‘The Conners’: Multiple Cast Members Reach Deal to Return for Potential Season 5

The Conners will likely continue for a fifth season at ABC after the network and Werner Entertainment sealed some significant deals with the cast. The Roseanne spinoff’s four main cast members have all reached new agreements to return for season 5, with the nuts and bolts still being sorted after a general agreement was reached.

According to Deadline, Sara Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Lecy Goranson will all be returning to their television home for another go as the blue-collar family America seems to love genuinely. Gilbert and Goranson play the Conner daughters Darlene and Becky respectively, while Goodman plays Roseanne’s widowed husband Dan and Metcalf returns as sister Jackie. All four have been part of the franchise since its beginning.

While The Conners began as a revival of the classic , the titular star was later written out of the series due to her controversial comments that reached peaked with a racist tweet referencing former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. Roseanne Barr attempted to calm the outrage to her post, but it was a moment too far for ABC, who canceled the show and distanced itself from her, leaving the rest of the cast in limbo.

Thankfully a deal was struck with Barr’s involvement where the cast and crew of Roseanne would continue on as The Conners, with the main cast returning and continuing as if Barr’s character had passed away.

The creation of The Conners is the main reason the cast need to sign new deals yearly through Werner Entertainment. The show is an “impromptu spinoff,” according to the books, and none of the cast has the six-year contracts they’d typically receive on a sitcom.

The Conners was an immediate success, following the success of Roseanne’s revival season to quickly become the top comedy at ABC. It also ranked as the top comedy among that key 18-49 demographic that everybody chases like a dog with its tail. This situation has also likely slowed down the renewal process for the series, as its fifth season is still up in the air despite the show’s success.