The Conners Never Explained Roseanne's Missing Son (Can Season 6 Fix This?)

The Unresolved Plot Hole

The Conners season 6 might be the show's final outing, and there is still time for the Roseanne spinoff to explain what happened to one of the original sitcom's most notable characters. When Roseanne was revived for a 10th season, the series needed to retcon a lot of storylines from its divisive later seasons. The death of Roseanne's husband, Dan, was undone, as was the existence of Jackie's child. However, a few details were left in, only for The Conners to quietly change them a year later when Roseanne Barr's title character was killed off and the show was retooled to focus on the rest of her family.

Roseanne The Conners

The Conners season 6's release date is approaching, and there are still a few plot holes that the series hasn't solved. While it's clear that Jackie's son has been retconned out of existence, it is harder to tell whether her first marriage to Fred happened within the timeline of The Conners. Similarly, it is becoming increasingly clear that Johnny Galecki's David will never reunite with Roseanne's daughter Darlene, despite Roseanne's original run treating the pair as soul mates. However, neither of these inconsistencies can compare to the biggest canon problem facing the sitcom.

Roseanne added newborn son Jerry Garcia Conner to the cast. Roseanne season 8, episode 5, 'Halloween: The Final Chapter,' saw Roseanne give birth to Jerry Garcia Conner. Named after the then-recently deceased Grateful Dead frontman, little Jerry Garcia was a fixture in the family home throughout seasons 8 and 9. He was mentioned by Roseanne in passing in the season 10 revival, but Jerry Garcia Conner ceased to exist when Roseanne became The Conners. Eventually, The Conners also dropped Roseanne's DJ, but the spinoff at least explained that he took a job outside of Lanford to support his family. In Jerry Garcia Conner's case, the family seemed to suddenly forget that he existed in the first place.

John Goodman's Dan and Roseanne Barr's Roseanne smile down at a baby in Roseanne season 8 episode 5

The Mystery of Jerry Garcia Conner

Roseanne's revival featured a scene where Roseanne said Jerry Garcia was working on an Alaskan fishing boat, and his photos were seen around the house. However, since she died, he hasn't been mentioned again. As such, it's unclear whether he still exists in the world of The Conners. All the sitcom's other major retcons, like Dan's death, occurred between the season 9 finale and the season 10 revival. This makes Jerry Garcia's story unique, since he did exist in the revival but seemingly vanished at some point in the spinoff's story. While The Conners' showrunner confirmed the Jerry Garcia retcon, there's still time for the show to address his absence.

Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) with baby Jerry Garcia talking to Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) in the kitchen in Roseanne.

At the very least, The Conners season 6 can explain what is going on with this plot. Dan could explicitly say that Jerry Garcia was part of Roseanne's unpublished novel, which was how the show retconned Dan's death for the revival. Alternatively, Jerry Garcia could appear on the spinoff and say that he is finally home after years spent working on a fishing boat in Alaska. Regardless of how his absence is justified, the series needs to fix this bizarre plot hole. The Conners is a grounded family sitcom focused on blue-collar life, so one sibling vanishing into thin air can't be written off as a surreal meta-joke.

Laurie Metcalf's Jackie sits on a couch with Jerry and Andy in Roseanne

The Possibility of Resolution

The Conners season 6 could easily explain his absence. While the series' showrunner confirmed the Jerry Garcia retcon, there's still time for the show to address his absence. The show could take the opportunity to provide closure to this unresolved storyline. It could be a chance for the characters to acknowledge Jerry Garcia's existence and clarify the circumstances of his absence. This would not only fill the plot hole but also add depth to the characters and their relationships. It's an opportunity for The Conners to tie up loose ends and provide a satisfying resolution to this lingering mystery.

Sara Gilbert's Darlene, Laurie Metcalf's Jackie, John Goodman's Dan, Roseanne Barr's Roseanne, Sarah Chalke's Andrea, Michael Fishman's DJ, and Lecy Goranson's Becky pose by a couch in a Roseanne season 10 promo photo