The Conners wrapped up its first season with storylines that could easily get expanded in Season 2, such as Jackie's drunken break-up, Emilio's deportation, and more. Perhaps the biggest quasi-cliffhanger involved Sara Gilbert's Darlene and Johnny Galecki's David, whose potential rekindling was left unfinished. Of course, for that relationship to continue, Galecki would probably need to be around a lot more in Season 2. Could it happen? Here's what the actor said:
I think I need a little bit of space from being a series regular again. [That] is a very fortunate problem to have. . . . I certainly hope to visit as much as possible. That’s kind of my second home.
As TV fans are no doubt well aware, Johnny Galecki is part of the ensemble cast at the heart of The Big Bang Theory, which has been primetime's biggest comedy for years now. Of course, Big Bang is finally coming to an end on CBS this year after twelve seasons, so Galecki will be without a day job for the first time in that many years (unless there's a spinoff). And as he also put it to TVLine, he still has "a bit of a high school crush" on his formerly-in-Roseanne character.
While he might not want to spend ALL of that newly gathered free time rocking denim jackets as David Healy on The Conners, he certainly sounds willing to put in more than two episodes in the future. It totally makes sense that David wouldn't necessarily be around for every single episode anyway, there shouldn't be as much pressure on Johnny Galecki to take on another "series regular" gig so soon after The Big Bang Theory ends.
To be sure, ABC hasn't ordered up a second season of The Conners yet, but that renewal has been a foregone assumption since the highly viewed premiere. (Not as popular as Roseanne was, but this is still the most-watched new show of the fall season.) So it's unclear if the network would dish out another shorter season of ten or eleven episodes, or if a full 22-ep order would be preferable to all. That count would obviously also factor into Galecki's decision.
If Johnny Galecki's David does return to The Conners more in Season 2, then the road is already half-paved for him to attempt a new relationship with Darlene. In the Season 1 finale, David broke up with Blue, and Darlene laid it out there for Ben that she wasn't interested in moving to Chicago. Her reasons may have been slightly off base, but she got the point across.
Should Darlene and David get back together, that obviously doesn't mean it'll be the most problem-free reunion. Especially when Dan is going to be around al the time. It would be interesting to see an episode where the two of them getting out and having a picnic with their kids and another family, since there wasn't anything like that in Season 1. I guess Harris has burned too many bridges for family picnics, but it's a nice thought.
One wonders what might have happened had the Roseanne controversy stalled The Conners' series order and pushed the premiere back to later than its fall start. Is it possible that Johnny Galecki would have been able to find more time to show up as David, or would he have been a little too burnt out by that point? I guess we'll never know.
The Conners is currently awaiting news about a second season, but there are still many excellent shows hitting ABC and other networks all across the midseason premiere schedule.
