Roseanne famously recast Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner after season 5, briefly replacing her with Sarah Chalke — and many viewers still wonder why did Becky leave Roseanne in the first place, especially since Goranson later returned. When Becky’s Roseanne recast happened, TV recastings — even on major shows — weren’t rare. One of the most famous examples is the recasting of husband Darrin Stephens in the 1960s sitcom Bewitched, with actor Dick Sargent replacing original cast member Dick York, who was in failing health at the time.
When studios want more of a show, but an actor no longer wants to participate, a recasting is a natural solution. Either that or create a new similar character to fill the void. This is why Lecy Goranson leaving and being briefly replaced by Sarah Chalke as Roseanne’s Becky character wasn’t too disruptive in the long run for the show, though the show had an interesting way of dealing with Goranson’s departure. Roseanne began to use two Beckys, with fans never knowing for sure who they would see next. Here’s why Becky left Roseanne, only to return.
Becky left Roseanne because the original star wanted to go to college. Actress Lecy Goranson was the first to fill the role of Becky Conner and played her for the entirety of Roseanne seasons 1-4, and part of season 5. To accommodate her request to attend Vassar College, Roseanne’s producers opted to write Becky out of the show via a storyline in which she eloped with Mark (Glenn Quinn). During season 6, Roseanne wanted to bring back Becky and Mark. However, Goranson’s school commitments wouldn’t allow that.
When Goranson’s college schedule permitted, she would appear, and when it didn’t, Chalke played Becky instead.
The result was a recasting of Becky’s role with future Scrubs star Sarah Chalke. Chalke played Becky for most of Roseanne’s season 6 and all of season 7. While the change was jarring at first, most fans accepted Chalke into the Roseanne family. That’s why it was strange when Goranson returned as Becky in season 8, prompting some to ask why Becky left Roseanne in the first place. When Goranson’s college schedule permitted, she would appear, and when it didn’t, Chalke played Becky instead.
To the show’s credit, it turned this casting situation into an opportunity for gags about Roseanne’s two Beckys, cracking jokes alluding to Becky’s changing appearance, and having Roseanne ask Chalke’s Becky if she was glad she was there “this week” during an episode where the Conners went to Walt Disney World. Roseanne also did a credits gag in which a grown-up D.J. (played by John Goodman) has had a mental breakdown due to no one else realizing that there are two Beckys.
To further confusion surrounding why Becky left Roseanne, Goranson decided not to return for Roseanne’s ninth — and originally final — season, allowing Chalke to play Becky full-time again. Goranson did come back decades later, however, when it was time for the Roseanne revival. In the reboot, Chalke was cast in a different role, with jokes again made about their resemblance.
Lecy Goranson continues to play Becky on the Roseanne spinoff series, The Conners, which is her most notable recent project. Closer to the time of the original Roseanne’s final season, Goranson had significant film roles as Candace in Boys Don’t Cry (1995) and Myra in Love, Ludlow (2005). More recently, Goranson has also appeared in the films Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate in 2018 and Buck Run in 2019, occupying more minor roles in both.
Given that she’s been reprising her most recognizable role as Becky Conner-Healy on The Conners since 2018, it makes sense that Goranson’s other projects have been smaller and more spread apart. With The Conners season 6 still going strong, and Chalke better known for Scrubs and as a Rick & Morty voice actress than for Roseanne, it seems Goranson has cemented her claim to the title of Becky Conner for good, despite the “why did Becky leave Roseanne?” conundrum.
