‘The Conners’ Ratings Drop, But Series Still Wins Tuesday Night After ‘This Is Us’

The Conners TV ratings dropped in its second episode, but the series still won Tuesday night after the NBC drama This Is Us.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the show held onto around 7.2 million viewers, which is a 26 percent drop from the 10.5 million viewers the series debut grabbed, but is still far better numbers than many speculated it to have.

This Is Us was the night’s big scripted-series winner, with 8.8 million viewers.

The outlet notes that one big factor in both shows’ lower numbers might be due to the World Series, which stole about 12.6 million viewers.

The cast of The Conners has been very excited to return to TV after their Roseanne revival was cancelled following racist comments made online by series star Roseanne Barr.

The new series moves the family forward with Barr’s character Roseanne Conner having been killed off by way of accidental opioid overdose. During a conversation at a recent press panel, The Conners executive producer Tom Werner opened up about how they approached that difficult decision and why it was necessary.

“I think it was important that we all be respectful of Roseanne Conner and Roseanne Barr. And we talked about it,” Werner said, per The Hollywood Reporter. “First of all, what made the show work last year for us, obviously, we had an extraordinary ensemble cast. But what made the show work for us is that we were touching on themes that were very relevant for our audience. This is a show about a working-class family that is very identifiable to the audience.”

“Obviously, if you had seen the show last year, Roseanne Conner was struggling with drug [addiction],” he continued. “This is a problem that has affected tens of thousands of people. Eighty thousand people died last year dealing with opioid addiction and overdoses, so this was a challenge that Roseanne Conner was dealing with last year.”

“I don’t want to get too heavy, but I think this was an honest and authentic way of dealing with Roseanne Conner,” Werner went on to say.

Roseanne and The Conners actor Michael Fishman later spoke to THR, and shared his personal thoughts on the fate of Barr’s character.

“Trying to find the right way [was difficult for me]. There is no perfect way to lose someone, ever. It was important that we be honest and acknowledge that. It was also important try to find something that fit with [what happened on Roseanne], but also fit what’s going on in the world around us,” he explained. “Tom Werner and the writers were able to take something that’s very timely and utilize that to hopefully make a statement and to help bridge the gap with what’s going on right now in society.”

The Conners airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.