*Roseanne* was left behind a long time ago, but is *The Conners* here to stay? That is the question ABC seeks to answer with a resounding "yes" when its "No. 1 New Comedy" returns for what will officially be its second season. Unofficially, of course, this marks the third season featuring the Conner clan—including the 2017 *Roseanne* revival (which was a massive hit until Roseanne Barr found herself out of a job thanks to her own tweets). The 2018 emergency solution kept the entire cast intact—save for Barr—writing out their matriarch in the hope of saving a high-rated series; and it worked... more or less. Total viewership topped 13 million when *The Conners* premiered, but dipped to just under 9 million by the end of the season. Even the lower end of those figures beats the average of ABC's next highest-rated series, so here we are: Season 2 (sort of)!
However, something curious has been happening with recent sitcom revivals. While many continue to be produced, developed, and considered, even the initial hits have faded into obscurity. After years upon years of demand, *Arrested Development* came to a shaky conclusion with a Season 5.5 that went virtually unnoticed this past March. *Fuller House*—one of the earliest sitcom revivals during the recent reboot craze—quietly wrapped up its run after four seasons on Netflix. And while negative reviews certainly dampened the party for those two series, *Will & Grace* garnered consistent acclaim upon its return in 2017, earning three Golden Globe nominations, seven Emmy nominations, and two Emmy wins for its first two revival seasons.
And yet, NBC has already announced that its 2020 season will be its last. *Will & Grace* finished in 11th place among the Peacock network’s 20 scripted series last season, losing nearly half of its viewers from one season to the next and dropping from 10 million viewers at the premiere of its ninth season to just under 3 million by the finale of its tenth. It has long been feared that these revivals have a very short shelf life, as viewers return to see what their old friends look like—how they sound and how they act—only to end up remembering why they said goodbye to them in the first place. Perhaps the quality declined. Perhaps some key cast or crew members were lost. Or perhaps, quite simply, it was just time to say goodbye.
ABC needs to put off that farewell for as long as possible, and *The Conners* is more than willing to oblige. If the first two episodes of the second season are any indication, these solid sitcom installments could run for quite a while. There are no substantial changes from what worked last year; however, there is a sense that the pacing has become more leisurely, that decisions have been deferred, and that turning points have been delayed. Take, for example, the central character of *The Conners*: Darlene (Sara Gilbert). At the end of the previous season, her boyfriend Ben (Jay R. Ferguson) had proposed that she move with him to Chicago; however, the surprise appearance of her ex-husband, David (Johnny Galecki), forced her to choose between embarking on a fresh start or attempting to reunite her old family.
Likewise, *The Conners* never feels as though it is sidestepping any topical issues—even when the series doesn't tackle them head-on. The storyline regarding deportation from the previous season—in which Emilio (Rene Rosado) is deported while Becky (Lecy Goranson) is pregnant with his child—isn't addressed in the first two episodes; yet, it doesn't feel forgotten or cast aside, either. The same holds true for a potential discussion about healthcare, which could conceivably arise from Becky’s complicated pregnancy but has yet to be broached. (The synopsis for the third episode indicates that she will face financial struggles, so perhaps the topic is still to come.)
Meanwhile, John Goodman remains a reliable supporting actor, capable of delivering both comedy and gravitas; Metcalf, for her part, can pivot in an instant from exuberant physical comedy to raw, heartbreaking emotional intensity. *The Conners* boasts a cast packed with great actors who continue to perform their roles at an exceptional level—much as was the case with *Will & Grace*. How long can those same elements—which worked in the past—continue to hold viewers' interest? The controversy departed along with Barr, and the audience curious to see what direction *The Conners* would take has already received its answer. Will enough people stick around to keep watching an ABC sitcom—revived and transformed—once it settles into being just another TV show, a run-of-the-mill program?
In addition to the fervent fan base that *Roseanne* brought to the project, *The Conners* has at least one factor working in its favor: the series continues to attract viewers with moderate leanings—or, at the very least, an audience comprising a mix of conservatives and liberals. *The Conners* centers on a working-class family and tackles the issues inherent to that social environment. The second season features a storyline centered on the difficulties Mark (Ames McNamara) faces at school after openly—and proudly—coming out as gay at a young age; yet it also addresses the economic hardships involved in simply making ends meet in the small towns of heartland America. The series proves itself to be supportive and inclusive—much as *Roseanne* was in its time—without ever turning its back on the harsh reality experienced by its protagonist family.
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