New ‘The Conners’ Not on Tonight, ABC Re-Airing November Episode Instead

Fans of the sitcom The Conners will have to wait two weeks for new episodes. Tonight’s episode is a rerun of the third season’s fourth episode, “Birthdays, Babies and Emotional Support Chickens,” which originally aired on Nov. 18, 2020.

Making a sitcom during a pandemic has been a daunting task, and the cast and crew of The Conners shared their experiences with the New York Times in an eye-opening interview. According to the report, two COVID compliance experts are always on set to ensure that safety regulations are always met, and the cast is tested five times a week. The rest of the crew is tested three times a week. “When they say ‘Rolling,’ I wait until after the sound cue,” Sara Gilbert, The Conners star and executive producer, said. “And then — at the very last second — my mask comes off.”

Many shows have been grappling with the idea of whether or not to bring COVID-19 into their storylines, but for Gilbert and the rest of the team, it was never a question that it would be a part of the show’s third season. “We’ve always tried to represent blue-collar, middle-class families,” Gilbert explained. “To pretend this isn’t happening seems out of touch. Life and death stories are familiar territory for us”

Cast and crew members have to pass temperature checks, fill out symptom questionnaires, and get tested before they arrive on set, and shields and face masks are used when applying makeup and costuming. “You can’t eat or drink onstage,” Gilbert said. “Not even water. You have to go up to your dressing room.” The crew is kept to a minimum and the episodes are no longer filmed in front of a live audience, which definitely changes the vibe. “We have to maintain the amount of energy the audience naturally provides,” explained star John Goodman. “But it’s quite frankly easier to time things when you don’t have people to laugh at them.”

Even so, Gilbert is determined to keep the show fun in spite of everything going on in the world. “There’s so much fear and anxiety,” she said. “But we’re looking at how the pandemic is affecting this family, and humor is definitely a part of that.” For Goodman, he’s glad that they’ve managed to keep the lights on. “It’s just another damn thing we have to deal with,” he said. “I’m thrilled we’re able to make a show at all.” Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.