With The Conners now four years into its run as a spinoff, it has cemented its own TV legacy that can easily stand apart from its predecessor Roseanne, even if the two projects will always be intrinsically linked. The ABC sitcom has comfortably dropped in several story-based references to Roseanne Barr’s matriarch in Season 4 so far, from her minutely religious leanings to her addiction foreshadowing Mark’s pill-popping. While the set design and much of the furniture also serve as reminders of what came before, I know I’m not alone in thinking The Conners should also follow in Roseanne’s footsteps by finally updating its breakfast-themed opening titles sequence. And it just might happen, at least if things play out in a best-case-scenario kind of way.
Many fans would agree that a notable part of Roseanne’s charm came from the ever-evolving opening credits, and all the changed details that came with each new iteration. To date, The Conners has only delivered a single version of the food-filled sequence, which only gets more obvious each year as stars Ames McNamara and Jayden Rey continue to grow. So when CinemaBlend spoke with showrunner Bruce Helford and executive producer Dave Caplan going into the winter hiatus, I had to ask if there were any plans to change things up, especially now that Louise is a legally binding member of the family after that hectic wedding. Here’s how Helford answered:
We've been talking about it. I think it's gonna have to be updated. Honestly, it's one of the things we're experiencing a lot right now, is that with a lot of our actors, the availability of everybody is so scattered. And then, unfortunately, Katey had her accident. So we haven't had a chance to kind of get everybody in one place at one time. Everybody's been kind of out and about, and a lot of the actors have other gigs that they do, and things like that. But we've been talking about that; we've been talking about updating it. We're still talking about that. It would definitely happen before the end of the season if we're going to do it.
A strange feeling of vindication comes with hearing a TV show’s creative forces have been talking about something my own obsessive brain nerdishly won’t let go of. Which isn’t to say that anything will come of those conversations in the immediate future, but it’s certainly a good sign of what could happen. And again, the mild and relatively useless vindication!
Although let's be honest, it’s anybody’s guess whether it could feasibly come together before Season 4’s production is over. The fact that the world became increasingly more pandemic-torn over the holidays doesn’t make it too likely that everyone’s schedules and protocols matched up in such a way where the full cast was able to film a new opener. Not to mention Katey Sagal’s recovery process after she was hit by a car. Although obviously anything can happen — we did just witness Joe Walsh from The Eagles being introduced in fine fashion as Aldo’s dad — so we definitely won’t rule the possibility out just yet.
Not only would Sagal’s Louise need to be sitting around the table, but it might need to be a completely new table, depending on what her furniture needs are when she returns from being on tour. But I could definitely see Nat Faxon’s Neville being part of the group now, as well as Tony Cavalero’s Aldo, although his creepster kids are good to be with their mom that day. I’m sure Jay R. Ferguson’s Ben would be there, too, though Darlene would probably have him eating in a different room of the house.
As we wait to see how The Conners will reflect on its roots next in Season 4, be sure to keep watching new episodes premiering on ABC every Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.
