The Conners is packed with sitcom legends thanks to its very status as a Roseanne spinoff, but now Darlene's need for guidance following the Season 3 finale is bringing another sitcom icon into the fold. Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame is joining The Conners Season 4 to play what could be a key role in picking up Darlene's storyline where it left off.
Jason Alexander is slated to appear in two episodes of The Conners Season 4 as a guest star, according to TVLine. He definitely won't be playing George Costanza 2.0 for any Seinfeld fans, however. His Conners character will be Pastor Phil, who comes on board as a speaker at a meeting of Becky's Alcoholics Anonymous group, but it will be Darlene who gets some insight from the cleric who brings a rebellious past to his unconventional approach when she joins her sister at the meeting.
Fortunately, Pastor Phil is a character that will make full use of Jason Alexander's comedic talents, as he'll be a pastor who uses humor in his approach. He's also apparently going to be brutally honest, which should definitely deliver some laughs... and which may or may not be exactly what Sara Gilbert's Darlene needs after the breakup with Ben at the end of Season 3. Despite its status as a sitcom, The Conners doesn't shy away from some heavy storylines, with the Season 3 finale as the latest example.
Darlene's plan to propose to Ben in the Season 3 finale took a heartbreaking turn when Ben not only turned her down, but also broke up with her. Her tendency to put just about everything else ahead of their relationship got to be too much for him, leaving Darlene facing a future without Ben rather than a future with him as her husband as she'd intended. Maybe not quite as heavy as what Becky had to go through, but it's no wonder that Darlene could use some spiritual guidance, especially when her dad's proposal to Louise went so much better.
Speaking with CinemaBlend following the finale that featured the breakup, The Conners executive producer Dave Caplan revealed that even the writers room was split about how far Darlene could push Ben and how much he could put up with and which of the two was being more unreasonable, so perhaps a breakup was more or less inevitable. Whether or not that breakup sticks remains to be seen, but at least Darlene evidently won't be struggling alone thanks to Jason Alexander's Pastor Phil.
And between Jason Alexander and Sara Gilbert, I think fans can be confident that there will be plenty of comedy to go with what could be some pretty serious subject matter. Alexander is also coming off of an appearance on another hit sitcom, as he reprised his role as Mr. Lundy for an episode of Young Sheldon's most recent season, in an installment that even set up a cameo by none other than David Hasselhoff.
Really, the only bad news about Jason Alexander coming on board The Conners for a couple episodes as Pastor Phil is that fans will have to wait a while to see his Season 4 debut. The fourth season of The Conners doesn't debut until Wednesday, September 22 on ABC, and there are no details at the time of writing as to when in Season 4 Alexander's episodes will air. For some more of what's on the way in the coming months, be sure to check out our 2021 fall TV premiere schedule!
