Updated with video.
Whenever The Conners welcomes new characters into the dysfunctional fold, it usually means some form of bad news for the titular family, whether it's local business owners turning Darlene down for work or old classmates returning to reignite past rivalries. That pattern rang similarly true when The View's Whoopi Goldberg traded off morning chats for sitcom spats for a recent guest spot, where she played Mark's music teacher who also had personal history with Jackie. Thankfully, that discomfort didn't bleed over behind the scenes, as Lecy Goranson told CinemaBlend the EGOT comedienne was an absolute delight on the set. while also sharing what kinds of guest stars she'd love to see stopping by the ABC show.
Whoopi Goldberg appeared in Episode 517, "The Contra Hearings and the Midnight Gambler," taking on the role of Mrs. Glen. And while she wasn't a big barrel of smiling laughter the whole time, given her non-ideal relationship with the fam, she did get to dish out some signature Whoopi snark by way of Mrs. Glen ripping on the Conners' sliding scale of domestic class. She apparently dropped the character's aloofness when the cameras stopped rolling, though, as Lecy Goranson shared just how pleased she was to have the Star Trek vet as a guest star.
We absolutely loved having Whoopi on the show. She was so great. For someone who's that famous, she is completely down to earth, great with the crew, just completely a professional and someone you want to hang out with. It was such a delight. And she's hilarious. It was just like a win-win-win-win-win.
That's five different "wins," and only three of them made it into the headline. Whoopi Goldberg got wins for days.
Since it sounded like she and other cast members were able to spend a decent amount of time with Goldberg during her visit, I asked Lecy Goranson how that usually went with Conners guest stars (particularly outside of pandemic-related setbacks). In her words:
There's some time. I mean, there's a lot of time in between scenes, in between shots, turning the camera around. So those are the times. It's not like single cam, where you can do that a lot. But even on a sitcom, we have those times where we're just waiting - maybe the writers are rewriting, or they're switching something, or they're moving cameras or whatever. So we got quite a bit of time to enjoy her.
The last time The Conners focused a plotline on Mark's contrabassoon skills, Hollywood icon Christopher Lloyd served as the wowzers guest star, reprising the role he originated in Roseanne. Assuming Mark's talents pop up again in the coming episodes, should we expect to see another major cameo as his new instructor? Or, since things went so well the first time around, maybe Whoopi Goldberg will be asked to return for a more genial experience with the Lanford fam.
Two Guest Stars Lecy Goranson Would Love To Have On The Conners
Considering all the guest stars that have brought their talents to the ABC sitcom, with Season 5 alone serving up icons like William H. Macy and SNL vet Jane Curtain to share the screen with Katey Sagal and John Goodman, I asked Lecy Goranson about who she would love to welcome to the show in the future, whether as a love interest for Becky or in other capacities. First and foremost, she would love more theatre actors, and has two particular fan-favorite stars of the stage and screen in mind for potential Conners appearances.
I've been in New York for a long time. and there's so many great stage people here. It's one thing that I miss when I'm in L.A., because it's hard — a lot of casting doesn't happen taking actors from New York. But who do I love? You know, someone like Mike Shannon, who's from Chicago, would be great. Maybe not like Becky's love interest, but I love John Turturro, who is one of my favorite actors. Gosh, or who else do I think? I don't know. There's so many, but I think more people that have some theatre background, so they could really, you know, deliver the goods.
It probably goes without saying how amaze(bowling)balls it would be if John Turturro signed on for a Conners appearance, since he and John Goodman co-starred in one of the coolest damned movies of all time, The Big Lebowski. (You just know The Dude would go gaga for some of the rugs, sofa throws and more from the Conners' home over the years.) He's currently starring in Apple TV+'s Severance, which is on the other side of the TV spectrum tonally from the ABC hit, but it'd be the perfect way for him to go against type, amirite?
And who wouldn't want General Zod himself to have a reason to make Lanford kneel before him? Not that Michael Shannon would be playing the DC villain on The Conners, but he'd no doubt bring the same amount of intensity that he embues into every role. He's also currently busy promoting his latest small screen foray, as he's back for the follow-up miniseries Waco: The Aftermath, which will premiere on Showtime on April 16.
I'm not sure what I can personally do to make either of those casting choices happen, but if it involves sitting down and writing about it from my home office, I think we're in good shape. In the meantime, The Conners' next episode is set to air on ABC on Wednesday, April 19, and will be available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are popping up soon.
