I think it's safe to say The Conners has been as reflective as ever in Season 3, with storylines that dipped harder into dramatic waters than past seasons. (I guess nothing can be more dramatic than matriarch Roseanne's death via overdose, but still.) From Becky's alcoholism and rehab to Dan's everlasting financial woes to Darlene and Ben's questionable future. It's time for this family and its fanbase to hear some good news, so let's celebrate the fact that former Conners star Maya Lynne Robinson will be making her long-awaited return for the Season 3 finale.
As fans no doubt remember, Maya Lynne Robinson portrayed Geena Williams-Conner throughout the first season of The Conners, having been cast once Roseanne's cancellation gave way to the spinoff. As D.J.'s wife and Mary's mother, Geena gets referenced on occasion, but she hasn't been seen in person on the show since the eleventh episode of Season 1, as the character was redeployed to Afghanistan at some point before Season 2 kicked off. Thankfully, Mary and D.J. won't be forced to talk to her via video calls, but they'll actually get to see and hug her again.
Not that Maya Lynne Robinson's return as Geena will be a candy-coated dreamscape free from potentially important moments. Upon making it back into the Conners' household, Geena lays down some big life-altering decisions, according to TVLine, and those decisions will indeed change things up for D.J. and Mary, though it's not exactly clear how.
The most optimistic guess is that Maya Lynne Robinson will be returning to the show in full for a potential Season 4, assuming it gets renewed. Though that would be more of a blessing for The Conners fans, and less so for audiences waiting to hear more about The Unicorn, the Walton Goggins-starring dramedy that Robinson was cast for that led her to exit The Conners. If CBS renews The Unicorn for Season 3, Geena's return will be necessarily temporary, but if the network opts to pull the plug, Robinson might not have to look far to find her next job.
Of course, it's also possible that Geena's return will shake up The Conners cast even further. We know the Season 3 finale is setting up to deliver two different marriage proposals, though we don't know exactly which couples will be potentially tying the knot. Regardless, that implies fun and celebratory things happening in the episode, so what if Geena's arrival plays to the opposite end of the comedy/drama spectrum? What if she asks D.J. and Mary to go and live with her at a military base somewhere, and what if they accept her offer?
Granted, that's probably not going to happen, as I'm sure no one behind the scenes of The Conners wants to say goodbye to another original franchise star in Michael Fishman. But considering the show brought back Danielle Harris' Molly earlier in Season 3 just to kill her off in the next episode (for narratively sound reasons), it's hard to predict where showrunner Bruce Helford is taking things.
The Conners airs Wednesday nights on ABC at 9:00 p.m. ET, with the Season 3 finale set to air on May 19, just in time for the 2021 Summer TV season to kick off in earnest.
