The Conners Season 6 Ending: Will it Be Happy or Heartbreaking?

Summary

The Conners season 6 must find a way to improve the family's financial situation and give them a happier ending.

The show must avoid making the same mistake as Roseanne by abruptly altering the characters' fortunes in an unrealistic manner.

Darlene should be given a more fulfilling job, and in season 6, the show should explore the challenges faced by Jackie and Neville's marriage.

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The fifth season of The Conners, which unintentionally made it more challenging to conclude the storyline, suggests that it could be the final season of the show. The history of The Conners is quite complicated, even by sitcom standards where spinoffs and prequels often conveniently alter the canon of their predecessors. The show originated in 1988 as Roseanne, a successful family sitcom that revolved around its namesake character and her blue-collar family, the Conners. The series continued for nine seasons until the '90s.

Despite the major errors and critical failure of Roseanne season 9, the show's revival in 2017 achieved critical acclaim and resonated with the audience. However, the firing of Roseanne Barr, the star of the series, following her racist tweets forced the creators to make significant changes to the show. Retaining the same characters and tone, Roseanne transformed into The Conners. The sitcom bid farewell to its former title character by killing her off and shifted its focus to exploring the impact of her death on the titular family. Gradually, The Conners emerged as the central figures of the series, while Roseanne was gradually pushed into the background. By the fifth season, The Conners became a separate entity, distinct from its predecessor.

The Conners Season 6 Must Improve The Family’s Lives

The Conners season 5 successfully navigated the aftermath of Roseanne's death, but a new challenge now faces the show's creators. Executive producer Bruce Helford and series star John Goodman have expressed the possibility that season 6 could mark the end of the series. However, season 5's finale left the characters in a difficult position, which makes a positive and uplifting season 6 difficult. In the episode "Grad Finale," amidst sweet moments, the Conner family finds themselves in a precarious financial situation. Dan is nowhere near retirement, Louise's decision to stop touring has impacted her income, Jackie and Neville's relationship is strained due to Jackie loaning money to Dan in secret, Darlene is stuck in a dead-end job to support Mark's college dreams, Harris has no clear plans, and Becky is living with Darlene and Ben while struggling to finish a qualification that has taken her years. None of the Conners seem to be in a stable place in season 5, indicating that season 6 will struggle to provide them with a happy resolution.

The Conners Season 6 Can’t Repeat Roseanne’s Final Season Mistake

The fate of its characters in The Conners season 6 must be uplifting to avoid a disappointing series finale. However, it should not simply resolve all their problems overnight like the Roseanne mistake in season 9. In that season, the Conner family suddenly became unrealistically wealthy through a lottery win, which creator Barr argued was necessary to refresh the working-class origins of the characters. Unfortunately, this decision was met with strong criticism from both viewers and critics, resulting in the lowest reviews of the entire series.

The Conners Season 5 Left Darlene Unhappy (And Underpaid)

While The Conners season 6 cannot rely on the same gimmicky lottery win from Roseanne season 9, the show must find a solution for Darlene to break free from the routine of her current job. In The Conners season 5, Darlene found herself in a position of being overqualified as a lunch lady, all for the sake of securing Mark's college acceptance. This unfortunate scenario meant that years of Darlene's career progression were essentially wasted, as she took a pay cut and turned down a promising role in order to ensure Mark's scholarship through her lunch lady position. Darlene's professional predicaments add a genuine and relatable element to The Conners series, but in season 6, it is only fair for her to finally find a more fulfilling destiny.

The Conners Season 5 Strained Jackie and Neville’s Marriage

When Jackie borrowed money from Neville for Dan without informing him, she put her new marriage at risk. Consequently, Jackie endangered the strongest relationship she has ever had for her unquestionably unreliable brother-in-law. Although Jackie had good intentions, it would have been devastating if this led to a breakup between her and Neville. Having devoted decades to finding love and repeatedly encountering disappointment, The Conners season 6 must provide Jackie with a sense of stability both romantically and personally. Despite the understandable consequences that The Conners season 5 had on Jackie's marriage, the show should avoid repeating such a storyline in season 6.

The Conners Season 6 Treads A Tricky Line

The tone of The Conners season 6 presents a delicate balancing act. It is crucial for the show to improve the family's circumstances, while still maintaining the realistic essence of the series. Sudden and overly convenient financial windfalls could undermine the authenticity of the show's narratives, but an ending that offers no improvement for The Conners would be undeniably sorrowful. If Dan remains distant from retirement and Darlene finds herself trapped in a dead-end job by the conclusion, it would be a betrayal of Roseanne's fundamentally hopeful spirit. Thankfully, the most significant tragedy of The Conners season 6 may hold the key to resolving this predicament.

The Conners Season 6 Has One Secret Weapon

Killing off Bev, the mother of Roseanne and Jackie, could provide the characters with a realistic solution to their financial troubles. In season 5, episode 8 of The Conners, titled "Of Missing Minds and Missing Fries," it was revealed that Bev had advanced dementia, making her potential death in season 6 plausible. Despite her harsh presence, Bev occasionally surprised viewers and the characters by showing her love and care for her family. Additionally, she shocked the Conners by hiding money and assets. Therefore, if Bev were to be killed off in season 6, it could be revealed that she had enough money saved to help Becky, Dan, Darlene, and Jackie, giving the show's protagonists a somewhat happy ending without losing the show's unique edge.