The Conners executive producers quash the theory about the tornado being a Roseanne reference. The Conners is a spin-off to the Roseanne reboot, which focuses on the lives of the titular family after the death of Roseanne Barr's matriarch. The show began airing in 2018 after the original series was canceled due to controversial comments made by Barr about a former government official, which many viewed as racist. Over the years, The Conners has developed into a thing of its own, cementing its place as one of the most popular comedies on television. The Conners season 3 was particularly praised for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the show is continuing to tackle more real-life issues in season 4, which is currently underway at ABC.
A key plot line in The Conners season 4 revolves around the slow-burn romance between Dan (John Goodman) and Louise (Katey Sagal), which culminated in a marriage in the show's most recent episode 404, "The Wedding of Dan and Louise." While the wedding did happen in the episode, it wasn't without its challenges. Right before the couple said their vows, the ceremony was interrupted by a tornado. The natural disaster led many fans to believe that the sequence was a particular nod to the original Roseanne series, which also saw a dangerous tornado strike Landford in the season 1 episode 20, "Toto, We're Not in Kansas Anymore."
Recently, during a conversation TV Line, The Conners' executive producers Bruce Helford and Dave Caplan cleared the air about the tornado in episode 404. The duo explained that the tornado wasn't meant to be a Roseanne reference, rather it was included in the show as it reflected Helford's own experience growing up in Chicago. The EP said that as a Midwestern American, he was survived more than one tornado in his life, and that is why it felt relevant to have an episode about it in The Conners. In fact, it was only after they had planned the episode that someone in the writers' room told them about the similar Roseanne episode narrative. Read what Helford and Caplan said below:
HELFORD: "No, actually. We had decided on the tornado and then someone in the writers’ room said to us, “You know, there was an episode about a tornado,” and my comment was, “Well, I’m from Chicago and there’s more than one tornado you live through in your life.” I experienced a lot of tornadoes. Some of this was also based on when I was a kid and we had my bar mitzvah. It occurred during one of the worst ice storms in Chicago’s history. On the drive to the synagogue, we hit three parked cars as my father was skidding around, trying to get there…"
CAPLAN: "We didn’t think it made sense for Dan to get bar mitzvahed at this point, so we went with the wedding instead. [Laughs]"
Although the tornado in The Conners season 4 may have not had anything to do with the original show, there will still be some callbacks to the original Roseanne series in the coming episodes. As explained by Caplan and Helford, The Conners has never "shied away from discussing Roseanne Conner’s impact on the family." So now that Dan is married again, "there are things that come up," that are connected to his relationship with his late wife. It's unclear how those references will play out in the story, but judging by the hints that Caplan and Helford have left, it appears that they will happen in the form of comparisons between Louise and Roseanne's different approaches toward the family.
Clearly, the tornado wasn't an intentional nod to Roseanne. Yet still, there is no denying that it felt very special, as it reminded fans of the beloved 1990s sitcom. The Conners usually focuses on the lives of its characters moving forward, which gives the show a sense of creative independence. Often, however, the series also benefits from its rich history, as there is a lot to talk about and explore there, too. This entertaining mix of new and old stories is one of the reasons why the show is so different from the rest of the sitcoms currently airing on TV. No doubt The Conners will continue cashing in on this blend of nostalgia and freshness to keep both returning and new audiences hooked.
Source: TV Line