The news that The Conners season 7 is the show’s final outing proves an uncomfortable reality about Roseanne’s spinoff. The Conners season 7 will be the sitcom spinoff’s final outing. The Conners began in 2018 after Roseanne’s successful revival was canceled due to racist remarks by its star Roseanne Barr. Barr was fired from Roseanne’s season 10 revival and her title character was killed off, resulting in Roseanne’s canceled season 11 becoming The Conners season 1. The Conners initially focused on the titular family coping with the aftermath of Roseanne’s devastating death before the series and its stars moved on.

Since The Conners has a large cast of characters, the show coped with Roseanne’s death surprisingly well. There were a few hiccups as the sitcom struggled to find the right tone early on, but a range of engaging main characters ensured that Roseanne’s absence didn’t define the new series. By The Conners seasons 3 and 4, the show had established a tone of its own and, in the best moments of seasons 5 and 6, the spinoff was as good as anything from Roseanne’s original run. As such, it was something of a surprise when its ending was announced.

The Conners Doesn’t Have A Great Spinoff Option After Season 7

Roseanne’s Spinoff Can’t Continue Its Story With Another New Sitcom

Despite the sitcom’s enduring popularity and ratings success, The Conners‘ six-episode season 7 will be the sitcom’s last season. It will also likely be the end of the entire sitcom franchise, as there is no compelling way to keep the story going with a new spinoff show. While Young Sheldon was another sitcom spinoff that ended after only 7 seasons in 2024, that series was immediately followed by a multi-camera spinoff of its own, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. In contrast, Roseanne’s follow-up has no star for a potential spinoff, especially when Emma Kenney’s Harris is seemingly leaving The Conners season 7 early.

Laurie Metcalf’s fan-favorite Jackie could carry a spin-off since she is both the show’s funniest character and the heart of the series.

Darlene’s daughter could have been an engaging protagonist for a spinoff from The Conners thanks to her rocky relationship with her mother and their unlikely similarities. Equally, Laurie Metcalf’s fan-favorite Jackie could carry a spin-off since she is both the show’s funniest character and the heart of the series, but this is where the longevity of the franchise becomes an issue. Viewers have already followed Jackie through nine seasons of Roseanne and seven seasons of The Conners. As such, it would be hard to argue that her story was only beginning to receive center stage with a new spinoff.

The Conners
season 7 will air in late 2024 or early 2025, according to
The Hollywood Reporter
.

The Conners Season 7 Is The Right Time To End The Roseanne Franchise

The Conners Managed To Wrap Up Roseanne’s Story

The many great moments of character development in The Conners prove that Roseanne’s story needed to continue after Barr was fired and her character was killed off. There was plenty of character development that still needed to happen, and the spinoff provided it, from Jackie’s reconciliation with her mother Bev to Harris growing and maturing to Darlene finally finding love and getting out of her toxic relationship with David Healy. However, The Conners wrapped up the family’s story well. This means that Roseanne’s spinoff doesn’t need to revive another spinoff of its own once The Conners season 7 ends.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter