The Conners: 10th best episode, ranked

There are many great episodes of The ConnersBut these Roseanne Spinoff’s best outings combine relatable family comedy and working-class drama perfectly. The Conners Has a great cast of characters, but that didn’t make the show’s job any easier when the series debuted in 2018. RoseanneOriginal lead actor Roseanne Barr was fired from the show’s revival in 2017 due to racist remarks, The Conners was tasked with continuing the story of Roseanne Without the title character of the show. That was impossible, as Barr’s heroine was central to both the sitcom’s original run and its revival.

However, the existence of 2024’s upcoming The Conners Season 7 proves that the series managed to pull off this unenviable task. The Conners Remained without Roseanne and held on to the show’s unique working-class roots, refusing to sugarcoat the lives of its titular Middle-American family. The pilot of the spinoff signaled that Roseanne’s exit would not soften the show when The Conners revealed that she died of an opioid overdose offscreen. Subsequent episodes continued to tackle hot-button issues like income inequality, miscarriage, deportation, unemployment and poverty. despite this, The Conners Always found room for a few laughs amidst the drama.

10

Season 5, Episode 6, “Buck Buns and Guillotine Hands”

The Conners made Halloween a contentious family holiday

In season 5, episode 6, “Buck Buns and Guillotine Hands,” Darlene discovers just how much she influenced her daughter Harris. Protesting censorship in local school libraries, Harris upsets Darlene’s neighbors, dividing Darlene’s loyalties between her daughter and her snotty, wealthy new neighborhood. Harris The Conners Character arcs have been uneven over the years, so it was rewarding to see this episode highlight the many similarities between Darlene’s daughter and her sardonic, rebellious mother.

Finally, Darlene ends up with Harris and proudly displays volume books in her lending library. She also put up a typically magnificent Halloween display in her new home, signaling that she would remain the same old darlin’ even if she was now living in a fancy new neighborhood. Harris put pressure on her mother to stay true to her principles proved that the couple are closer than they seem. The dynamic gives this underrated outing echoes of Darlene and Roseanne’s troubled, but ultimately supportive relationship.

9

Season 6, Episode 1, “The Publisher Cops Show Pilot”

The Season 6 premiere revitalized two character arcs

The Conner’sEason 6 is a mixed bag, but the premiere is almost pitch-perfect. Nick Offerman is hilarious as the strict TV chef Maurice ChestnutAnd his deadpan dismissal of the lunchbox prompts some hilariously delusional defenses from Jackie. However, Jackie handing over the lunchbox to Harris is what makes this episode shine. The Conners Season 7 needs to pick up where the forgotten storyline left off, but its combined promise of the always high-strung Jackie enjoying a well-earned retirement and Harris finally finding her purpose is ingenious.

8

Season 5, Episode 8, “Of Missing Minds and Missing Prizes”

Bev’s dementia led to one of the best Roseanne spinoff scenes

Bev’s troubled relationship with Roseanne and Jackie was one of the saddest parts of RoseanneAnd it was a plot that was not more delicious when Estelle Parsons’ bitter grandmother returned in The Conners. However, when the episode revealed her advanced dementia, Jackie finally got a chance to forgive her abusive mother for years of mistreatment. The result was one of the most moving moments in recent sitcom history, a powerhouse of dramatic acting from Laurie Metcalf and Parsons that lifted the entire season.

Bev’s dementia storyline continued in season 6, but Jackie’s initial attempt to confront her mother was the best use of the plot. Metcalf’s righteous anger melting into confusion, horror, and eventually dawning understanding of her mother’s condition was an emotional journey that made their shared scenes funny, tragic, cathartic, and moving. Jackie’s confrontation with Bev remains one of the best scenes in The Conners Or RoseanneAnd that alone deserves it a place in this rank.

7

Season 2, Episode 16, “Tats and Tias”

Harris’s sad storyline saw the Conners highlight relatable issues

In season 2, episode 16, “Tats and Tias,” Harris is forced to return home when her job is automated while Becky struggles with ingratiating herself among Emilio’s family. What makes this such a great episode of The Conners is its focus on the mundane, often infuriating trials of blue-collar life. The Conners Is not flashy but the love of the central family for each other makes their struggles easier to faceAnd this is perfectly encapsulated when Darlene cheers up her unemployed daughter through pointlessly prank-calling Jackie.

6

Season 4, Episode 20, “A Judge and a Priest Walk into a Living Room…”

Aldo’s exit facilitated a perfect season finale

Although Tony Cavalero’s Aldo was hilarious, he was never the right love interest for Harris. The dimwitted slacker was too old for Darlene’s daughter, and he was too committed to the idea of ​​having more children. This issue should have set off alarm bells for the wild, loose Harris. Harris breaking up with Aldo and Ben using their planned wedding to marry Darlene gave The Conners Season 4 a perfect finaleA chaotic celebration of love that felt as believably rushed, imperfect and silly as the rest of the family’s misadventures.

5

Season 3, Episode 13, “Walden Pond, A Staycation, and the Axis Powers”

The Conners covered COVID-19 better than many sitcoms

In season 3, episode 13, “Walden Pond, a Staycation and the Axis Powers,” Dan’s new love interest, Louise, contracted COVID-19, prompting a flurry of accusations among the eponymous clan. Although Ben and Darlene’s The Conners The plot also featured heavily in this outing, the COVID-19 storyline being what earns it a spot on the list. It’s been hard for any comedy to make the pandemic funny, and a show focused on working-class life has an even tougher task on its hands. however, The Conners Managed to make the pandemic plot relatable, relevant and, somehow, really funny.

4

Season 1, Episode 1, “Keep On Trackin'”

The Roseanne spinoff started strong and surprisingly sad

It should come as no surprise that the spinoff manages to make tough topics palatable The Conners Started with his saddest episode ever. Instead of cutting to months after the event, the spinoff’s pilot began with the heroes learning about Roseanne’s overdose in real time. The ensuing episode was raw, tragic, and laced with surprisingly sharp jolts of humor. soon, The Conners Distinguished itself as a show that wasn’t afraid of handling heavy subjects and tackling tough topics, the show has rarely outdone that amazing opening salvo since.

3

Season 2, Episode 4, “Lanford… Lanford”

David Healy’s Roseanne Exit was unexpectedly poignant

Since The Conners Season 7 is shorter than most of its predecessors, according to The Hollywood ReporterIt is no surprise that the show is unlikely to bring back all its Roseanne alumni. However, some of the characters have received fitting sendoffs before. Early in season 2, Darlene and her longtime Roseanne Love interest, Johnny Galecki’s David Healy, went to couples therapy and hashed out their differences. What followed was a brutally funny dissection of their relationship that ended with David finally leaving Darlene for good.

For viewers familiar with the original series, this seemed like an impossibility. Darlene and David are both flawed people, but it was obvious that they were always destined to end up together. But, how Darlene and David continued to argue, it became clear that their Roseanne love story has reached an end, And the bitter end of the episode marked the spinoff’s transition into a new era. It was a bold, bold decision to cut David out The ConnersBut this still established the show’s healthy distance from its predecessor.

2

Season 5, Episode 12, “Stuck in the Middle and Stuck in the Past”

This underrated outing highlighted Jackie and Dan’s critical dynamic

Although Roseanne Season 9 barely featured John Goodman’s Dan, he was still a crucial part of the series. After Roseanne’s death, The Conners Made it clear that Jackie and Dan’s friendship is more important than ever to the show’s appeal. Jackie’s neurotic tendencies and admirable self-confidence mesh well with Dan’s strong reliability and easy-going attitude. As such, it’s no surprise that one of the spinoff’s best episodes centers on a disagreement between them. When Jackie and Dan can’t decide who misplaced precious home videos, it soon devolves into an outlet for their shared fears about aging.

In another masterclass from the sitcom star, Metcalf’s Jackie opts not to get the last word at the end of the episode. When she realizes that the missing videos were in Dan’s house all along, Jackie decides to take the heat and pretends she found them in her own home. It was a moving moment that underlined their friendship and Jackie’s awareness that someday, Dan and her could start slipping away like her mother started to earlier in the season. Straightforward and funny, “Stuck in the Middle and Stuck in the Past” proves how pivotal Jackie and Dan are to The Conners.

1

Season 6, Episode 7, “Smash and Grab and Happy Death Day”

Roseanne’s spinoff handled its greatest tragedy with grace and humor

“Smash and Grab and Happy Dead Day” follows two storylines as Dan and Jackie catch a young burglar and Becky struggles with telling her young daughter Beverly-Rose about her past. Neither plot boasts flashy guest stars or particularly ambitious, dramatic twists, but the episode remains the strongest example of the Roseanne Spinoff’s character writing. The Conners Season 6 addressed the death of Mark Healy’s real-life actor, Glen Quinn, with tact and typical good humor as Becky tearfully declared that she lost a “Special friend” before her daughter was born.

It’s hard for comedy shows to address tragedies, and immeasurably harder when those tragedies overlap with real-life circumstances. The Conners Handled Mark Healy’s memory perfectly in his best episodeDeftly pays tribute to the late character and his actor without feeling saccharine or downbeat. This tonal tightrope walk proves just as much The Conners managed to replicate Roseannes balance of comedy and drama despite the occasional struggles of the sitcom spinoff.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter