The Conners rushed to ensure that season 3 will have an election-themed episode. The beloved sitcom is a spinoff of ABC show Roseanne, which was cancelled after a racist tweet from star Roseanne Barr. As such, The Conners instead focuses on the eponymous, blue collar family, who learn to adapt to life after Roseanne Conner's death via opiate overdose.
After a brief production delay to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Conners resumed filming season 3 in August, albeit without a live studio audience. Interestingly enough, one of season 3's main storylines will focus on COVID-19 and the impact of the pandemic on working class families. More specifically, showrunners have revealed that Jackie's Lunch Box will be financially impacted by the virus, while Dan will grapple with late mortgage payments.
Related: The Conners Explains Why Dan & Jackie Still Put Up With Each Other
The Wrap reports that showrunner Bruce Helford says that season 3 will include an episode focused on the 2020 election. Helford states that there was some initial uncertainty around when season 3 would premiere; as such, when showrunners discovered The Conners would air on October 28, they decided to add episodes focused on the build-up to the 2020 election. To this point, Helford acknowledges the current political polarization within the United States and highlights that The Conners would address this in season 3. You can see Helford's full quote below:
“As far as the election and all that, we didn’t know exactly what our airdates would be for a while, because everyone was trying to figure that out. But once we found out that we were going to be on the air on Oct. 28, we rushed into production to do an episode that discusses Halloween, for one thing, because Halloween won’t be the same this year. So the Conners are going to find a way to make it right. And maybe it will give families a way to kind of figure out how to do it a little better at their own homes without being able to go out and trick-or-treat because of COVID. And we’re going to be discussing the polarization in America and what’s going on before the election. So we’re going to be very much on top of all of it.”
This isn't the first time that The Conners has incorporated politics into its episodes. One particularly memorable example is The Connors' New Hampshire primary special, which used real-time ABC News coverage in the live episode. That being said, while The Conners is venturing further into the world of politics, they are far from the first sitcom to highlight socio-political issues through its characters and plots; instead, shows such as The Boondocks have long presented an equally sharp view on politics and class.
Aside from Helford's news, there's a lot to look forward to in season 3 as well. For one, Jay R. Ferguson - who plays Ben on The Conners - has been promoted to a series regular, which means audience members will likely see much more of Ben and Darlene's relationship. That being said, tensions are sure to be at an all-time high over the next month, with America inching closer towards the next presidential election. Even so, it's somewhat comforting to know that The Conners will be back on air soon enough - and that America's favorite family will be navigating these uncertain times alongside their viewers.
The Conners season 3 premieres Wednesday, Oct. 21 on ABC.
Source: The Wrap