Although The Conners sometimes ignores Roseanne’s entire existence, one season 4 episode saw the series nail Jackie and Dan’s respective attitudes toward their late sister and wife, respectively. The character of Roseanne casts a long shadow over The Conners. The Conners has endeavored to keep the memory of the character alive while also not valorizing her real-life actor ever since Roseanne Barr was fired from the series in 2017 over racist tweets.
However, there are a lot of Roseanne-related problems on The Conners despite the show’s best attempts to handle the character’s legacy. The titular family will occasionally make mean-spirited barbs about Roseanne as if she were still around, but these jokes can sound a little callous when the character died of an overdose only a few years ago in-universe. Other moments, like Dan eulogizing Roseanne in a heartfelt speech, rang true for the character but run the risk of being too schmaltzy for a show that prides itself on its sardonic sense of humor.
However, one scene in ”Big Negotiations and Broken Expectations” (season 4, episode 17) perfectly balanced these two approaches by contrasting Jackie and Dan’s respective attitudes toward Roseanne. As Darlene and Becky prepared to leave the Conner home and build a house of their own, Darlene wondered whether she should risk her job to bankroll this process by demanding a raise. This leads Jackie to note the fact that she and Roseanne took a huge risk opening a business together, only to then swiftly blame its subsequent failure on Roseanne. In contrast, Dan also notes that he and Roseanne also began a risky business together, only he takes full responsibility for its failure when Darlene mentions it. With these two distinct reactions, The Conners both added depth to Roseanne's legacy, while highlighting how she continues to shape two key remaining characters.
When Darlene notes that Jackie and Roseanne’s business went bust, Jackie concedes that is true with the addendum that “but that was your mother’s fault because she’s not here to defend herself.” Like The Conners explaining Jackie’s weird presence in the family home by having her delusionally see herself as a wise elder to the family, this explanation was perfectly in character for Laurie Metcalf’s kooky character. However, the ease with which Jackie dismissed Roseanne’s memory and blamed her late sister for their shared misfortune would not have fit Dan’s sweeter, more sentimental character, as proven by his reaction to the same criticism.
When Dan notes that he and Roseanne took a similar risk opening a bike shop and Darlene notes that went under too, he says that the experience at least proved he couldn't run a bike shop and says that he can now sleep sound with that dream behind him. Even years after Roseanne’s death, Dan still sees himself and Roseanne as a team, whereas her sister still views herself in competition with the fiery Roseanne. The scene illustrated the essential differences that made the trio’s dynamic work, as Dan and Roseanne were at their best when they were working together against the world, while Jackie and Roseanne were at their funniest when pitted against each other in a classic case of sibling rivalry. Drawing attention to these different dynamics proves that The Conners remembers Roseanne’s appeal, even if the series has largely avoided mentioning her directly.