‘The Conners’ Welcomes Back ‘Roseanne’ Alum for Special Thanksgiving

Estelle Parsons will return to The Conners in season five after last appearing as Beverly Harris back in the third. A preview of the upcoming Thanksgiving-themed episode of the sitcom, “Of Missing Minds and Missing Fries,” was provided by Entertainment Tonight, in which Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) and her family deal with Beverly’s illness. The Conners franchise had featured Parsons for decades, beginning in 1989, when she played Roseanne Barr‘s (Roseanne Barr) mother in season one of Roseanne. Beverly appeared in two episodes of the rebooted series in 2018 before returning for the spinoff. Parsons’ last appearance was in 2021, in the ABC sitcom’s 50th episode, when Neville (Nat Faxon) encouraged her to push back against her mom.

Entertainment Tonight’s Matt Cohen visited on set with the cast, who expressed their love for working with the 94-year-old actress and discussed the possibility of her re-appearing. Sara Gilbert (who plays Darlene) teased that chances were “high” Parsons would return, but she wanted to keep some things private before the season five premiere. “That’s all I’ll say,” she said, adding, “the amazing thing is she’s well into her 90s. And every time she is set to come back, they’re like, ‘OK, she can come back, but she has to move her directing and producing all this theater stuff.’” 

As Gilbert expressed her appreciation, Metcalf reflected on the franchise’s long history of collaboration. “I have always wanted to be Estelle,” Metcalf said. “I’ve always admired her career and all the theater that she does and her famous film work. And the fact that this woman, you know, does yoga and stands on her head still, she’s a role model of mine.” John Goodman (Dan) also shared that Parsons is one of his idols. “I just worship her,” he said. “I hope she does come back and everything’s great.” 

Ahead of The Conners‘ fifth run, ABC confirmed in October that the series’ current season would be its biggest with 22 episodes. Following Roseanne Barr’s firing from the Roseanne revival, The Conners formed quickly in October 2018. Original Roseanne cast members include John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, and Lecy Goranson. In addition, Michael Fishman returned as D.J. Connor for the first four seasons, but he was cut for the fifth. It wasn’t his decision to leave, Fishman said in late August. In addition to playing the character since he was six years old, he directed five episodes of The Conners. “It has been my honor to play DJ Conner,” Fishman said in a statement. “It’s every actor’s dream to be a series regular, especially on a groundbreaking show where we tackle significant topics. The opportunity to do comedy and drama alongside iconic castmates while reaching fans in meaningful ways has profoundly impacted my life.”

“While I was told I would not be returning for Season 5, Lanford was a valuable place to grow up, learn and develop,” Fishman later said, referring to the fictional town where the Conners live. “I was incredibly lucky to return home and demonstrate my expansion. As I venture into the world to build the future, I send tremendous love and success to everyone involved in production.” Parsons is set to return to The Conners on Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.