‘The Conners’ Welcomes Juliette Lewis With New Sneak Peek Photo

The Conners has added actress Juliette Lewis to its cast, and welcomed her with a tweet from the set.

Lewis announced that she was joining The Conners on Tuesday in an Instagram post. It featured one photo of her arm in arm with Johnny Galecki and Sara Gilbert, and another of her holding a script. The official Twitter account for the show reposted the latter of these pictures, letting followers know that Lewis was now officially part of “the family.”

“Welcome to the family, @JulietteLewis!” the tweet read.

The phrasing raised some questions about what role exactly Lewis will play on the upcoming series.

According to TVLine, Lewis will be playing David Healy (Galecki)’s girlfriend, Blue. In the last season of Roseanne, David reappeared on his daughter’s birthday, after spending time abroad doing humanitarian work. He announces his plans to move back to Lanford so he can be close to his kids, while at the same time asking Darlene for a divorce so that he can pursue a relationship with another woman he has met.

Lewis will play that woman, whom David is living with somewhere nearby. Bringing her into the story would create a classically awkward scenario for the Conner family, hopefully leading to some sitcom hijinks.

Lewis seemed ecstatic to join the iconic cast, judging by her Instagram post. She used a generous smattering of hashtags, including “#LuckyMe,” “#GreatWriting” and “#ReunitedWithMyGrizwaldBro.” The last one was a reference to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, in which she and Galecki played brother and sister.

Unfortunately, not everyone wished her as warm of a welcome. Social media flared up with mean-spirited comments and tweets, aimed at both The Conners and Lewis for joining it. A vocal contingent of Roseanne fans are still furious that Roseanne Barr’s characters are returning to TV without her, and they took the opportunity to let Lewis and ABC know that they will not be tuning in.

An equal number of responders seemed pleased by the news, however, saying that it only increased their excitement for the upcoming series. Between Galecki, Lewis and the rest of the cast, there is plenty to look forward to when the show airs next month. The Conners premieres on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.