The news that The Conners season 7 just may happen and give the sitcom at least one more seasonal outing could be surprisingly bad for one character from the Roseanne spinoff. When asked whether The Conners season 6 could be the last season of Roseanne’s follow-up, both executive producer Bruce Helford and star John Goodman said that this was a very real possibility. Roseanne originally began in 1989, lasting for nine seasons. The show was revived for one season in 2017 before it was retooled into The Conners when former star Roseanne Barr’s racist Twitter rant led the network to kill off her title character.
The Conners season 6 prepares to start the long-running sitcom franchise’s sixteenth outing. As such, it is no surprise that viewers wondered whether the show would end soon since it has been almost 36 years since Roseanne first began. However, when talking to TVLine, Helford said that the spinoff would last as long as the network wanted, meaning The Conners may not end with season 6. While this could be positive for viewers who want to see more from the titular family, the development might be bad news for one main character and their interminably dark character arc.
The Conners Season 7 Makes Becky’s Happy Ending In S6 Unlikely
Becky’s relationship issues with Tyler are likely to drive seasons 6 and 7
Lecy Goranson as Becky holding her mug in The Conners season 5
If The Conners season 7 happens, Becky’s happy ending might be further away than it seemed. Dan, Darlene, and Jackie are happily married, meaning Becky is unlikely to end up settling down with Sean Astin’s new love interest Tyler in The Conners season 6 now that the show may last another season. If Becky and Tyler were to pair off in season 6, her story would lack stakes in season 7. This would be good news for Becky, who is overdue for some stability after the relentless chaos of her recent character arc. However, this would be an issue for The Conners.
Ever since Roseanne ended with its tenth season, The Conners has always preferred to draw out its romantic storylines. The characters of The Conners are mostly married and stable now, but Darlene, Dan, and Jackie all struggled to make their respective relationships work through the first four seasons. Jackie’s love life was consistently a catastrophe until she met the laid-back, sensible Neville, but their romance still took some time to ignite. Darlene spent an entire season feuding with Ben before the pair admitted that they shared a mutual attraction, only for her to then cheat on him with David. Becky having an easy, stable relationship would go against The Conners’ pattern.
The Conners Loves A Slow-Burn Romance (Like, Really Slow Burn)
Roseanne’s spinoff has never been eager to pair off its characters fast
Nat Faxon’s Neville Laurie Metcalf’s Jackie and Emma Kenney’s Harris sit on the couch together in The Conners
The Conners has used slow-burn romances to give each season of the series meaningful stakes, as evidenced by Darlene’s, Jackie’s, and Harris’s season 4 storylines. Neville first met Jackie early in season 3, episode 4, “Birthdays, Babies, and Emotional Support Chickens,” but the duo didn’t get married until the season 4 finale even though their relationship was always reasonably stable. Ben and Darlene met back in season 1, episode 5, “Miracles,” but they then took so much time working out their relationship that the pair didn’t get married until the season 4 finale, too, when they had a double wedding with Neville and Jackie.
This was partially because The Conners retconned David and Darlene’s happy ending, meaning the show needed to give Ben time to get over Darlene cheating on him with her ex. However, Harris’s plot proves that The Conners isn’t above stringing out a romantic storyline solely to keep the show’s stakes high. Aldo first appeared in season 4, episode 4, “The Wedding of Dan and Louise,” and soon had a comparatively fast-paced romantic arc with Harris. However, the couple broke up instead of marrying in the season 4 finale, illustrating that any quick romantic plots in The Conners tends to end tragically.
Becky’s The Conners Storyline Has Been Brutal
Roseanne’s heroine has never had an easy time on the spinoff
While Becky’s season 6 storyline doesn’t need to be relentlessly positive or devoid of stakes, the character is still overdue a comparatively stable season. First, her Roseanne love interest, Mark Healy, died offscreen before the revival began. Then, her daughter’s father, Emilio, was threatened with deportation and the couple broke up, while Becky also struggled with alcoholism after her mother’s sudden death. Even after she sobered up and began attending community college, Becky then faced new problems. She started dating her professor, was caught in the act and reported by her fellow students, and soon got academic probation for her troubles.
The fact that Tyler returns in The Conners season 6 means that the show can finally give Becky a bre
ak, and this development is well overdue. Although season 5 barely focused on Becky, the Roseanne spinoff did reaffirm that she was struggling to complete her college course and having a hard time sharing a home with Darlene, Ben, Mark, and Harris. The only reason Becky was still living with her sister and her family was because of her tricky financial situation, something that could be temporarily solved if she moved in with Astin’s sweet love interest in season 6.
The Conners Delaying Becky’s Happy Ending Isn’t Necessary
Tyler and Becky could get together without the spinoff losing momentum
The Conner family sitting together in a cabin in The Conners
The Conners has a new generation of characters to focus on in Darlene’s children Mark and Harris. In particular, Darlene’s daughter could benefit from some more screen time if Becky’s life stabilized now that The Conners season 6 set up Harris’s redemption. As such, there is no need for the series to string out Becky’s series of struggles any further. If Becky and Tyler establish a relatively stable, happy relationship in season 6, the pair can be a better support to Mark and Harris as they become the show’s main focus in season 7. This is what already happened with Jackie.
Laurie Metcalf’s Jackie went from being a laughably neurotic figure to a surprisingly sage presence after her marriage to Neville. In The Conners season 5, the character who had once been a constant source of chaos ended up helping Dan, Harris, and Darlene through rough patches, providing a shoulder to cry on and tough love when they were needed. Since Becky has been studying psychology for years now, she is perfectly equipped to help the younger, more erratic members of her multi-generational family face their issues provided she gets a solid support base. Tyler could offer this in season 6.
The Conners Season 6 Should Pair Becky Off With Tyler
Becky deserves a happy ending even if The Conners continues
Custom image of Lcy Goranson’s Becky and Sean Astin’s Tyler on The Conners
The fact that Nick Offerman will guest star in The Conners season 6 premiere means it is unlikely that Tyler will resurface in this same episode. However, if Sean Astin’s character slowly becomes a more permanent addition to the family throughout season 6, the good-natured guy could allow Becky to finally find richly deserved peace and stability. Tyler and Becky don’t need to get married by the end of season 6, but Roseanne’s heroine and her The Conners love interest should at least stay together and not be stuck in constant conflict by the time season 7 starts.
