‘The Conners’ Welcomes ‘The O.C.’ Alum Peter Gallagher During Winter Premiere

The Conners‘ latest guest star traded sandy California for wintry Lanford during the winter premiere.

The ABC comedy series featured a special appearance by Peter Gallagher playing the role of lawyer Brian Foster, hired by Darlene after seeing his ad on a gas station pump to help sue a vending machine company after Dan gets injured while covering for DJ’s route.

Brian’s introduction comes later in the episode, after Dan (John Goodman) and Darlene meet with a representative of the vending machine company and the negotiations go south.

Dan tries to confront Darlene for interfering during the meeting and escalating the situation by mentioning lawsuits and a lawyer, but she refuses to listen as she is expecting Brian’s arrival.

The lawyer walks into the Conner home and promises to help the Conners lead the life they want, and potentially get a six-figure settlement out of the injury.

Dan is skeptical of the lawyers’ intentions but he agrees to go forward with the lawsuit. Despite things not exactly going as the Brian promised later in the episode, his appearance served to represent a very real issue affecting low-income families in America when it comes to workplace injuries.

Gallagher is most prominently known for his leading role on the hit teen drama series, The O.C. In the show, Gallagher also played a much more honorable lawyer, Sandy Cohen, who adopts Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) into his life and kickstarts the drama of the show by moving him from Chino to Orange County.

The actor is also known for his recurring role as Deputy Chief William Dobbs on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as guest starring roles on Grace & Frankie, The Gifted and New Girl.

While the role seems to be a one-episode guest appearance, Gallagher joins a long list big Hollywood names who have paid a visit to The Conners during its first season. The series’ biggest guest stars to date include Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, Matthew Broderick and Katey Sagal.

Sagal was introduced during the fall finale as an old friend of Dan and Roseanne’s from high school. The new blast from the past begins to flirt with Dan but he admits that he is not ready to move on after his wife’s death. The pair, however, agree to stay friends as the woman very recently moved back to Lanford.

The Conners airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.