As the Conners prepare for a lawsuit over Roseanne’s death, John Goodman‘s character, Dan, struggles when it comes to being more emotional about her overdose.
During the Wednesday, April 16, episode of the hit ABC series, Dan’s attorney on the case Jean (Jane Lynch) told Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) about her biggest issue ahead of their deposition, saying, “I have been practicing with Dan and I can’t get him to be emotional when he talks about what happened with Roseanne. He just stuffs it down.”
She continued: “I even sent him links from depositions where loved ones really broke down to show him what will move a jury and he never opened them.”
Dan later admitted to daughters Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky (Lecy Goranson) that he was “hiding” from Jean for the same reason.
Every Time The Conners’ Final Season Mentioned Roseanne Barr’s Character
“She keeps pushing me to be more emotional for my deposition. I am just not good at opening up,” he admitted. “I drink to get in touch with my emotions but after five or six beers, I forget what I am supposed to be feeling.”
Dan blamed his childhood for not allowing him to dig deeper, adding, “[But] it probably won’t hurt me to try something different.” The last scene of the episode was Jean and Jackie singing “Danny Boy” while getting Dan drunk, which finally got him to tear up.
The final season of The Conners has brought up Roseanne Barr‘s character numerous times. Barr originally brought Roseanne to life in the OG sitcom, which aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997. After being briefly revived in 2018 — and 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 hasn’t made an appearance since the drama.
“I just can’t bear it, so I don’t [watch],” Barr, 72, told The Los Angeles Times in February 2023 of the new show. “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 a**.”
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As The Conners prepares to wrap up with a six-episode final season, Barr is focused on her life 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 exclusively 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.”
In addition to “The Roseanne Barr” podcast, Barr filmed Kill Tony for Netflix and has been writing scripts. “You might just see her on TV again soon,” Pentland teased at the time. “You never know.”
Pentland also hinted that Barr might 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 airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
