AlthoughThe Connersseason 7 has very little screen time to wrap up theRoseannefranchise’s storylines, that doesn’t mean that the sitcom can avoid a couple of major canon plots.The Conners’ cast of charactersis large, meaning most episodes of the family sitcom don’t include every supporting star. If an episode ofThe Connerscenters on an argument between Dan and Jackie and a B-story involving Mark struggling with his mother Darlene and his stepfather Ben, this means it is tricky for the show to give Becky, Harris, Neville, Beverly-Rose, and Louise screen time as well.
This will be a much bigger problem forThe Connersseason 7. The final outing of theRoseannefranchise,The Conners season 7 will be a “Six-episode farewell event” according toTVLine. This means the show will have only three hours of screen time to wrap up the character arcs ofThe Conners’ main cast, the show’s supporting cast, and the remaining supporting stars fromRoseanne. Although Roseanne herself may be long dead,The Connerscan’t simply ignore the events ofRoseanne’s ten seasons, as proven by seven unfinished plot lines.
7The Conners Season 7 Must Explain What Happened To Roseanne’s Friend Crystal
Dan’s Stepmother Revealed Her Ailing Health In The Conners Season 6
In season 6, episode 5, “When Sisters Collide and The Return of the Grifters,” Neville reignited his season 5 feud with Dan when he discovered that his brother-in-law spent money that Neville owed him on an unexplained expense. When Jackie’s love interest showed up to confront Dan about his lack of transparency,Neville discovered that Dan was paying for his stepmother Crystal’s expensive medical care as she was broke. Dan explained that his father’s off-screen death had left Crystal destitute, meaning Dan felt responsible for her care.
Crystal is around Dan’s age and was a good friend of Roseanne and Jackie before she began dating Dan’s father. She worked in a casino earlier inThe Conners, but her illness seemingly left her unable to continue working and with a dazed, confused disposition in season 6. The exact nature of her illness, the odds of her making a recovery, and how long Dan can afford to support her remain unexplained going into season 7, soThe Connersseason 7 needs to wrap upthis story with a satisfying ending.
6The Conners Season 7 Needs To Mention Roseanne’s Leon Carp
Martin Mull’s Roseanne Character Was Inexplicably Forgotten In The Conners
Crystal was central toRoseanne’s world for years, so it was surprising when she appeared only a handful of times throughoutThe Conners. However, her fate could have been worse.Martin Mull’s Leon Carp was essentially forgotten by bothRoseanneseason 10 andThe Conners, despite the character playing a pivotal part in the success of the original series. Roseanne’s boss was a rare LGBTQ+ character from the ‘90s who wasn’t relegated to the background or used a walking punchline, but instead played a central role in the show’s action.
The Conners Star’s Next Big TV Role Highlights The Roseanne Franchise’s Big Harris Mistake
Emma Kenney’s upcoming role in Reba McEntire’s sitcom Happy’s Place proves just how much Roseanne’s spinoff The Conners wasted her character Harris.
A fastidious and often annoying figure, Leon was still ultimately a friend to Roseanne and Jackie and even co-owned The Lunchbox with them. Leon was amajorRoseannecharacterThe Connersseemingly ignoredentirely, and Mull’s passing in 2024 means the character now cannot appear inThe Conners season 7. Despite this, the last outing of the series needs to pay tribute to Leon by acknowledging that he was not retconned between the original ending ofRoseanneand its 2017 revival. The easiest way to do this would be through the Lunchbox plot.
5The Conners Season 7 Has To Explain Who Owns The Lunchbox
The Restaurant’s Murky History Is Now More Important Than Ever
By the end ofRoseanne, The Lunchbox was co-owned by Roseanne, Jackie, their mother Beverly, Leon, and their friend and colleague, Nancy. InThe Connersseason 2, the family was shocked to learn Bev still owned the deed to The Lunchbox.Bev passed the deed down to Darlene, who eventually gave it to Jackieso she could run the Lunchbox. However, the ownership stakes that Leon and Nancy had in the ‘90s have never been explained, and these could soon become important. Darlene’s daughter, Harris, took over management of the Lunchbox back in season 6’s premiere.
If Harris’s revamp of The Lunchbox is a success, she may want to take over ownership of the business. However, this would mean bringing up characters like Nancy and Leon who haven’t appeared sincebefore Roseanne’s death. In the best-case scenario,The Connerscould use this season 7 plot line to pay tribute to the late Mull and explain what happened to Nancy after her season 10 cameo.
4The Conners Season 7 Must Reinstate DJ’s Place In The Family
Michael Fishman’s Character Was Central To Roseanne’s Original Run
On the topic ofRoseannecharacters whose stories never received a meaningful conclusion,Michael Fishman’s DJ needs to come back to Lanford inThe Connersseason 7. ThroughoutRoseanne’s entire original run and seasons 1-3 ofThe Conners, DJ was as important a member of the family as his sisters Becky and Darlene or his parents, Roseanne and Dan. However,The Connersseason 4 began to focus on Becky and Darlene’s lives more than his, and, by the start of season 5, he was written out of the spinoff.
The Connersseason 7 owes it to DJ to bring him back in the spinoff’s final outing.
Fishman’s character hasn’t appeared since, but he only moved to a neighboring city for a new job. Thus,The Connersseason 7 owes it to DJ to bring him back in the spinoff’s final outing.The Connersseason 7 can ignore Jerry Garcia Conner, since Roseanne and Dan’s youngest child was only mentioned in passing once in season 10. However, DJ was one of the spinoff’s main characters until only three seasons ago before he disappeared in season 5’s premiere. DJ deserves a fitting send-off, which means bringing him back for an onscreen appearance.
3The Conners Season 7 Must End David Healy’s Role In The Show
Roseanne’s Spinoff Never Knew What To Do With Johnny Galecki’s Character
Although Johnny Galecki’s David Healy did return inThe Conners, his role in the series was not what a lot of viewers might have expected fromRoseanne’s original run. David was an absentee father who left Darlene to raise Mark and Harris alone, resulting in some understandable anger from both his former love interest and his children. Although he and Darlene tried to make a romantic relationship work, Darlene eventually ended up finding love with her colleague Ben and marrying him.
David was last mentioned when he promised to attend Mark’s high school graduationin season 5’s finale “Grad Finale.” When he dropped out at the last minute, Mark was devastated and ended up giving a poignant speech about how Ben was more of a father to him than David. It was a sweet moment for the pair, butThe Connersseason 7 must explainwhat role David now plays in Mark and Harris’s lives. If Darlene’s children are estranged from their father, the spinoff should at least clarify this.
2The Conners Season 7 Needs To Address Anne-Marie Mitchell’s Story
Chuck Mitchell’s Wife Was Unwell In The Conners Season 4
In season 4, episode 15, “Messy Situation, Miscommunication, and Academic Probation,”Dan’s best friend Chuck Mitchel mentioned that his wife Anne-Marie was seriously ill. Anne-Marie had a stroke off-screen and Chuck was too busy with work to keep his house in order, resulting in Darlene and Dan pitching in to help him. This subplot was heart-warming, but viewers haven’t heard of Anne-Marie’s condition since. Since she has a limited role inThe Conners, it can be easy to forget that she was a close friend of Roseanne and Jackie for years.
James Pickens Jr. is likely busy with his commitments toGrey’s Anatomy, but this doesn’t mean thatThe Connerscan simply forget about Anne-Marie.
Anne-Marie had a major role inRoseanne’s original run, but neither she nor Chuck has been seen in recent seasons ofThe Conners. Actor James Pickens Jr. is likely busy with his commitments toGrey’s Anatomy, but this doesn’t mean thatThe Connerscan simply forget about Anne-Marie’s stroke. ForThe Connersseason 7 to properly endRoseanne’s story, the show must pick up on abandoned plots like this and confirm that Anne-Marie made a recovery or reveal that she is still unwell.
1Beverly Must Return In The Conners Season 7
Although Beverly and Jackie’s relationship has improved since Roseanne died, their season 6 storyline was too convenient for both characters. For years, Beverly was one of the most unflinching examples of abusive parenting on network TV. Although her barbed comments were sometimes played for laughs,RoseanneandThe Connersdidn’t play down the serious impact they had on Jackie and Roseanne’s confidence. This resulted in a frosty relationship that only thawed out when Jackie realized Bev had advanced dementia in season 5, episode 8, “Of Missing Minds and Fries.”
The Connersseason 7 needs to at least address Bev’s cross-country journey, but it should do more than that.
In season 6, Bev took part in an experimental drug trial and her dementia cleared up completely. She swiftly made peace with Jackie and Dan before heading on a cross-country rail journey, a twist that felt too optimistic to fit in the grounded world ofThe Conners. AlthoughThe Connersseason 7 doesn’t necessarily have to kill off Bev, the show should give her a less frantic and more fitting send-off as the show wraps up.
What made “Of Missing Minds and Fries”the best episode ofThe Connersto date was Jackie’s willingness to forgive her mother’s mistreatment of her and accept her flaws. This was poignant, dark, and believable where Bev’s season 6 exit felt rushed, cheery, and too convenient.The Connersseason 7 needs to at least address Bev’s cross-country journey, but it should do more than that. AsThe Connersends the storiesRoseanneset up years earlier, season 7 should see Bev reconnect with the next two generations of the eponymous family.
