The Roseanne retooling The Conners recently married Dan off to a new woman, but which the show’s recurring characters were missing from the big day? As far as straightforward slice-of-life sitcoms go, The Conners has a complicated relationship with its past. Like The Simpsons, its continuity is confusing, although, in the case of The Conners, this is less of a conscious creative choice and more of a reaction to real-life events.
The Conners began life as the sitcom Roseanne, debuting way back in 1988. The story of a working-class family, Roseanne was a relatable, light-hearted look at the flawed but lovable Conners clan. At the center of the sitcom was its titular star, Roseanne Barr. Although her stardom never translated to the big screen, Barr was a household name throughout the '90s thanks to Roseanne’s enduring popularity.
Roseanne went off the air in 1997 after a disastrous ninth season whose divisive finale saw the show reveal Roseanne’s husband Dan secretly died in season 8. However, this death was retconned when the show was revived in 2017 to critical success and solid ratings, only for Barr’s racist remarks on social media to almost make Roseanne season 10 its last. The show fired Barr and killed off Roseanne, with the series becoming The Conners after her sudden exit. However, this abrupt retool left many supporting characters from Roseanne adrift between the original show and its soft reboot, as proven by how many characters were missing from The Conners’ Dan and Louise wedding.
According to TV Line, many figures from the shared Roseanne/The Conners canon were only notably absent from the episode because of COVID-related filming restrictions or overlapping schedule commitments, but other absences went unexplained.
Chuckie Mitchell
Chuck is one of Dan’s oldest friends and a major Roseanne figure who has appeared on the series throughout its incarnations. However, his absence from the wedding episode has been addressed and explained by The Conners showrunners, who were evidently aware fans would wonder what happened to Dan’s buddy. According to executive producers Bruce Helford and Dave Caplan in an interview with TV Line, Chuck actor James Pickens Jr’s pre-existing commitment to Grey's Anatomy resulted in his absence from the outing, as he has a “really hardcore schedule” on the show. With no bad blood between the productions, there is no reason to think that Chuck won’t put in another appearance on The Conners once the actor’s schedule opens up again and, until then, the episode’s hurricane offered more than ample explanation for the character’s absence from the event.
Beverly Harris
The only recurring character to appear in every season of the series, Estelle Parsons’ Beverly Harris might be the most notable figure absent from The Conners’ wedding episode. According to the show’s creators (via TV Line), “it’s very hard for Estelle Parsons to travel right now,” and this explanation does align with her character’s absence throughout the rest of The Conners season 4 so far. While Beverly did technically appear in "Jeopardé, Sobrieté, and Infidelité" (season 3, episode 19), the advanced age of her actor made the production reticent about asking Parsons to travel during the pandemic and her cameo was limited to a FaceTime call as a result.
Crystal
A long-time staple of the original Roseanne series, Crystal was Roseanne’s childhood friend who could not have been less like the anarchic title character. High strung and neurotic, Crystal was nonetheless a loyal friend whose personality contrasted well with Barr’s freewheeling anti-heroine. She played a major role in the episode "Netflix and Pill" (season 10, episode 8), which introduced the title character’s secret opioid addiction that would eventually lead to Roseanne’s death after her actor's suspension. Since then, she appeared twice in season one of The Conners but has not been seen on the series since, meaning this may be a case of a recurring character being written out for good to distance The Conners from its earlier incarnation Roseanne. Crystal was last seen leaving retirement and returning to work as a casino waitress, meaning she could reasonably return in future episodes. However, after a two-season stretch without hearing from Crystal, her absence from the wedding may mean the character will not be heard from again.
Geena
DJ’s wife Geena put in numerous appearances in Roseanne season 10 but has only appeared on The Conners once despite the character returning from military service in Afghanistan to spend more time with her family. She was last seen onscreen in The Conners season 3 finale where Geena put in a brief cameo appearance but was inexplicably absent from Dan and Louise’s wedding. Unlike Chuckie and Beverly, Geena’s absence is easier for The Conners to excuse. The character is close with DJ but less connected to Dan and Louise, and DJ’s presence at the wedding means the absence of his wife (possibly due to the creators maintaining social distancing guidelines onset) is one of the less glaring choices in the episode.
Ed Jr
As Dan’s half-brother, Ed Conner Jr could reasonably have been expected at Dan and Louise’s wedding. However, the minor character only appeared three times during season 2 of The Conners and was not seen in season 3. Despite Dan and Ed warming to one another, the pair are far from close and it is not unreasonable for Ed Jr to be absent from his half-brother’s wedding (doubly so when his mother, Crystal, also could not make the event). The hurricane that derailed the wedding could be the reason Ed Jr couldn’t travel in series or Dan may have chosen against inviting his half-brother, making this another absence that The Conners can reasonably explain without upsetting the canon of the Roseanne reboot.
Dwight
Last seen in "Panic Attacks, Hardware Store and Big Mouth Billy Bass" (season 3, episode 11), Dwight is a friend of Dan’s who is absent from the wedding despite appearing consistently throughout The Conners' first three seasons. While Stephen Monroe Taylor’s character has not yet been seen on-screen in season 4, that is no reason to believe that the recurring Conners guest star is gone for good. Rather, Taylor’s commitments to On The Verge and Mom may have overlapped with the shooting schedule of The Conners, or the character’s absence from the wedding episode may be due to the limitations imposed on the Roseanne retooling by COVID-19 restrictions.
Source: TV Line