If The Conners’ large cast of characters means that even the show’s normal seasons, which include over twenty episodes, often struggle to give every family member a moment in the spotlight. This makes season 7’s job even tougher.
The Conners Season 7’s Shorter Run Means It Must Avoid A Hated Sitcom Ending Trope That Already Hurt Roseanne
The Conners season 7's 6-episode "Farewell event" must steer clear of one infamous problem that plagued earlier sitcoms, including Roseanne.
For The Conners season 7 to feel like a fitting ending for a sitcom franchise that began back in the late ‘80s, the show’s final outing must juggle a lot of proverbial plates. The Conners season 7 needs to give fitting endings to the surviving characters from Roseanne’s original lineup, including John Goodman’s Dan, Laurie Metcalf’s Jackie, and Estelle Parsons’ Bev. Meanwhile, the next generation of the Conners, Becky, Darlene, and DJ, also need subplots of their own. As if this weren’t enough, Darlene’s children, Mark and Harris, are also major characters whose arcs need screen time and story focus.
10 The Conners Season 7 Must Louise’s New Position
Louise’s School Board Win Was Barely Addressed In Season 6
Although The Conners season 7 should primarily focus on the titular family, this doesn’t mean the show has an excuse to forget about its ing stars. Katey Sagal’s Louise has been Dan’s love interest since season 2 of the spinoff and his wife since season 4, but Louise has rarely received much character development. Her position on the school board, which was only mentioned in ing in season 6’s finale, should be central to the events of The Conners season 7. This would allow Louise to feel like a character in her own right and not an extension of Dan.
9 DJ Must Return In The Conners Season 7
The Roseanne ing Star Has Been Absent Since The Conners Season 5
ittedly, The Conners season 7’s Louise role makes it clear that the sitcom already has too many characters. However, the show’s final outing can’t simply ignore Michael Fishman’s DJ. The rebellious DJ was a pivotal part of Roseanne’s original family, but The Conners never worked out what to do with the character. DJ moved out of Lanford before season 5 began, but his abrupt exit doesn’t mean season 7 can forget one of Roseanne and Dan’s children. DJ must return in The Conners season 7 and play a role in the show’s final outing, along with his daughter Mary.
8 The Conners Season 7 Must Include A Leon Carp Tribute
Roseanne ing Star Martin Mull ed Away In 2024
Even though he was a groundbreaking character in of TV history, Roseanne’s boss, Leon Carp, has been ignored by both Roseanne’s 2017 revival and The Conners. His actor, Martin Mull, sadly ed away in 2024, but it is not too late for the show to pay tribute to his inimitable role in the show. Roseanne’s Leon wedding episode featured the first gay marriage on network television, making Leon a pivotal character for LGBTQ representation. After struggling with his own orientation in the early seasons, Darlene’s son, Mark, should learn about Leon’s existence in The Conners season 7.
7 The Conners Season 7 Must Improve The Family’s Finances
Ben’s Windfall Helped Out Dan In Season 6
The Conners are famously broke, and Roseanne’s family should not suddenly become wealthy in the spinoff’s ending. This occurred once before in Roseanne season 9 and the twist was so disastrous that the entire infamous season’s events were retconned in its dour, bleak finale. However, just because the Conners shouldn’t become rich doesn’t mean they don’t deserve some more comfort and security. The Conner family has been struggling financially for at least three generations and as many decades, and they are a hard-working bunch who deserve a break. Already, Ben’s insurance payout has set them up for a brighter future in season 6.
To end 36 years of Roseanne right, The Conners season 7 needs to give the family a financial future that feels equal parts believable and optimistic.
After his family’s hardware store burned down in season 6, Ben gave Dan enough money to pay off his mortgage and remain retired. Ben used the remaining funds to buy Hardware Magazine, meaning he and Darlene might soon be able to pursue their shared dream of writing professionally. To end 36 years of Roseanne right, The Conners season 7 needs to give the family a financial future that feels equal parts believable and optimistic, and this payout could be the start of that future. If Ben’s gamble pays off, the family’s fortunes could improve without leaving viewers annoyed by unrealistic twists.
6 The Conners Season 7 Must Give Beverly A Better Ending
Beverly’s The Conners Season 6 Exit Was Bizarrely Abrupt
While she and Jackie did get a sweet farewell, Bev’s exit in The Conners season 6 felt oddly rushed. In the spinoff’s most poignant outing ever, season 5, episode 8, “Of Missing Minds and Fries,” Jackie realized Bev had severe dementia. However, as season 6 began, viewers learned that an experimental drug trial effectively cured her illness and she was now able to travel across America unaccompanied. Jackie and Bev buried their decades-long feud before Bev set off, which heavily implied that this might be her final on-screen appearance. However, season 7 should bring her back for a less hurried goodbye.
5 The Conners Season 7 Needs To Kill Off Crystal
This Recurring Roseanne Guest Star Returned In Season 6
On the topic of recurring Roseanne characters who need to come back in the outing, The Conners season 7 needs to kill off Natalie West’s Crystal. Although Crystal is one of the few The Conners characters who have been around since Roseanne season 1, her role in the spinoff became confusing in season 6. Neville learned that Dan was secretly paying for Crystal’s medical care since she is his mother-in-law, but the extent of her health woes was left unexplained. The simplest way to wrap up this plot would be to kill off the recurring guest star for good.
4 Mark’s College Plans Must Work Out In The Conners Season 7
Darlene’s Ambitious Son Has Been Put Through The Wringer
Mark’s desperation to get into a good college has seen him get involved in all manner of schemes over the years, from abusing ADHD medication to getting paid to writing ission essays for other students. However, his riskiest decision came when he took a sketchy job with email scammers in season 6’s finale. Mark should end up attending the University of Chicago in The Conners season 7, even though this job seems like it could land him in hot water with the authorities. He has been through enough trauma over the years and deserves a brighter future, despite his questionable choices.
3 Harris’s Lunchbox Revamp Must Shape Her The Conners Season 7 Story
Star Emma Kenney Wrapped Filming Early In October 2024
Like Mark, Darlene’s daughter Harris has had a challenging time of it in recent seasons of the spinoff. Harris went through a failed engagement, a miscarriage, and numerous failed jobs before she finally inherited The Lunchbox from Jackie and vowed to turn the failing restaurant around. Harris’s role in The Conners has historically been poorly defined, with her starting out as an obnoxious Gen Z stereotype who mostly existed so Roseanne could mock the laziness and insolence of Darlene’s offspring. After Roseanne’s death, Harris became more likable but still lacked anything resembling a clear purpose or defined goals.
This made her character arc frustrating, as it was hard to watch Harris trudge through various romantic and professional entanglements without any idea for her life path. This made her decision to manage The Lunchbox, and her subsequent ADHD diagnosis, a welcome surprise in season 6. Finally, it seemed like Harris would receive the story focus that her character needed. However, this didn’t happen in the latter half of season 6, meaning The Conners season 7 must give Harris’s character a purpose. The simplest way to do this would be by focusing on her hopefully successful attempts to revamp the ailing restaurant.
2 Becky and Tyler Must Stay Together In The Conners Season 7
Becky’s Roseanne Story Has Been Defined By Heartbreak
Becky has been through a lot of heartache during Roseanne and The Conners. In the two shows, Becky struggled with losing the love of her life to a motorcycle accident, breaking up with her baby’s father, and facing alcoholism and addiction alone as a new mother. This is before viewers even consider Roseanne’s death and the impact it had on Becky, considering her mother died of an overdose while Becky spent years self-medicating with alcohol. As such, Becky needs a happy ending in The Conners season 7 and, fortunately, the Roseanne spinoff has already set one up for her.
The Conners Cast Member |
Character |
|---|---|
John Goodman |
Dan Conner |
Laurie Metcalf |
Jackie Harris-Goldufski |
Sara Gilbert |
Darlene Conner-Olinsky |
Lecy Goranson |
Becky Conner-Healy |
Katey Sagal |
Louise Conner |
Emma Kenney |
Harris Conner-Healy |
Ames McNamara |
Mark Conner-Healy |
Becky met Sean Astin’s kind pilot Tyler in late season 5 and dated him throughout season 6, eventually getting serious by the finale. Becky intended to move in with Tyler after realizing how good he was with Beverly-Rose, meaning season 7 of the series doesn’t need to change much to end this plot perfectly. Becky and Tyler should remain together, so Beverly-Rose has another guardian and Becky has a loving system after her decades of struggling. Meanwhile, she must also finally graduate from the never-ending Psychology course she has been attending since season 3 of the spinoff.
1 Darlene Must Finally Get A Job She Loves In The Conners Season 7
Ben’s Purchase Of Hardware Magazine May Help Darlene’s Dream
Realistically, The Conners season 7 can’t end every Roseanne storyline and the show couldn’t be expected to wrap up every single loose end from the sitcom’s 37-year history. However, Darlene’s dreams must finally come true in season 7, since she gave up her ambitions of becoming a writer back in Roseanne season 8 when she first became pregnant. With Ben running Hardware and Darlene no longer relying on her lunch lady job to keep Mark in his old college, Darlene finally has the time and opportunity to pursue a writing career. The Conners heroine deserves a happy ending after her heartbreaking Roseanne story.
The Conners season 7's six-episode “Farewell event" will air in March 2025.
Source: TVLine
- Network
- ABC
- Cast
- Nick Offerman, Noel Fisher, Patton Oswalt, Paul Reubens
- Writers
- Bruce Helford, Bruce Rasmussen, Emily R. Wilson, Mitch Hunter, Amy Fox, Jana Hunter, Erica Montolfo-Bura, Debby Wolfe, Simone Finch
- Seasons
- 7
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
