‘I’m Old And Resistant To Change.’ John Goodman’s Comments About The Conners Ending Make Me Feel So Bittersweet As A Fan

Spoilers below for the series finale of The Conners for anyone who hasn't yet watched on ABC or with a Hulu subscription, so be warned!

After seven seasons of The Conners, which directly followed up on ten seasons of Roseanne, the longest-living non-animated network TV family has officially turned off the porch lights and closed the front door for the final time. (At least for now?) But to those working on the show, as well as those of us watching from home all this time, the years have flown by, and longtime series patriarch John Goodman thinks it’ll take a while to get used to the sitcom’s absence.

The final two episodes of The Conners debuted on ABC on April 23, and hilariously tied a haphazard bow around the ongoing arc in which Dan and the fam attempted to take on Big Pharma over Roseanne overdosing on pain medication. In the end, the family’s emotional turmoil was deemed to be worth a $700 check, as opposed to the dreamed-up lottery winnings in the O.G. comedy, and everyone’s stories wrapped up more or less where they started, if on slightly more positive ground.

Speaking with People, John Goodman addressed having to hang up Dan Conner's metaphorical hat — obviously some kind of beer company's trucker cap — and how quickly this spinoff's seven-season run felt for him. In his words:

Wildly enough, it's not even the only beloved TV character Goodman is saying goodbye to this year, as he has two different shows ending in 2025. (He's also the Bible-thumping patriarch on HBO's The Righteous Gemstones, which is wrapping its sorded four-season run in the coming weeks.) But I dare say the familial vibes he feels on the ABC sitcom are completely different from what's experienced within Danny McBride's universe.

Goodman also addressed why he thinks The Conners continued to be go-to entertainment for viewers over the years, saying:

Really, The Conners could show up on TV at relatively any point in modern history and would likely be relatable to a chunk of the population. Which is either a glowing compliment about the show's creative team, or a non-glowing comment about society, but there's no time to debate that.

Dan's Parting Words Were Such Sweet Anti-Sorrow

Speaking to the idea that Dan Conner is a relatable stand-in for many heads of family struggling out there, the character's. final assessment of their situation is a universal truth that just makes me sad that we won't be hearing any more of this middle-class wisdom going forward in the 2025 TV schedule.

It's hard to hang together when you're not on my TV anymore, Dan! I mean really.

Dan's Reality-Breaking Goodbye Wasn't Originally Planned

Perhaps the most jarring moment in the final Conners episode came at the very end of the third act, though before the flashback moments that closed out the final credits. After Becky, Jackie, Darlene and others made their tear-filled exits, John Goodman's Dan stood, looked directly into the camera, and gave viewers a personal goodbye that not only broke the fourth wall, but the TV-loving part of my heart as well.

Almost surprisingly for such a powerful moment, it wasn't part of the original scripted ending. Executive producer Bruce Rasmussen told Variety that personal touch came directly from John Goodman himself. As he put it:

It's unclear at this point if we'll ever see any of the Conner family members back on the small screen for new financial struggles in the future, but I can only hope that will be the case. Whether it's following Emma Kenney's Harris and her relationship foibles or catching up with Lecy Goranson's Becky raising Beverly Rose while keeping her sobriety intact, or [insert another idea], it's a family lineage that's ripe for laughter.