SPOILER ALERT! This story contains details about the season 6 finale of The Conners on ABC.
There was a chance, albeit a small one, that the Roseanne sequel would have to say goodbye after 100-plus episodes. For the first time in its run, The Conners found itself on the bubble earlier this month even though the Werner Entertainment comedy remains a sturdy ratings performer.
But in the 11th hour, The Conners got its much-deserved reprieve and is planning a six-episode-long goodbye during the 2024-25 season. Here, executive producers Bruce Helford and Dave Caplan talk about what would have happened had the show ended for good, and what there hopes are for the seventh and final season.
DEADLINE We reported in early May that a tag scene was shot to be added to the season 6 finale should it become a series finale. What did you shoot?
BRUCE HELFORD Obviously negotiations were going on and we really had one of those situations where if the negotiations didn’t work out, it would be our last show. So it was literally just goodbyes from the cast. That was really all that was shot. There were no scenes that tied anything up. We had an alternate script ready had we been told, but ABC was telling us no, this probably isn’t the end. We all wanted to do more episodes to really wrap it up properly. We all wanted the six-episode thing to happen for next season. But no, there was nothing. I wish there was something more exciting to report to you.
DAVE CAPLAN The actors, like the producers and everybody else associated, didn’t want to just leave the audience hanging. We didn’t know whether the show was going to get more episodes to wrap it up in the way that we all felt it deserved. They just made a very quick goodbye. But we were hopeful that we were going to get to tell the end of the Conners’ story in multiple episodes and that did become the case.
DEADLINE So that alternative script that you wrote. Is that going to be trashed now or can you still use it for next season?
HELFORD It’s a bit different now. That was an alternate meant to be if that episode was going to be the series finale as opposed to the season finale. Now with six episodes, there are probably elements of it that may come back, but we’re really approaching this differently now. We’re approaching this like a six-episode event. It’s going to be a piece unto itself that will be the end of the series after 16 or 17 years, whatever it’s been now.
CAPLAN So as opposed to having to kind of a rush one episode, we now can finish this up the way we wanted to — over six episodes with a bit more room to bring the giant Conners’ saga to the right conclusion.
Ames McNamara, Sara Gilbert. Disney/Eric McCandless
DEADLINE I thought when Dan [John Goodman] paid off the house, you were going to set up a situation where he’s going to end up taking out a second so he could pay for Mark’s tuition at the University of Chicago. Was that a possibility?
HELFORD Well, that would be a very Conners’ thing, wouldn’t it be? We can’t tell you anything much about what’s going to happen. We’re talking a lot about it, but that would’ve been very Conners’ like, for sure.
CAPLAN I thought that now that he’s paid off the house, it was going to burn down. It’s like, there’s usually a light at the end of the tunnel, but very often it’s an oncoming train.
DEADLINE Why only six episodes? Did you want more?
HELFORD No, really it was a matter of what it would take to do it right. The reason we came back with the Roseanne reboot was to reclaim the legacy of the end of Roseanne. And then as you know, that went awry. So we had to do The Conners and we were going to do a season that was going to be to reclaim the legacy of Roseanne. And so after that, none of us ever expected that it would go 100 episodes. It was delightful and wonderful. It felt so good that people responded to it and we were really happy. But we always had requested they let us know that it’s going to be the end, so we can accommodate that.
This to everybody feels like the appropriate time. We’re going out on top. We’re the most watched comedy on ABC, we had a great season, and this just feels like the right time to do this. That said, 10 years from now there’ll be another group of people starting up the New Roseanne reboot, but right now we feel this is the right way to do it.
CAPLAN We didn’t want to try to squeeze blood from the stone until it was over. We just wanted to go out strong on top when we were on top of our game. And that’s how we feel like we’re doing it on our terms.
DEADLINE There was a moment in the final episode where Sara Gilbert is choking up because everyone’s moving out of her character’s home. I’m wondering in that moment if she thought the episode was her last?
HELFORD It’s interesting because we didn’t know for sure, even though ABC was giving us the signals that there would more. All of the actors are so invested in this. They’ve played these characters for so long, they’re definitely a family when they come to the stage. It’s the blessing to be able to get together after all these years. I do believe that was definitely an emotion coming up as a result of what was going on. I really do believe that.
DEADLINE Do you any desire to call back the end of Roseanne in those final six episodes?
HELFORD I don’t think we will. Those were the things we already excised, more or less.
DEADLINE Will you bring a lot of guest stars back in those final six episodes?
HELFORD I would expect some of that, yeah.
DEADLINE Why midseason? Why do fans have to wait so long?
HELFORD We’re very happy to have the extra time because we really didn’t want to rush these episodes and we would probably have to be in the writing room right now. So we really appreciate having the extra time. But also, I’m pretty sure they’re going to launch another show and they want to use the event of the end of Conners to help it because they’ve got two new sitcoms they’re working on there.
DEADLINE When this is all over, will you stick with multi-camera comedies? You and Chuck Lorre are members of the old guard. Will you keep the genre alive?
HELFORD I always say this and no one seems to believe it until it happens. It is not about the format, it’s about the quality of the show. I think younger audiences have a little bit of an issue with the laugh track, but at the same time, when they go to a movie and everybody laughs, they all do it together. But I believe this will live as long as people are committing to doing quality. So I’m personally committing to it.
Lynette Rice
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