The Conners' Original Replacement Plan: A Regrettable Idea, Even According to the Cast

Summary

The creators of The Conners considered replacing Roseanne with another character but quickly realized it was a terrible idea.

The spinoff picked up immediately after the conclusion of Roseanne's season 10 comeback, commencing only days after the original series concluded.

Although Darlene was initially contemplated as the protagonist, her cynicism and gloomy perspective highlighted the necessity for the series to focus on the entire family instead.

The creators of The Conners initially considered replacing Roseanne with another character from the sitcom, but the pilot episode quickly acknowledged that this was a bad idea. Unlike most sitcom spinoffs, which either follow the original story years later or provide a prequel, The Conners directly continued the story of Roseanne's season 10 revival. The spinoff began just days after the original series ended.

Although Roseanne's season 10 revival was successful, it was abruptly canceled due to a series of racist tweets made by its star, Roseanne Barr, in 2018. As a result, The Conners was created as a way to carry on the show without its main character. The first step was to kill off Roseanne's character, and then the creators had to decide on the new main character for the spinoff. While one name was initially considered, the creators ultimately chose to focus the series on the entire titular family.

Becky Said Darlene Should Replace Roseanne

In the pilot episode of The Conners, there was a reference to a discarded storyline for the spinoff. In this episode, titled "Keep On Truckin'," Becky suggested that her sister Darlene should take over as the central character after their mother's death. However, Darlene rejected this idea in her usual sharp manner, proving that it wouldn't have been suitable for the series. In the pilot, Becky mentioned that Darlene seemed like the obvious choice to replace Roseanne as the family's leader.

Darlene then reminded Becky that she already had two children and a full-time job, dismissing her sister's suggestion and showing that replacing Roseanne would have been impractical. Despite this, the original plan for The Conners was to focus on Darlene instead of Roseanne. This unsuccessful storyline was even widely speculated during the hiatus between the end of Roseanne's tenth season and the start of production on The Conners. Thankfully, the creators of The Conners recognized that this concept wouldn't work and allowed Darlene to address it within the spinoff's storyline.

Why Roseanne Dropped Its Darlene-Centric Story

Darlene's cynicism adds humor, but her overall pessimistic outlook isn't suitable for carrying the entire series as the main character. Additionally, the spinoff of Roseanne didn't necessarily require a singular lead character. The original show's appeal stemmed from the interaction among the family members, and Roseanne season 10's excessive focus on Roseanne was one of its major flaws. The Conners, however, successfully utilized sitcom storytelling techniques to navigate Roseanne's passing and its impact on the series. The show made the right decision to prioritize the entire family instead of solely focusing on one character, transforming Roseanne into The Conners after the original protagonist's death.