The Conners could very well bring back George Clooney as Booker Brooks, though showrunner Bruce Helford admits that it's unlikely. In 2018, ABC revived their iconic sitcom Roseanne to great success, but racist comments from star Roseanne Barr led the network to cut ties with the actress. However, they chose to keep the world of Roseanne going with The Conners, a spin-off centered on the titular blue-collar family following the offscreen death of Roseanne. The Conners has been a success since it premiered in the fall of 2018, and it just returned for its third season last night.
The Conners' season 3 premiere, "Keep on Truckin' Six Feet Apart," followed the show's tradition of tackling real world events by bringing the coronavirus pandemic to its characters. Patriarch Dan (John Goodman) reveals industrial company Wellman Plastics, which has ties to the early days of Roseanne, is hiring people following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) reminiscing about her former Wellman boss and love interest Booker, who was played by an early career (as in, pre-ER) George Clooney.
The Conners' season premiere even featured a clip from Roseanne of Booker flirting with Jackie, which led to TVLine discussing the trip down memory lane with Helford. "As soon as we decided that Darlene and Becky would work on the Wellman line like their mom and Jackie before them, we knew it’d be fun to pop in a memory of George. There’s such a rich history to this show and we have the unique gift to be able to flash back to earlier times with our characters, so we pick carefully," Helford said. Now that Wellman is poised to play a big part in The Conners' season 3, and the show itself has recalled Booker, the question is: Could Clooney possibly return? Helford coyly said, "George knows there’s an open invitation to come visit the show, but we knew his schedule would be tough and even tougher in these times. But who knows what the future may bring?"
Even if Clooney doesn't make a reappearance on The Conners, it sounds like there may be some other familiar faces joining the Wellman ranks. "We are revealing some Wellman execs as we go," Helford revealed, "and some of [them] are very close to home." Exactly what he means by that has yet to be seen, but it sounds like Conners viewers might need to brace themselves for more fun appearances. The Conners' season 3 cast already received a new member in the form of Jay R. Ferguson, and recent seasons have featured guest stars like Clark Gregg, Johnny Galecki, and Katey Segal. In short, anything can happen in season 3.
Beyond the coronavirus pandemic, The Conners will once again delve into politics. Helford previously revealed The Conners hastened to complete a presidential election-themed episode, coming months after the show conducted a live episode for the New Hampshire primary. Through it all, it's certain the titular family will continue to grapple with everyday obstacles in comedic ways. The only thing that could make season 3 more intriguing is a surprise Clooney appearance, though fans probably shouldn't get their hopes up.
The Conners season 3 airs on Wednesday nights on ABC.
Source: TVLine