Emmys 2019: ‘The Conners’ Cast Snubbed Despite Previous ‘Roseanne’ Nominations

The cast of The Conners did not pick up any individual Emmy nominations this year, in spite of Roseanne’s acclaim at the award show last year and in previous years. The classic sitcom cast transformed their reboot into a spinoff this year, but it looks like it did not strike the same chord with the Television Academy.

The Conners picked up just one nomination for the 2019 Emmys: Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series. While this is a prestigious honor, it is a far cry from the buzz they got for Roseanne Season 10 last year, or the 27 nominations that the show got over the years. Roseanne was on a triumphant comeback before it was canceled following Roseanne Barr‘s racist outburst on Twitter. From the looks of it, that effected the show’s overall momentum.

In 2018, Roseanne got the same editing nomination that The Conners got this year. Cast member Laurie Metcalf was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for her portrayal of Jackie Harris. The show did not win either award, they it seemed poised for continued success.

In its original nine-season run, Roseanne was nominated for 25 Emmys, and it won four. These included a win for Metcalf in 1994, 1993 and 1992 and a win for Barr in 1993. The show was also nominated for its writing, editing, lighting and hairstyling over the years.

Still, if the network could choose between awards and ratings, it would likely take the latter for The Conners. The Roseanne reboot put up massive numbers for the network, especially in the age of DVRs and streaming, when live TV viewership is at an all-time low.

The Conners has been respectable, but not nearly on the same level as its predecessor, perhaps because of the politically charged subject matter of Roseanne and its cancellation.

Roseanne Season 10 dealt heavily with the divide in American politics, playing out between Roseanne as an avid Trump supporter and Jackie as an avid Hillary Clinton supporter. It also tackled issues of a bad job market, financial strife and high costs of medical care.

In the end, this last point turned into the exit strategy for Barr’s eponymous character. The Conner family matriarch died of an opiate overdose between seasons, turning the show into a grief-stricken family comedy with a decidedly less political bent.

The Conners had a good first season on ABC and was renewed for another. Its singular Emmy nomination is a good start towards a long TV career. The Emmys are live on Fox on Sept. 22, 2019.