How Laurie Metcalf’s Unexpected Burst of Emotion in ‘The Conners’ Series Finale Changed the Episode for the Better

Spoilers ahead for The Conners series finale.

After over 30 years, fans finally said goodbye to the Conners, and an unexpected emotional moment for Laurie Metcalf changed the finale for the better.

The hour-long series finale of The Conners aired on Wednesday on ABC, and of course, it was an emotional time for everyone.

In the final scenes of the episode, “The Truck Stops Here,” the family gathered around Roseanne’s grave to read the envelope with the results from the lawsuit regarding the company responsible for the Conners matriarch’s death. As everyone said their individual goodbyes at her grave, both Lecy Goranson and Sara Gilbert were as emotional as ever. Executive producers Bruce Helford, Dave Caplan, and Bruce Rasmussen told Deadline that it was actually Metcalf who set things in motion.

“People in the audience were crying, for God’s sake,” Helford explained. “When they say goodbye, Laurie Metcalf started it. We had no idea that was coming. The way Laurie said goodbye was not how you say goodbye after having pizza and knowing you are coming back the next day.”

“It made no sense at all in the story, and yet when we saw it, we couldn’t deny it was so moving,” added Caplan. Helford also said, “It was real. They were saying goodbye.” Rasmussen admitted they “did other takes and that weren’t as emotional. They felt less real.”

“This was the actors saying goodbye to each other for the last time,” Helford shared. For most of the cast, they were saying goodbye to characters they’ve been playing for over three decades, saying goodbye to the family they’ve had and will probably always have. It’s not surprising to know that it was an emotional time on set, and even while filming, not every moment had its moment.

Helford and Caplan previously teased that the series finale was going to be really emotional, and they were not lying. Not only was it emotional for the fans, but it was emotional for the characters. Even though six episodes was certainly not enough to wrap things up, it was still enough to bring the feels and still bring on some pretty big moments. Whether or not there will ever be another revival in the future is unknown, but whatever the case may be, the tears were flowing both on-screen and off. The series finale of The Conners is streaming now on Hulu.