When The Conners season 7 will bring the sitcom franchise to a close in March 2025, but its release date means that the show is unlikely to air another Christmas special. This means that season 5, episode 10, “The Dog Days of Christmas,” is now the final Christmas episode of both Roseanne and The Conners. Unfortunately, the outing is not available for viewing anywhere online as “The Dog Days of Christmas” was banned shortly after its broadcast.

While it may not be the The Conners’ cast of characters get a subplot, but Dan and Louise do get more to do than usual and Saturday Night Live’s Jane Curtin shines in her guest role as Louise’s mother. It is hard to deny that the 7-year age gap between Curtin and Louise’s actor Katey Sagal is pretty noticeable, but this egregious casting wasn’t what led to the episode being banned. Instead, it was a throwaway joke that could have been offensive.

Why The Conners Season 5, Episode 10 Was Banned

An Unfortunately-Timed Joke About Christmas Parades Led To The Ban

Early on in the Christmas special, John Goodman’s laconic Dan asked his quirky mother-in-law whether she hit anyone on her way to their home. He is mocking her poor night vision, but Curtin’s character replies by saying that she could run over a marching band without noticing in her RV. Understandably, some viewers thought that this line referenced the 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade attack, in which a driver killed six people and injured many more. Among the injured were of a high school marching band, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This made the poorly-timed gag all the more unfortunate.

Another scene in “The Dog Days of Christmas” provided vital information about Dan's family that hasn’t been addressed in the series before or since

Frustratingly for longtime viewers, “The Dog Days of Christmas” blithely revealed some vital information before the episode was banned. The rest of the episode featured little that was likely to offend viewers, but ABC nonetheless pulled the outing from streaming in the days following the outcry from Waukesha residents. While The Conners ending may never mention Dan’s family again, another scene in “The Dog Days of Christmas” provided vital information about them that hasn’t been addressed in the series before or since. Now, this information is lost to viewers re-watching earlier seasons of Roseanne and The Conners.

The Conners Season 5 Episode, 10 Revealed Dan’s Mother Died Off-Screen

Dan’s Mother Audrey Last Appeared In Roseanne Season 9

In “The Dog Days of Christmas,” Dan reveals that his mother Audrey died off-screen at some point. but doesn’t elaborate on this revelation. Since Louise’s mother is visiting in the same episode and Roseanne and Jackie’s elderly mother, Bev, remains a central figure in the show’s recurring cast, this comes as something of a surprise. Dan’s mother, Audrey, was elderly by the time “The Dog Days of Christmas” took place. However, Bev’s actor, Estelle Parsons, is 97 years old as of 2024, and The Conners season 7 still needs to bring her back for the show’s final outing in 2025.

Audrey was an inconsistent presence throughout Roseanne’s original run, due largely to her relationship with Dan’s father, Ed. Ed and Audrey broke up before Roseanne began and Audrey first appeared in Roseanne season 2, episode 9, “We Gather Together.” This Thanksgiving special revealed that she was a travel agent, but the show changed her character details off-screen after this appearance. In season 6, Roseanne informed Dan that his mother was mentally unwell while, by Roseanne season 9, Dan had sent Audrey to live in California so she could receive therapy. Dan then began an affair with his mother’s therapist.

The Conners Season 6 Made Audrey’s Roseanne Disappearance Weirder

The Conners’ Missing Christmas Episode Provided Vital Context

Since Roseanne’s hated season 9 was largely retconned in its own messy finale, it is hard to work out the truth about Dan’s mother in The Conners canon. Audrey’s actor changed in her final Roseanne’s appearance when she showed up in season 9, episode 22, “Arsenic and Old Mom.” Here, Audrey was now played by Debbie Reynolds rather than her original actor, Ann Wedgeworth. This, combined with Roseanne season 9 being revealed to be Roseanne’s bizarre novel-within-a-show in the finale, means it is now hard to tell when Audrey last actually appeared. “The Dog Days of Christmas” complicated proceedings even further.

For viewers watching via reruns, it is strange to see Dan paying for his mother-in-law’s medical care and letting her stay with him when he hasn’t mentioned his birth mother in years.

Throughout The Conners, it is clear that many elements of Roseanne’s canon remain in place. Dan didn’t die of a heart attack, but his father, Ed, did marry Roseanne’s much younger friend, Crystal. This is reaffirmed in The Conners season 6, episode 5, “When Sisters Collide and the Return of the Grifters,” when Dan uses the money that Neville repaid him to pay for Crystal’s heart medication. For viewers watching via reruns, it is strange to see Dan paying for his mother-in-law’s medical care and letting her stay with him when he hasn’t mentioned his birth mother in years.

Can The Conners Season 7 Still Retroactively Fix Audrey's Confusing Fate?

The Conners Season 7 Can Still Clarify Audrey's Retconned Fate

Luckily, The Conners season 7’s “Six episode farewell event” can clarify the fate of Dan’s mother. Dan can mention that his mother ed away at some point in The Conners season 7, reinstating this fact as part of the show’s canon now that “The Dog Days of Christmas” is no longer available to view. Since Audrey seemingly died sometime after Roseanne’s original run ended, there is no reason to believe that this event will have a major formative impact on season 7 of the spinoff. However, not mentioning the event could complicate Crystal’s role in the show’s concluding chapter.

While season 7 isn’t likely to feature experimental The Conners episodes like the show’s two live outings, the “Farewell event” will most likely try to tie together its many lingering plot strands. This means explaining how Dan plans to keep ing Crystal, or the spinoff potentially killing her off. Either of these plots would make more sense if the show first clarified that Dan’s own mother was long dead, something “The Dog Days of Christmas” confirmed before it was pulled from reruns. Thus, The Conners season 7 must bring back the Roseanne spinoff’s lore from this lost episode.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.