The Conner family on ABC went through a whole lot of ups and downs in the past year, and not just because of what they went through on camera. After the smash hit Roseanne revival abruptly got the axe, most of the cast returned with The Conners as a spinoff. Surprisingly, ABC has not dropped news of whether The Conners will or will not be back for a second season, even though Season 1 ended a couple of weeks ago already. Well, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke has revealed why.
Although they’re “close” to a renewal, as Karey Burke explained following her TCA executive session (via Deadline), ABC is still finalizing deals with members of the core cast. So, fans of The Conners don’t need to despair that the show will absolutely never follow up on the intense Season 1 finale. While nothing is set in stone just yet, it sounds like it’s only a matter of time before ABC irons out deals to bring the key members of the cast back.
The second season will reportedly run for 13 episodes, which is a boost from the 11-episode first season. It is also a boost from the first season of the Roseanne revival, although I expect that a second revival season of Roseanne would have scored an order for as many episodes as could be produced, considering its ratings. Roseanne was even renewed for another season, but it got the axe after star Roseanne Barr fired off a controversial tweet. ABC wasted no time in cancelling the show in response.
The network wasn’t ready to let go of the Conner family at that point, though, which was hardly surprising. The revival was smashing ratings records until it was cancelled, and likely would have done well in a second season. There was the sticky issue of how a Roseanne series could continue without Roseanne Barr, as it was clear that the former leading lady would not be welcomed back.
The Conners brought back the rest of the family without Roseanne, and the solution for the problem of Roseanne’s absence was solved in a way that did not make Roseanne Barr happy at all. The way she was written out (which was actually kinda spoiled by John Goodman well before Barr spoiled it) was that Roseanne Conner had overdosed on pain medication and died. All things considered, it was a heavy way to start a new sitcom.
The spinoff never hit the same ratings as its parent show, but enough people tuned in that ABC is apparently working toward the official renewal. The end of The Big Bang Theory over on CBS could mean more Johnny Galecki in Season 2, and Becky will have plenty of personal issues to deal with.
There’s no news of when the second season could premiere; given the likely 13-episode order, I wouldn’t be surprised if ABC held Season 2 for midseason. Roseanne’s revival originally held a midseason slot, and The Conners could be a good fit there as well. Only time will tell. For your viewing options while we wait for more on The Conners, check out our midseason TV premiere schedule.
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