The Conners is having to write out a character for Season 2. The reason being the star who plays the role is leaving for another comedy on another network. Who is exiting? For now, actress Maya Lynne Robinson. She portrayed DJ’s wife and Mary’s mother, Geena, throughout the spinoff’s first season.
Maya Lynne Robinson is leaving to star in CBS’ new sitcom, The Unicorn, in a full-time capacity. What does this mean for The Conners' Geena when the show returns this fall? The Conners is going to write Geena off in a way that reasonably explains her absence and leaves the door open for her to return.
Geena is a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army. Hence, Geena’s career in the military will be utilized to explain her departure. How will she be written off? The Conners showrunner, Bruce Helford, explained how they would handle the exit of Maya Lynne Robinson’s Geena, telling TVLine:
Geena has been redeployed to Afghanistan. DJ will be back to being a single dad, and needing his family’s help in raising Mary.
There is some good news. There is a strong chance that fans of The Conners could see Geena again. The series’ showrunner expressed hope that Maya Lynne Robinson would be able to guest star at some point in the future. It would be easy to do. Geena could have a video call with her family or eventually return.
There are reportedly no current plans to recast the role. Fans will recall that Maya Lynne Robinson took over the part of Geena from The Mindy Project’s Xosha Roquemore. Roquemore played Geena on the Roseanne revival. Robinson took over the role when The Conners spinoff got the greenlight. She subsequently played Geena throughout the series' first season.
Now that Geena is away, DJ will be parenting his and Geena’s daughter with the help of his family. The Conners will be losing the presence of one family member and welcoming another.
Becky is set to welcome her first child in Season 2. The second season will be comprised of more episodes than the first. So, there will be more episodes for The Conners to explore how DJ and Mary are handling Geena’s deployment.
Johnny Galecki will be back for Season 2, and he has already shared the first look at his return. Wanted back for the second season is Katey Sagal as Louise, who had a romantic interest in Dan. The Conners’ producers were reportedly interested in expanding her role in the second season.
If and when Geena eventually returns, The Conners should have followed quite a few life-changing events. It took a while to get renewed, but it is on its way back! The spinoff will return later this month on ABC. When exactly?
The Conners will be among this fall’s premieres. Season 2 premieres Tuesday, September 24 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
