With the premiere of the Roseanne spinoff closer than ever, there is news surrounding the returning cast members set to reprise their roles for The Conners. Now comes confirmation that more actors have signed on the dotted line, meaning The Conners has welcomed more members of the family to the spinoff's fold. We already knew that Dan, Darlene, Jackie, Becky, and DJ would be back, but what of the family's younger set? Now, we know the answer.
Darlene's and DJ's children will be back! Actors Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, and Jayden Rey have all signed on to reprise their roles from the Roseanne revival, per TVLine. And making the news even better, all of them have signed on as series regulars for the spinoff. Emma Kenney will reprise her role as Darlene's eldest child, Harris.
Jayden Rey will return as D.J.'s daughter Mary. With the good news of The Conners bringing all of the young actors on as series regulars, it means that Jayden Rey has joined The Conners with a promotion. Rey was billed as a recurring guest star during her run on the Roseanne revival. Viewers will likely get to see even more of her in the spinoff, especially since Roseanne Barr won't be getting any screen time.
Rounding out the casting news is that Ames McNamara will return as Darlene's eldest child, Mark. With that in mind, it means that none of the younger Conners introduced in the Roseanne revival have had to be recast, which is not the case for Fox's revival of Last Man Standing. Would Mark really be the same if played by somebody other than Ames McNamara? The young actor wasn't in the spotlight for the entire Roseanne revival, but he was a fun addition who fit right into the cast.
With the characters' parents already on board, it would have been strange for their kids not to have followed suit. The series retconned most of its original finale for the revival, so stranger things have happened. Albeit, this is certainly a much better outcome for the spinoff to be able to work with. Announced back in June, the spinoff has taken just over two months for the younger cast to be secured for The Conners.
The news also means that the Roseanne spinoff will be able to explore the younger members of the Conners family's respective storylines. With Jayden Rey receiving a promotion, it could mean that there will be more in store for Rey's Mary. Time will tell for certain. The return of the revival season's youngest stars should help smooth the transition to the spinoff.
With this latest installment of casting news, The Conners has made another step forward in its journey towards its premiere. John Goodman may have already revealed a strong hint about a crucial story point for the spinoff series. Prospective viewers have more than a month left to see how the spinoff shakes out. Goodman will be joined in the new series by his former co-stars Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf, original Becky Lecy Goranson, and Michael Fishman.
The Conners premieres Tuesday, October 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. For new series to watch while you wait for the premiere of The Conners, check out CinemaBlend's summer premiere guide. For other new television shows set to arrive alongside the sitcom, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's fall premieres. For other new content coming to ABC, you can check out the network's fall premiere schedule here.
