The Connersis a sitcom that originally premiered in 2018 as a continuation to the hit showRoseanne,following the firing of Roseanne Barr, the original show’s main star. Moving away from the character Roseanne,The Connersfocuses on the members of the Conner family, mainly Darlene, Becky, Dan, and Jackie, who are all navigating through life without Roseanne for the first time, while supporting each other and the rest of the family. Since the show began in 2018, it’s covered important topics such as addiction and alcoholism, family drama, gun violence, COVID, the cost of living crisis and loss.
Although the show has been very successful in recent years, when the show was first released, audience members were skeptical about what the show would be like without Roseanne. It didn’t take too long forthe show to get over Roseanneand make a name for itself without the character.The Connersis able to stand strong by itself by making sure Roseanne is not forgotten, and is regularly mentioned throughout the series.Many of Roseanne’s character traits are also seen through many of the show’s characters, allowing a sense of Roseanne’s character and spirit to remain in the show.
I’m So Glad The Conners Moved On From Roseanne To Save The Reboot
Roseanne’s 2017 revival betrayed the original show’s message, but killing off Roseanne herself allowed The Conners to bring back its secret weapon.
“There Won’t Be Blood” Was When The Conners Moved Beyond Roseanne
The Halloween Episode Proved That The Conners Didn’t need Roseanne Anymore
A staple of every season of the original run ofRoseannewas the Halloween episode, which would be full of incredible sets, costumes, and tricks on the characters.Every season would include some kind of Halloween episode. This is no different forThe Conners.The first Halloween episode ofThe Connerswas the third episode of the first season, titled “There Won’t Be Blood”. This episode was the turning point that allowed the show to move away from the character of Roseanne asthe episode proved that The Conners could still do Halloween just as well, without Roseanne’s help.
The episode focuses on two main storylines. This first one includes Darlene’s son Mark. When the school bans his Frida Kahlo costume due to cultural appropriation, Darlene starts an argument with the school, speaking up against their policies and standing up for her son’s rights. The second storyline focuses on Jackie and her new boyfriend, Peter. Jackie introduces Peter to her family at the annual Halloween party, but Dan disapproves of him, causing a wedge between himself and Jackie. Both storylines join together by the end of the episode as everyone meets up by attending the Conners' Halloween party.
How Darlene Became Roseanne’s Replacement
ThroughoutThe ConnersDarlene Becomes The New ‘Roseanne’
It’s in the episode “There Won’t Be Blood” thatDarlene begins to exhibit Roseanne’s motherly instinct for her kids. At the start of the episode, when she tells Mark that he can’t wear his Halloween costume as it’s against school rules, she was willing to just sit back and do nothing, accepting it. Halfway through the episode, it was Becky that reminded her that Roseanne wouldn’t have let the school get away with banning the costume. Darlene decided to look out for her son, and she went to the school to cause a fuss and complain, acting just like Roseanne.
Darlene is filling Roseanne’s role in the show, since Roseanne isn’t around anymore.
After this turning point of the show, Darlene began to exhibit a lot of Roseanne’s qualities, allowing the character to live on through her. Her humor and dominant role in all of her relationships in the show, as well as her over-protective parenting techniques,mirror the characteristics of Roseanne from the original show.Darlene even ends up working in the same plastic factory that Roseanne worked at in the first season of her show in 1988, showing that Darlene is filling Roseanne’s role in the show, since Roseanne isn’t around anymore.
Dan Looks Out For Jackie Because Roseanne Can’t
Dan critiques Jackie’s Dating Life To Protect Her, The Same Way Roseanne Used To
Jackie has always been unlucky in love, but in the original show, she always had Roseanne looking out for her and protecting her from all of her terrible relationships, but now that Roseanne is gone, it’s up to Dan. In the episode “There Won’t be Blood”, Jackie introduced her new boyfriend, Peter to the family, but it soon became clear that Peter was using Jackie for her money. Dan tried his best to take Roseanne’s place and tell Jackie that he disapproves of the relationship, buthe was met with a frosty reception from Jackie, just like Roseanne would have.
Jackie and Dan’s bond has grown a lot, and they have become closer since the original show, allowing Jackie to still have someone looking out for her, even if that isn’t Roseanne.
A few episodes later, it was clear to Jackie that Dan was right, so she ended the relationship and forgave her brother-in-law. After this moment and throughoutThe Conners,Jackie and Dan’s bond has grown a lot, and they have become closer since the original show, allowing Jackie to still have someone looking out for her, even if that isn’t Roseanne.
