gilbert and Johnny Galecki as Darlene and David looking sad in The Conners

When Mark told the family that he had invited his father to his high school graduation, viewers might have left viewers hoping to see Johnny Galecki’s Roseanne hero David Healy return. However, what The Conners season 5, episode 22, “Grad Finale,” provided was a much better fit for the spinoff. Mark realized how much his stepfather Ben helped shape Mark’s path to college in The Conners season 5. As such, he gave an imioned speech about how Ben was the man he considered his father, thanks to all the he gave him over the years.

This moving depiction of Mark recognizing how much Ben gave him was much more fitting than an unnecessary cameo from a Roseanne star. Mark and Ben haven’t spent much screen time together, but Ben has been quick to look out for Darlene’s son whenever they do. Earlier in The Conners season 5, Ben helped Mark sneak out to take his driving test when Darlene was causing him stress. More recently, it was Ben who convinced Darlene to turn down a good job so that she could help Mark attend college by taking a lunch lady role.

The Conners Season 5 Finale Proved Roseanne Cameos Are Unnecessary

Darlene, Dan and Jackie in The Conners

While The Conners season 6 may end the spinoff, “Grad Finale” proved that the show has managed to recapture the essence of Roseanne without needing to directly copy its storylines and bring back its characters. Much like the return of a minor Roseanne character earlier this season, a cameo from David would have felt like a pointless rating ploy, given how solid the rapport between the current cast is. As such, The Conners season 5 finale promising a Roseanne return and instead providing a sweet moment between Ben and Mark proved that the eponymous family only need each other to get by.