The Conners: Unveiling the Most Riveting Episodes of Each Season & Insight into Roseanne's Epic Spinoff

Summary

The most-watched episode of "The Conners" was its pilot, which revealed Roseanne's fate, indicating the audience's interest in the show's connection to the original series.

The episode "Beards, Thrupples and Robots" successfully showcased Darlene's storyline and highlighted Laurie Metcalf's comedic talent as Aunt Jackie.

"Keep On Truckin' Six Feet Apart" drew in viewers by addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, showcasing the show's ability to seamlessly incorporate real-world events into its narrative.

The ratings performance of The Conners, the spinoff of Roseanne, provides insights into the sitcom's strengths and weaknesses. While television ratings do not always reflect a show's popularity, an analysis of a show's ratings over time can offer a rough indication of what works and what doesn't with its audience.

As viewers eagerly await The Conners season 6 to address unanswered questions from the season 5 finale, a review of the most-watched episodes of the spinoff reveals some surprising revelations. Despite efforts to distance itself from its former title character, the pilot episode of The Conners was the most-watched. Interestingly, this episode also unveiled the fate of Roseanne. Since then, the subsequent episodes that have attracted a large following have been less predictable and more diverse in their storytelling.

5 Season 1, Episode 1, “Keep On Truckin”

The premiere episode of The Conners' debut season, titled "Keep On Truckin," unsurprisingly had the highest viewership. In a similar vein to Young Sheldon's most-watched episode being its first, The Conners' episode revealing Roseanne's fate was a standout, attracting a massive audience of 10.56 million viewers. In this episode, the Conners were devastated to learn that Roseanne had passed away due to an opioid overdose. While hints were dropped in Roseanne's season 10 revival regarding her reliance on prescription painkillers, the news still came as a shock.

The decision to kill off Roseanne in The Conners was primarily motivated by former series star Roseanne Barr's racist tweets directed at Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to Barack Obama. Despite the revival's success in terms of ratings, Barr's offensive comments caused the network to immediately cut ties with the controversial comedian. Since then, The Conners has occasionally brought back characters associated with Roseanne but has always made it clear that the Conner family remains the show's core focus. Although the spinoff developed its own identity, Roseanne herself was rarely mentioned in the initial seasons of the series.

4 Season 2, Episode 15, “Beards, Thrupples and Robots”

In episode 15 of season 2 of The Conners, titled "Beards, Thrupples and Robots," Darlene finds herself in a demeaning job at Price Warehouse due to financial difficulties faced by the family. This particular episode managed to captivate an impressive audience of 6.49 million viewers, as it delved into the sensitive topics of unemployment and poverty, continuing the comedic expertise that originated from the series' inception with Roseanne. The sitcom has always portrayed the harsh realities of working-class life, except for the critically disliked Roseanne season 9 where the family unrealistically became millionaires. However, the success of this episode cannot solely be attributed to Darlene's storyline.

Jackie also plays a significant role in "Beards, Thrupples and Robots," where she courageously explores her love life by becoming involved in a "Throuple." This captivating storyline not only provides the episode with its title, but also showcases the remarkable talent of veteran sitcom performer Laurie Metcalf, who effortlessly portrays Aunt Jackie as the show's most remarkable and dynamic character. Consequently, the overwhelming success of "Beards, Thrupples and Robots" solidifies Jackie and Darlene's position as the main characters of The Conners season 2, effectively replacing Roseanne. Joined by Roseanne's widower, Dan, they continue to be the primary focus of the show.

3 Season 3, Episode 1, “Keep On Truckin' Six Feet Apart”

The Conners season 3 premiere, titled "Keep On Truckin' Six Feet Apart," garnered a significant audience of 4.9 million viewers, making it the most watched episode of the show's third outing. While it may not immediately stand out due to the usual heavy promotion during a summer hiatus, what set this episode apart was The Conners' approach in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than disregarding it, the show seamlessly integrated the pandemic's social, cultural, and political impact into its storyline, ultimately winning back an audience that was uncertain about how the spinoff would tackle this unprecedented event.

2 Season 4, Episode 4, “The Wedding of Dan and Louise”

The Conners' attempt to recapture Roseanne's former glory doesn't always guarantee critical and creative success, but it does reliably boost ratings. A prime example is the wedding of Dan and his new partner Louise, which drew in an impressive 3.59 million viewers. While this marked the highest viewership since season 4, longtime fans shouldn't have gotten their hopes up for a full reunion. Controversially, "The Wedding of Dan and Louise" disregarded most of Roseanne's supporting characters and only brought back a handful of familiar faces from the previous series.

Ironically, the absence of Chuck Mitchell, Geena, and Bev in "The Wedding of Dan and Louise" was as notable as the return of other characters. Despite being Dan's best friend, DJ's wife, and Roseanne's mother respectively, their exclusion from the episode disappointed those who had hoped for a reintegration of Roseanne's supporting stars.

1 Season 5, Episode 13, “New Pipes and Old Secrets”

Although not a standout episode, "New Pipes and Old Secrets" may have been the hidden gem behind its impressive ratings of 4.21 million viewers for The Conners season 5. The episode captivated the audience by focusing on a simple yet compelling story of the main characters, showcasing a perfect blend of humor and heartwarming moments. Surprisingly, the subplot involving Dan staying at Darlene's house and neglecting a forgotten DIY project evoked a touching sentiment amidst its comedic elements. However, it was Bev's storyline that truly stole the spotlight in this episode.

In episode 8 of season 5 of The Conners, titled "Of Missing Minds and Missing Fries," it was revealed that Bev was experiencing dementia. This revelation became the main storyline in "New Pipes and Old Secrets" where Jackie discovered that her mother had separated her and Roseanne from their father's mentally harmful anger when they were kids. While this twist was emotionally impactful, it did not overshadow the comedic aspects of the episode. Hence, this particular episode of The Conners demonstrated that the spinoff series has more to offer than just humorous moments.