The Conners has cast Matthew Broderick as Aunt Jackie’s love interest. The new show on ABC has chosen Broderick as the newest talent to join the channel’s Roseanne spinoff that is still working to gain its footing following the drama that has surrounded the series since its inception.

ABC announced plans for The Conners in June after Roseanne Barr’s Twitter controversy that caused the network to cancel its revival of her classic sitcom, Roseanne. The Conners follows the exploits of the Conner family without the character of Roseanne, whose absence is attributed to a death via an accidental opioid overdose. The series has met mostly encouraging reviews by critics since its premiere earlier this week on October 16.

Related: The Conners Wrote Roseanne Out In The Best Way Possible

Now The Conners will be adding in new talent with Matthew Broderick, who, according to The Wrap, has been cast in the role of Peter. The character will serve as a new love interest for Laurie Metcalf’s Aunt Jackie. Broderick will make his debut appearance on The Conners on its special Halloween episode on October 30.

Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf in The Conners

The love interests of the Conner family seem to be one of the main thrusts of the new series as creators work to establish a lively plot that will entertain fans who are skeptical of a series featuring the Conner family without its past leading lady. Earlier this month, it was announced that Justin Long will be joining The Conners as Darlene’s new love interest, Neil. Darlene’s love life might be one of the main plots behind The Conners’ first season, as Johnny Galecki is also slated to return in his role as Darlene’s estranged husband, David, in the series.

Despite ABC’s efforts to push The Conners along in attempts to move past the Roseanne Barr controversy that occurred earlier this year, fans of the original Roseanne are still struggling to reconcile Barr’s absence from her fictional family in spinoff. It remains to be seen how The Conners will fare in the long run and if it will survive without Roseanne herself, which has been a question surrounding the series ever since ABC announced plans for its creation. Nevertheless, adding strong comedic talents like Broderick will no doubt give the show an added boost of charisma that just might be the secret to having audiences at home move past the looming absence of Barr and grow to love new characters just as much as they did Roseanne.

More: Roseanne Barr Responds To Watching The Conners Kill Her Character

The Conners airs Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC.

Source: The Wrap