The Conners series finale used archive footage of most main Roseanne cast members — except Roseanne Barr — to get viewers extra emotional about the show’s conclusion.
During the final episode, which aired Wednesday, April 23, the last scenes went back and forth between Dan (John Goodman), Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky (Lecy Goranson) saying goodbye to each other for the night and clips of them throughout the years on Roseanne.
There were sweet moments between Dan and his daughters, Jackie and Dan and sisters Darlene and Becky. The noticeable absence? The late Conners matriarch, played by Barr. Despite the final season mentioning Barr’s character in every single episode, the ABC spinoff opted out of including any actual footage of Barr’s titular character. (Michael Fishman, who played D.J. but left after four seasons, was also not featured.)
Roseanne originally aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997. After being briefly revived in 2018 — and after Barr’s eventual exit from the series amid controversial social media posts — the story transformed into The Conners. The spinoff was created without Barr’s involvement, and she has never made an appearance.
Every Time The Conners’ Final Season Mentioned Roseanne Barr’s Character
“I just can’t bear it, so I don’t [watch],” Barr, 72, told the Los Angeles Times in February 2023. “When they killed my character off, that was a message to me, knowing that I’m mentally ill or have mental health issues, that they did want me to commit suicide.”
She continued: “They killed my character. … And all of that was to say thank you for bringing 28 million viewers, which they never had before and will never see again. Because they can kiss my ass.”
Despite Barr’s onscreen absence, the final season centered around Dan trying to find justice by suing the pharmaceutical company that caused Roseanne’s death from an opioid addiction.
Multiple cast members weighed in on how the sixth and final season of The Conners prioritized paying tribute to characters no longer featured on the show.
“It’s a really interesting thing. [The idea of] when to bring her up, how it has been through the series is when it seems right,” Goranson, 50, shared in March. “There’s touches of it without really landing on it and making it super heavy.”
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Off screen, Barr made a move to Hawaii before settling down in Texas.
“We have 30 acres and live up in what they call ‘Hill Country,’” Barr’s son Jake Pentland exclusively shared with Us Weekly earlier this month. “Roseanne also drives the tractor often, which allows her to mow the lawn. She drives around. She occasionally runs into trees, but just keeps the yard up.”
Pentland hinted that Barr could be relocating again to Florida, adding, “She has a lot of close friends who live in Palm Beach as well and they’re always hanging out, shopping and going to dinners. She is very low-key in Palm Beach and likes to be out on a boat with friends or at the beach.”
The Conners is currently streaming on Hulu.
