The Conners went in some bold new directions throughout its second season, ranging from its live episode to Dan's potential heartbreak from beyond the grave. The hit ABC show hasn't been renewed for Season 3 just yet, but that's evidently not because the network isn't interested in continuing the Conner family's stories. In fact, Season 3 apparently just got one step closer to happening.
Sara Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Lecy Goranson have closed new deals for a third season, according to Deadline, with the deals for a season running for 19 episodes. Notably, the second season will run for 19 episodes by the time it wraps at the end of April.
The holdup on the official renewal is reportedly that The Conners' production company Werner Entertainment needs to close a license-fee deal with ABC, with conversations already underway. Even though The Conners was already renewed for Season 2 at this point last year, fans don't need to despair that another renewal won't come.
The new deals evidently give Sara Gilbert, John Goodman, and Laurie Metcalf increases in their paychecks, which were reportedly $375,000 per episode in Season 2. Lecy Goranson's Season 2 paycheck is said to have been lower than the other three big names at $165,000 per episode, resulting in a larger increase for the likely third season.
While The Conners hasn't been hitting the same kinds of numbers as the Roseanne revival that allowed the actors to begin playing their iconic characters again, it does rank as ABC's most-watched comedy series of the 2019-2020 TV season, with a current average audience of 7.9 million viewers. Considering ABC is one of the biggest broadcast networks when it comes to comedies, The Conners staying on top of the competition is no small deal.
Fortunately for fans who are still waiting for confirmation of a third season, they don't have to worry about Season 2 coming to a premature end. Despite many broadcast TV shows having to cut their seasons short due to production shutdowns, The Conners was able to complete production. That's not to say the season won't end on a cliffhanger; if it does end on a cliffhanger, at least it will be one that the Conners team planned on!
ABC's apparent interest in Season 3 is just the latest sign that The Conners can do just fine despite the Roseanne Barr scandal and subsequent in-universe death of Roseanne Conner. In fact, Dan moving on from the death of his wife has been a significant storyline involving Sons of Anarchy veteran Katey Sagal, who was "thrilled" to return to the comedy.
The ratings got a nice bump from the live episode, and although the next episode couldn't hold on to those numbers, the show can clearly still grab an audience. Considering the current production halt on TV shows could mean a shortage of freshman shows in the 2020-2021 season, The Conners could be a hot commodity with a third season.
You can catch new episodes of the rest of The Conners Season 3 airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m.. ET on ABC. For some viewing options once The Conners wraps for the season, check out our 2020 midseason premiere schedule, and be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV and movie news.
