‘Roseanne’: A Look at All the New and Old Characters

The Roseanne reboot has offered a fresh look at a fictional family that many Americans are intimately familiar with, and some have differing feelings on how the Conners have developed.

The reboot has remained in the headlines since it premiered last Tuesday, as viewers debate its depiction of political discourse. The creators opted to represent Roseanne Conner as a Trump-supporter, just as her real life counterpart, Roseanne Barr, is. The choice caused some backlash among liberal viewers and in the TV industry.

Still, the Roseanne revival saw massive ratings, with the bulk of it coming from the mid-western U.S. and traditionally blue collar cities. To some, it was vindicating to see a Trump supporter represented in popular media, while to others, it only served to further normalize this unorthodox presidency.

While the Conner family matriarch may be a self-described “deplorable,” the show is not without conflict. Several characters have swung in the opposite political direction, fueling the familial conflict of the premiere episode.

Fans argued over the way their favorite ’90s characters grew in their years off the air. Some found it hard to imagine the socially liberal Roseanne — both on and off screen — supporting President Donald Trump, and others insisted that the Conners would have been united in their vote for him.

While the original Roseanne cast is catching fans’ eyes with their newest quirks, the new characters may become the source of a lot of the season’s stories. The two-episode premiere included an episode all about Roseanne and Dan’s young grandson, Mark Conner-Healy who prefers to wear girls’ clothing. His narrative suggested to many fans that Roseanne will continue to push boundaries as it returns to TV.

Here is a look at the new and old main cast of Roseanne.

Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr)

The show’s eponymous star, Roseanne Conner, is still just as dry and quick-witted as she was in the series’ original run. She is one of the main points of controversy for the new season, as the new season depicts her as a supporter of President Donald Trump more than a year into his presidency.

Still, the Conner family matriarch isn’t entirely defined by her politics, even if it is front and center in many of the show’s jokes. So far, the Roseanne reboot features a Roseanne who is fighting a profound battle with her fear of mortality, and learning a lot from having her grandchildren back in the house. Despite everything she says to contrary, it’s clear that Roseanne Conner is having a hard time settling down and sitting still.

Dan Conner (John Goodman)

Dan Conner remains the jovial glue of the family in the series’ reboot. While the show was off the air, John Goodman went on to a huge career, both in TV and movies, and many find it appalling that he hasn’t picked up an Oscar nomination yet.

Goodman brings all of that back to the character he played long before The Big Lebowski. He has the ease and timing of an experience actor, but the familiar role fits him like a glove.

Dan Conner is a refreshing take on the fatherly archetype in TV. He is as dry-witted as his wife, but he is earnest and sensitive in a way that men are often not written to be, especially in comedy.

Of course, none of that distracts from his laugh-a-minute delivery.

Mark Conner-Healy (Ames McNamara)

One of the youngest of the Conner brood, Mark Conner-Healy made a big splash as the center of the reboot’s second episode. Despite well-meaning warnings from his family about bullying, the 9-year-old prefers to dress in girls’ clothes, and he asserts his right to do so.

Many fans identified Mark as the equal and opposite analogue of his mother, Darlene Conner (Sara Gilbert.) While Darlene was a defiant tom boy in her time on the original series, Mark is radically effeminate, and the Conners have to find a way to deal with their anxiety about it without changing or belittling him.

Harris Conner-Healy (Emma Kenney)

Emma Kenney, one of the stars of Shameless, joined the Roseanne cast in the role of Darlene’s rebellious teenage daughter, Harris Conner-Healy. Harris is at the center of the series’ third episode, as she comes to blows with her grandmother and Darlene is caught in the middle.

At face value, Harris seems to embody a surface level interpretation of the millennial generation — she is self-centered, hooked to her phone and disrespectful to her elders. However, the truth of her desperation comes through at times, like in Darlene’s joke about her Etsy shop.

“It’s like a yard sale except online because nobody can afford a yard anymore,” she explained to Roseanne.

Darlene Conner (Sara Gilbert)

The Conners’ outspoken middle child, Darlene, is represented 20 years later in the reboot as a single mother moving back in with her parents while she tries to make it all work. Darlene takes a while to admit to her siblings — and herself — that she still needs her parents’ support, but once she does she becomes the vulnerable center of the hectic family.

So far, most episodes come down to Darlene caught in between the conflicts of others — including her mother and her Aunt Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), and her mother and her children.

Many fans can’t wait for the John Galecki cameo that was promised later this season. Galecki will reprise his role from the original series as David Healy, Darlene’s boyfriend and now the estranged father of her children. His episode will undoubtedly shed some more light on the Darlene developments.

Jackie Harris (Laurie Metcalf)

Aunt Jackie, played by the Emmy-award winning Laurie Metcalf, comes in fuming at the beginning of the reboot clad in a bright pink hat like those worn at the Women’s March events in the last year or more, and a pink “Nasty Woman” t-shirt.

Jackie has maintained her orbital role in the Conner family, not unlike the one she had in the original series. However, she has developed more confidence in her internal moral compass, as exemplified in her feud with Roseanne.

Becky Conner (Lecy Goranson)

Becky Conner is played by Lecy Goranson in the reboot. The actress portrayed the eldest Conner daughter in the first five seasons of the original series, though after that she traded off with Sarah Chalke pretty often for the role.

As an adult, Becky Conner is struggling to make end’s meet, working as at a restaurant and finding little fulfillment. Her plan, as she announces in the season premiere, is to serve as a surrogate for a prospective mother, which pays about $50,000.

The family’s reaction to this varies, but Becky makes it clear that she is not taking a vote. Becky is also still coming to grips with the death of her ex-boyfriend, Mark Healy, though that storyline has yet to be fully explored.

Andrea (Sarah Chalke)

While she couldn’t return to her original role as Becky Conner, Sarah Chalke was written in as the woman looking to hire Becky as her surrogate, Andrea. Chalke has become a massively successful actress since her time on Roseanne, with starring roles in Scrubs and Rick and Morty, as well as a stint on How I Met Your Mother, among other things.

So far, Andrea seems like she will have a hard time relating to the Conners. She is extremely earnest and generous, and she values things like organic foods — something Roseanne Conner is quick to mock.

Andrea is also in a vulnerable position as a character, as she is asking a lot of Becky and putting her hopes on the line. Andrea, too, will undoubtedly be explored further in later episodes.

D.J. Conner (Michael Fishman)

The reboot depicts D.J. Conner as vastly more mature, having recently returned home from a tour of duty in Syria with the U.S. military. D.J. has a young daughter, and is married to fellow soldier (and childhood sweetheart), Geena, who is still overseas.

Once the series was picked up for another revival season, producers mentioned almost at once that D.J. and his military family are one of the main topics that they tend to explore more of. Roseanne Barr has mentioned in panels and interviews since 2008 that she envisioned D.J. as a soldier, though at times she morbidly suggested that he may have died there.