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List of Roseanne and The Conners characters
List of Roseanne and The Conners characters
from Wikipedia

The 1996–97 (season 9) cast of Roseanne (from top left to top right): Glenn Quinn as Mark Healy, Johnny Galecki as David Healy, Martin Mull as Leon Carp, Estelle Parsons as Beverly Harris and Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris. (From bottom left to bottom right) Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner, Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner-Olinsky, Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner, John Goodman as Dan Conner and Sarah Chalke as Becky Conner

The following is a list of major characters in the television series Roseanne and its successor, The Conners.

Family tree

[edit]
Sonny Anderson†Crystal Anderson ConnerEd Conner
d. 2020
Audrey ConnerAl Harris †
d. 1993
Bev Harris
b. 1929
Lonnie AndersonEd Conner Jr.Angela ConnerLouise ConnerDan Conner
b. 1951
Roseanne Conner
1952 – 2018
Neville GoldufskiJackie Harris
b. 1956
Fred
Emilio RodriguezBecky Conner-Healy
b. 1975
Mark Healy
1973 – 2002
David HealyDarlene Conner-Olinsky
b. 1977
Ben OlinskyD.J. Conner
b. 1981
Geena Williams-ConnerJerry Conner
b. 1995
Andy Harris
b. 1994
Beverly Rose Conner
b. 2019
Harris Conner-Healy
b. 2003
Mark Conner-Healy
b. 2005
Mary Conner
b. 2010

Main characters

[edit]
Main cast and characters of Roseanne and The Conners
Actor Character Roseanne The Conners
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Starring
Roseanne Barr Roseanne Conner Main Does not appear
John Goodman Dan Conner Main
Laurie Metcalf Jackie Harris Main
Sal Barone D.J. Conner Main[a] Does not appear
Michael Fishman Main Does not appear
Sara Gilbert Darlene Conner Main
Lecy Goranson Becky Conner[b] Main Does not appear Main Does not appear Main
Sarah Chalke Does not appear Main Main Recurring Guest Does not appear
Natalie West Crystal Anderson Also starring Main Guest Does not appear Guest Does not appear Guest Does not appear Guest Does not appear
Emma Kenney Harris Healy Does not appear Guest Main
Ames McNamara Mark Healy Does not appear Main
Jayden Rey Mary Conner Does not appear Main Does not appear
Maya Lynne Robinson Geena Conner[c] Does not appear Guest Does not appear Guest Main Does not appear Guest Does not appear
Jay R. Ferguson Ben Olinsky Does not appear Recurring Main
Also Starring
George Clooney Booker Brooks Guest Archive
Estelle Parsons Bev Harris Guest Also starring Guest Guest Guest
Johnny Galecki David Healy Also starring Guest Recurring
Sandra Bernhard Nancy Bartlett Also starring Guest Guest
Danielle Harris Molly Tilden Guest
Mara Hobel Charlotte Tilden
Glenn Quinn Mark Healy Guest Recurring Also starring
Michael O'Keefe Fred Also starring
Martin Mull Leon Carp Recurring Guest Recurring
Fred Willard Scott

Roseanne Conner

[edit]

Roseanne Conner (née Harris) is played by Roseanne Barr.[1][2] Roseanne, in a takeoff of her stand-up comedic and presumed real-life persona, is a bossy, loud, caustic, overweight, and dominant woman.[3] She is also portrayed as smart, resourceful, and witty. She strives to control the lives of her sister, husband, children, co-workers, and friends. Despite a domineering nature, Roseanne is depicted as being a loving wife and mother who works hard and makes as much time for her husband and children as possible.[4] She and her younger sister, Jackie, are the daughters of Beverly and Al Harris. Roseanne is married to Dan Conner and when the series begins they have three young children: Becky, Darlene, and David Jacob ("D.J."); a fourth child, Jerry Garcia, is born in the eighth season of the series.

Roseanne and Dan mostly live paycheck-to-paycheck, raising a family amid the many hardships of poverty, obesity, and domestic troubles with love and humor. Roseanne works at the Wellman Plastics factory at the beginning of the show's run and quits after a conflict with her overbearing boss, Mr. Faber; she leads a walkout that includes Jackie and other co-workers. She is intermittently unemployed and holds jobs as a fast-food restaurant employee, a telemarketer, a bartender, and a shampooer/hair sweeper/receptionist at a beauty salon. Subsequently, she works for several years as a waitress in the luncheonette at Rodbell's department store located in the Lanford Mall (much to the chagrin of her daughters Becky and Darlene, who regularly hang out there).

Unlike her slender sister, Roseanne has always had difficulty controlling her weight, inspiring an episode in which she and Dan go on a diet. Her bad dietary habits are shown to be symptomatic of her emotional health, often overeating fattening foods for comfort when stressed or merely for pleasure and reward. Roseanne is happily married, though Dan's laziness in performing household chores occasionally causes friction. A loving mother, she raises her children to be independent, individualistic, and self-sufficient. She is also close to Jackie, who is neurotic, and insecure, and has many short-term romantic relationships. Her relationship with her parents is more complicated. Her passive-aggressive mother, Bev, dotes on her two daughters, but she is often critical, interfering, and sometimes pits Roseanne and Jackie against each other by exploiting their individual insecurities. Roseanne's father, Al, initially portrayed as jovial and easy-going, is later revealed as a philandering husband and an overly-strict father who used corporal punishment to discipline his daughters over minor offenses, leaving Roseanne unable to trust men, including Dan, for many years.

Roseanne later co-owns a moderately successful restaurant, the Lanford Lunch Box, along with Jackie, and her friend Nancy. She and Jackie reluctantly accept their mother Bev as a fourth partner when more money is needed to open the business. Her annoying former Rodbell's luncheonette boss, Leon Carp, becomes a partner after Bev sells him her share as retaliation against Jackie and Roseanne for diminishing her role.

In Season 9, Roseanne and Jackie win a state lottery in excess of $108 million. At the end of the season, it is revealed that they never won the lottery and most of what previously happened on the show is actually from a fictional book Roseanne wrote. Her account of Dan having an affair was false and he actually suffered a fatal heart attack at the end of Season 8. Roseanne explains that his death was as if he had been unfaithful and left her. However, in Season 10, set twenty years later, the events of Season 9 are ret-conned out of existence. By this time, Roseanne is still married to Dan and is now a grandmother of three and posthumously of four.

In 2018, Roseanne Barr was fired from the show after she wrote a racist tweet describing Valerie Jarrett, a black woman and one of President Barack Obama's senior advisers, as the offspring of the "Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes."[5] and replaced by the spin-off The Conners, Roseanne has died of an accidental opioid overdose. The series, which ran for seven seasons, concluded with Dan suing the company which prescribed the opioid pills for Roseanne.[6]

In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named Roseanne one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years.[7] In 2009, she was listed in the Top 5 Classic TV Moms by Film.com.[8] In May 2012, she was one of the 12 moms chosen by users of iVillage on their list of "Mommy Dearest: The TV Moms You Love".[9] AOL named her the 11th Most Memorable Female TV Character.[10]

Dan Conner

[edit]

Daniel "Dan" Conner is played by John Goodman. Dan is Roseanne's husband and father of Becky, Darlene, D.J., and Jerry. Dan is a lovable, good-natured, blue-collar family man who works as a drywall contractor. Like Roseanne, he is overweight and leads a mostly sedentary life when not working. Although Dan is a steady provider, faithful husband, and a good father, he defers most child-rearing decisions to Roseanne. While Dan is a hard-working contractor, he often shirks household duties, preferring to watch TV when at home. He often seeks refuge in the garage, tinkering on various projects to escape family stresses. In Season 1, Life and Stuff, an overworked Roseanne berates Dan for not helping enough with domestic chores. When Dan indignantly states he will cook that night's dinner, Roseanne sarcastically exclaims that he "just fixed dinner three years ago".

Dan is the only child of Ed and Audrey Conner. When Dan is around forty years old, he gains a half-brother and half-sister after Ed marries Roseanne's friend, Crystal. Dan had an uneasy childhood, and his parents' divorce and his mother's mental illness has taken an emotional toll. Dan often suppresses his feelings, which can affect his reasoning. He unfairly claimed his father, Ed, caused his mother's psychiatric problems, though he gradually accepts that Ed was blameless and actually attempted to shield his son from the truth. Their relationship remains strained, however, and in The Conners, Ed and Dan no longer communicated. Dan learns of his father's death by reading about it in the obituary column. Ed's passing reunites Dan with his estranged half-brother, Ed, Jr.

During the final episode of Season 9, which was later retconned out of existence, Roseanne reveals that the entire series was written as a fictional book based on her life and family in which she selectively altered unpleasant events. Most notably, during the final season, Dan and Roseanne are shown as briefly separating after Dan has a short-lived dalliance with another woman while in California, though he had actually died from his heart attack near the end of Season 8. Writing that he was unfaithful was to express her feelings of anger, loss, and abandonment that his death caused. Dan's potential absence from all or most of season nine prompted Phil Rosenthal of the Los Angeles Daily News to describe it as a rare occasion where ending the show would be preferred to doing without. Rosenthal described Goodman's potential absence as leaving a tremendous void, owing to his ability to make those acting with him better.[11] The revelation that Dan actually died and the series' being a work of fiction within the show was not well received.[12]

In Season 10, which takes place twenty years after Season 9, Dan is alive, married to Roseanne, and now a grandfather of three. Dan is still a contractor and Roseanne earns money as an Uber driver. They struggle financially while navigating the difficulties of growing older amid exorbitant drug prices and rising medical costs. They are unable to afford Roseanne's knee surgery, leading her to abuse pain-killer drugs. The couple are still involved in their grown children's lives, but their "empty nest" grows crowded when Darlene, now a single mother, moves back home with her two children after losing her publishing job in Chicago, creating new conflicts and stresses.

In The Conners, Dan is now a widower, Roseanne having died from an accidental overdose of pain pills. He deeply mourns her death, but after two years begins dating Louise, a former high-school classmate. Dan also becomes a grandfather a fourth time after Becky gives birth to a daughter. Though Dan was the father of four in Roseanne, youngest son Jerry has been retconned out of existence, and there are only three Conner children. In Season 3, Dan realizes he is too old to continue working as a contractor and retires. He begins working at the hardware store owned by Darlene's boyfriend, Ben.

In an article about television dads, The Post and Courier editor Mindy Spar discussed how '90s TV dads became goofier than dads from earlier decades, calling Dan more like one of the children than the father.[13] IGN editor Edgar Arce called Dan Conner a prototypical everyman.[14]

An article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune praised Dan and Roseanne's relationship, calling it realistic and commenting that while they mock each other, viewers can feel their love while they deal with the kinds of problems real families face.[15] Daily News editor David Bianculli stated that while they were the most entertaining and realistic couple on television, they were one of the least during their separation.[16] Their relationship was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time.[17]

Jackie Harris

[edit]

Marjorie Jacqueline "Jackie" Harris Goldufski is played by Laurie Metcalf. Jackie is Roseanne's younger sister by three years. She is a neurotic but a loving, devoted aunt to her nieces and nephews, and later mother to Andy.[18][19]

Jackie is an intelligent, warm, highly sensitive underachiever with chronic low self-esteem. Roseanne seems to be in charge of Jackie's life, which frequently causes conflict between the two sisters; however, Jackie sometimes enjoys having Roseanne mother her, especially when she feels vulnerable. Like Roseanne, Jackie's relationship with their mother is strained, chafing under Bev's constant criticism and disapproval of her life choices. She is closer to her father, but as his past abusive behavior is revealed in later seasons, Jackie is shown as having coped by using selective denial or justifying his behavior. Jackie's character becomes more animated and colorful as the series progresses.[20] Jackie holds numerous jobs: working in the Wellman Plastics factory for several years until the walkout, then becoming a police officer until being injured on the job, then is a truck driver before finally opening the Lanford Lunch Box with Roseanne and Nancy, and also mother Bev as a fourth partner.[21][22] In Season 10, Jackie is now a life coach. In The Conners, Jackie, along with Becky, revives the old Lanford Lunch Box when the previous restaurant occupying the space closes, then struggles to keep it afloat during the COVID pandemic, showing her adaptability and perseverance. Jackie often comes up with off-the-wall ideas, but many actually work. Her romantic relationships tend to be short-term and frequently unstable, including one with Fisher, a domestic abuser.

In a plot development that was later retconned out of existence, in Seasons 6/7 Jackie married Dan's city garage co-worker Fred, who impregnated her during a one-night stand. Jackie is initially uninterested in pursuing a further romantic relationship, but gradually warms to Fred and accepts his marriage proposal. Their son, Andy, is born two months before the wedding. The marriage is short-lived, and, though Fred is a stable husband and loving father, the couple share little in common. Jackie eventually finds Fred boring, predictable, and self-centered and briefly seeks out other male companionship, though it is mostly an innocent relationship. She and Fred see a marriage counselor, but Jackie eventually decides she is happier being single. They divorce and Jackie transitions into single motherhood while maintaining a relatively amicable post-divorce relationship with her ex-husband. In the Season 10 reboot and The Conners spin-off, there is no mention of her ever being married or having a son. In The Conners Jackie, still single, briefly lived with Peter, an unemployed academic who freeloaded off her until she threw him out for cheating. In Season 3, Jackie begins dating Neville, Louise Guldofski's veterinary brother, though Jackie was initially reluctant to date anyone. They eventually marry at the end of season 4.

In Season 6, while in labor, Jackie is shocked when Bev reveals Jackie's birth name is actually Marjorie; the family began calling her Jackie because Roseanne, unable to pronounce the name Marjorie, instead called her baby sister "my Jackie".[23] But in Season 10, Jackie introduces herself to Andrea, the woman looking to hire Becky as her surrogate, as Jacqueline. Despite Jackie's apparent flightiness in the early episodes, she is actually the backbone of the Conner/Harris family in many ways, as Roseanne admits in the last episode of Season 9, and which also reveals that Jackie, not Bev, had come out as a lesbian during the final season and that Roseanne knew, but had just always pictured her with a man.[24] However, as most of Season 9 (and the final episode in particular) has been since retconned out of existence, Jackie is again heterosexual.

Darlene Conner-Olinsky

[edit]

Darlene Conner-Olinsky is played by Sara Gilbert.[18] She is Dan and Roseanne's second child and younger daughter, born in 1977. Darlene, who has inherited her mother's acerbic sense of humor, is artistic, tomboyish, and socially awkward. In the early seasons, Darlene mostly focuses on sports and, though highly intelligent, underperforms academically. She often mocks her older sister Becky for being a model student, her feminine pursuits, and for chasing boys. As a teenager, Darlene grows increasingly moody and withdrawn, her malaise gradually leading to a brief bout of depression. She is a strong animal rights activist and becomes a vegetarian, which closely reflects Gilbert's real-life views. In middle school, Darlene is generally uninterested in boys though she has a few dates. As a high school freshman, she begins dating David Healy (called Kevin Healy in his first appearance, though the name was changed). David (Johnny Galecki) is the younger brother of Becky's punk boyfriend (later husband) Mark. Darlene is sarcastic and domineering like her mother, often causing the two to clash. Her strong personality dominates the meek David, who usually defers to her. Darlene is a talented aspiring writer and David is a budding graphic artist, leading them to collaborate on a graphic novel.

Darlene's goal is to become a professional writer and is talented enough to be awarded early admission and a scholarship to an arts college in Chicago. After David's application to the same school is declined, he wants Darlene to remain in Lanford. Roseanne says Darlene must first finish high school, but after learning David threatened to break up with her if she goes, she demands Darlene attend, giving Darlene an opportunity to become the writer Roseanne wanted to be. Darlene, who had decided not to attend, reveals her real reason for declining admission is because she fears failing, but finally agrees to go. At college, Darlene begins dating Jimmy while still seeing David, who initially accepts this arrangement in order to be with Darlene. When he later demands she choose between them, Darlene chooses Jimmy, though he later breaks off their relationship due to Darlene's inability to be close. Darlene realizes she still loves David and they reconcile. Darlene and David marry after Darlene becomes pregnant, giving birth to a daughter, Harris Conner-Healy. Harris is born three months premature and David and Darlene must decide whether or not to keep her on life support or allow nature to determine her fate. Harris proves strong enough to survive on her own. In the final episode of Season 9, it is revealed that Darlene was actually dating Mark, and Becky was with David, though Roseanne had written in her book that Darlene being with David made more sense. However, by the start of Season 10, which takes place twenty years later, this revelation has been retconned out of existence.

In Season 10, Darlene is now a single mother of two children, teen daughter Harris and ten-year-old son Mark. Darlene has recently lost her publishing job, forcing her to move from Chicago back to Lanford to live with Roseanne and Dan in her childhood home. She initially claimed she moved back to care for her aging parents until Roseanne discovers the real reason. David and Darlene had separated some years before, though David also soon permanently returns to Lanford, wanting to reengage in his children's lives.

In The Conners, Darlene begins a relationship with her new boss, Ben, the editor/publisher of a crime magazine called "Lock 'Em Up". Unlike David, Ben's personality is equally as strong as Darlene's. Although Darlene and David briefly consider reconciling, they agree to divorce. During a joint counseling session with David, Darlene is forced to confront and assess her domineering personality after recognizing it was an underlying factor in David leaving her. When she admits to Ben that she had also been seeing David, Ben, already aware, breaks up with her. They reconcile after Ben loses his magazine to his new corporate partners and Darlene also quits. The two decide to publish their own online crime magazine. In Season 2, they struggle to raise capital for their new venture. When Ben is unsure he has the drive and energy to start over, Darlene offers to take the initiative. In Season 3, Darlene has concerns about their relationship, fearing they may have different goals. By the end of the 4th season, Darlene marries Ben Olinsky (reoccurring character in The Conners.) They move into a house together which is built by her father, Dan.

Sara Gilbert was almost rejected for the Darlene role for "not being cute enough."[25]

Becky Conner

[edit]

Rebecca "Becky" Conner (later Healy) is played by Lecy Goranson (Sarah Chalke in seasons 6–9). Born in 1975, Becky is the eldest of Roseanne and Dan's children. Becky is introduced to the series as a pre-teen, whose primary interests are centered around makeup, fashion, and boys. While she can be self-centered and occasionally acts spoiled, she actually is the least problematic of the Conner children, maintaining high grades and rarely causing issues for her parents beyond an occasional argument. However, as Becky matures, she grows moody and rebellious, resulting in her and a friend getting drunk on Roseanne and Dan's alcohol while alone in the Conner house. She has several clean-cut boyfriends, but soon prefers dating edgier, punkish guys that Roseanne and Dan disapprove of. They especially dislike her latest boyfriend (and future husband), Mark Healy, particularly after the young couple become sexually active. Becky's ultimate rebellion comes when she is seventeen and drops out of high school to elope with Mark and move to Minneapolis.

In the year before her elopement, Becky's life was stressful. In addition to schoolwork and working as a cashier to save for a car, she was responsible for maintaining the household and tending her younger siblings while her parents worked long hours. Her breaking point came when she learnt her parents had used her college fund to pay household bills and, finally, when the family's bike shop failed, forcing her boyfriend Mark, who worked there, to move to Minneapolis for a new job. Unwilling to be without Mark, Becky elopes with him. Unfortunately the move did not result in any long-term financial stability and the couple returned to Lanford. Mark began working at the city garage with Dan, and Becky found a job at a restaurant called Bunz. The two lived in the Conner house before moving into a shabby mobile home at a trailer park. While Mark is content in their marriage, Becky eventually feels constrained by their growing disparities. She wants to attend college, which Mark opposes, fearing it will lead to Becky leaving him. In the final episode of Season 9, it was revealed that Becky was pregnant. In Season 10, however, Becky is childless, though she says she and Mark had tried to have children.

In Season 10, set twenty years later, Becky, now widowed, works as a server at a Mexican restaurant in Lanford. Mark's death has left her financially unstable. Becky also appears to be somewhat emotionally stunted and immature, with Darlene commenting she often behaves and dresses like a much younger person. Becky turns to egg donation and surrogacy, hoping to earn $50,000 from an affluent couple, though she told them she is ten years younger than her actual age. Her parents strongly oppose Becky's decision, saying she is giving up her child and their grandchild, though she strongly feels she must accept the offer. When the doctor later determines Becky has little chance of conceiving, the couple seek another candidate.

Lecy Goranson played the role of Becky from Season 1 to Season 5. Goranson left the show to attend Vassar College. Becky's absence is written as her dropping out of high school to elope with Mark and moving to Minneapolis. However, producers wished to return the character to the show and since Goranson was unavailable, they recast the role with Canadian actress Sarah Chalke. Chalke appeared as Becky starting mid-Season 6 and all of Season 7. Goranson returned as Becky for Season 8. When Goranson's school schedule occasionally conflicted with her filming schedule, Chalke filled in as Becky during Season 8. Goranson, not wanting to put the show through more scheduling conflicts, declined to sign on for Season 9 to instead concentrate on her studies and Chalke returned to the role. In the series revival, Goranson once again played Becky. In Season 10, Goranson as Becky, and Chalke as a character named Andrea, meet and comment on how much they resemble one another—as the two actors had played the same role. The Andrea character hires Becky to be her surrogate; this arrangement fails due to Becky's age (she is 43) making it unlikely she can conceive.

In Season 1 of The Conners, which deals with life after Roseanne's death from an accidental opiate overdose, Becky, who never expected to get pregnant, announces she is expecting. The child's father, Becky's restaurant coworker Emilio, is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico and unable to help out financially, as he is a small-wage earner. With her family's support, Becky proceeds with the pregnancy.

Becky likes but does not love Emilio, though she later warms to him and accepts his being part of her and her child's lives; Dan hires him as a drywall worker at his construction business, and Jackie tutors him in English. Emilio is subsequently deported in the cliffhanger ending to Season 1. In the Season 2 premiere of The Conners, Becky gives birth to a premature girl whom she names Beverly Rose, after her grandmother and mother, respectively. Becky becomes overwhelmed at the prospect of financially providing for her baby, and returns to work too early, risking her health. Darlene and Dan convince her to move into the house with them, fixing up the basement into a comfortable living space. Much to her family's later disapproval, Becky marries Emilio while visiting him in Mexico, though it is only so he can legally return to the U.S. in two years. She is furious when he illegally returns to Lanford to be with his daughter and risks being permanently deported.

The Conners also reveals that Becky is an alcoholic; she began abusing alcohol to cope with Mark's death. She stops drinking after becoming pregnant, but suffers a relapse following Beverly Rose's birth, overwhelmed by financial challenges and failed dreams. Her family insists she to go into rehab. During a counseling session, Becky admits that one reason she drinks is her anger at herself for allowing Mark to derail her life goals.

D.J. Conner

[edit]

David Jacob "D.J." Conner is played by Michael Fishman (Sal Barone[26] in the pilot episode).[27] Born in 1981, David, better known by his initials D.J., is the youngest of Roseanne and Dan's children and their only son until the birth of Jerry Conner, in 1995. It is noted that D.J. does well in school, though he seems less intellectually astute than Darlene and Becky. He is naïve and more boisterous than his older sisters, who frequently taunt him. In the first episode of Season 3, it is stated that while Becky and Darlene were planned pregnancies, D.J. was a "surprise". As he grows older, D.J.'s storylines deal with more mature topics such as masturbation, sexuality, racism, child abuse, and religion. A growing rebelliousness leads him to become increasingly disrespectful, skipping school, and engaging in other minor mischiefs. When D.J., not yet a teenager, steals and wrecks the family car in Season 6, Roseanne's uncontrolled anger results in her severely hitting him. Later episodes depict D.J. developing a brotherly bond with Becky's husband Mark, who often dispenses incorrect or inappropriate advice. D.J. later shows an artistic side and develops an interest in filmmaking. He wants to videotape Darlene giving birth but continually faints while attempting to watch a childbirth video to prepare. He was among the few characters whose storylines were unaltered in the final episode of Season 9, which has since been ret-conned out of existence.

In Season 10, D.J. recently retired from the military and returned home after serving in Syria. He struggles to adapt to civilian life for which he sought counseling. He is the primary parent to his pre-adolescent daughter, Mary, while his wife, Geena Williams Conner, is still serving in the military abroad. D.J. lands a job with a vending machine company, improving his financial situation, but after receiving a promotion, he works long hours, often away from Lanford. He agrees to allow Mary to stay at the Conner house during the week so she will not be home alone.

Crystal Anderson-Conner

[edit]

Crystal Anderson-Conner is played by Natalie West. Crystal is a close friend of Roseanne, having gone to high school with her and Jackie and later working together with them at Wellman Plastics. A mild-mannered, good-hearted woman, Crystal's kindness is often taken advantage of, even by Roseanne at times. Though Crystal is not oblivious to others using her, she seldom asserts herself, fearing she might lose others' favor or be perceived as unladylike.

Crystal's most poignant hallmark is her troubles in dating. At the beginning of the series, she has been married three times. Both her marriages to Rusty and Travis, were fairly short and ended in divorce. (However, in season 1, episode 5, she says she was widowed at 18.) Her third husband Sonny, the father of her son Lonnie, was killed in a construction accident. After, Crystal endures years of bad relationships before gradually kindling a romance with Dan's father Ed, much to Roseanne's surprise and Dan's consternation. When Crystal and Ed become engaged in Season 3, she tells Roseanne she is pregnant. Dan is initially unhappy with either development, further straining his already-difficult relationship with his father. Crystal gives birth to Ed Junior, better known as Little Ed; the following year, she gives birth to her daughter, Angela.

Crystal made a few appearances in several revival-era episodes in 2018 and 2019. It is unmentioned if she is still married to Ed Conner. However, in The Conners, when Ed, Sr. dies, he was living alone in rather shabby circumstances.

Little is known about Crystal's background, other than her mother forcing her to leave home at 16 and that she married at 17, shortly after graduating from high school, only to be widowed at 18. Although Crystal still mourns Sonny's death, she acknowledges that she always knew he was cheating on her. Crystal speaks with a Southern accent despite being a Lanford native; her explanation is that her father was from Arkansas.

Harris Conner-Healy

[edit]

Harris Conner-Healy is played by Emma Kenney. She was born premature and was not expected to survive. Darlene names her Harris Conner-Healy as a tribute to all of the strong women in her family ("Harris" is Roseanne's maiden name) in the hopes that she'd have the same strength to survive.

The elder of Darlene's two children, Harris is now a teenager who inherited her mother and grandmother's sarcastic humor. Having grown up in Chicago, Harris is unhappy about moving to Lanford and is resentful and hostile towards her family members. As Harris continuously acts indifferent to the needs of others in the household, Roseanne does what Darlene has not: she confronts Harris about her disrespectful behavior. Though Darlene is initially upset, she accepts Roseanne's actions as justified when she discovers that Harris has been selling stolen goods on Etsy to raise money to move back to Chicago. While Darlene is sympathetic to Harris's unhappiness, she exerts more control over her daughter's life, grounding her and demanding passwords to all of her social media accounts.

There is some discrepancy in the series continuity with regard to the character's age. Darlene announced she was pregnant in a 1996 episode during season 8 of Roseanne, and Harris was born in a 1997 episode during season 9. This would make Harris 21, not a teenager, at the start of season 10 in 2018. Note that virtually everything that happened in seasons 7-9 of Roseanne—other than Harris' birth—has been retconned out of existence in the show's universe, and there is no reason to assume that the date of Harris' birth is not affected by this retcon.

Mark Conner-Healy

[edit]

Mark Conner-Healy is played by Ames McNamara. The younger of Darlene's two children, Mark is a 10-year-old boy with a strong interest in fashion. His interest in things traditionally feminine, such as wearing makeup and skirts, is somewhat worrisome to his grandparents, with Roseanne worried that Mark will be bullied by his narrow-minded peers and Dan feeling that he needs to persuade the youngster to take on more masculine traits. Noticing a classmate make a snide comment to Mark on his first day at school in Lanford, Roseanne threatens his classmates by telling them she is a witch, while Dan gives Mark a pocket knife, which ultimately results in him being called to the principal's office and sent home from school for the day, much to Darlene's chagrin. Despite Roseanne and Dan's concerns, they express support and love for him. Mark is named after his deceased uncle, Mark Healy.

Mary Conner

[edit]

Mary Conner is played by Jayden Rey. Mary is D.J. and Geena's daughter. Mary is named after her deceased great-great-grandmother, Nana Mary. In Season 3, D.J. begins a new job requiring him to work long hours and often in neighboring towns. Although Geena and D.J.'s friends are checking on her throughout the day, Mary tells Darlene she is lonely. Darlene and Becky decide to have her live at the Conner house during the week without first asking D.J. He is initially angry, but relents when Mary says she wants to stay.

Geena Williams-Conner

[edit]

Geena Williams-Conner is played by Maya Lynne Robinson (Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly in season 7 and Xosha Roquemore in season 10). The African-American wife of D.J. and mother of Mary; she is, like D.J., a military veteran.

The character was introduced in a 1994 Roseanne episode wherein D.J. must kiss her for a school play, but is reluctant to do so because she is black (race). D.J. overcomes his prejudices and kisses her for the play; she is not seen on the original show again.[28]

In the Season 10 revival, it is revealed that Geena had married D.J., and while D.J. is home raising their daughter, she is still an active-duty soldier.[28]

She was a main character in season one of The Conners, having been discharged from the military after a tour in Afghanistan. In Season 2, she is called into active duty again.[28] In an interview with MEAWW, Robinson explained that the show did not have her character return as a regular, and that she was joining another sitcom as a main character in The Unicorn.[29]

Other major characters

[edit]

Nancy Bartlett

[edit]

Nancy Lynn Bartlett is played by Sandra Bernhard. Nancy is a part owner of the Lanford Lunch Box. She marries Arnie Thomas, but — after he eventually leaves her — she comes out as a lesbian. She frequently is seen dating women; her first girlfriend Marla is played by Morgan Fairchild. Nancy is never ashamed of her promiscuity, nor does she ever show any self-consciousness about her unusual behavior. She is one of the most self-confident characters in the series, often even more than Roseanne. Her tendency toward self-absorption seems to only be quelled while dating a woman or being around Jackie. Nancy turns out to be a loyal good friend to both Roseanne and Jackie throughout the series; however, she doesn't hesitate to reprimand them for their selfishness and cruelty when they treat their mother, Bev, so harshly that Bev ends up crying about it for days afterward while Nancy gives her support.

Nancy appeared in a revival-era episode in 2018 in season 10, but did not appear on The Conners.

Leon Carp

[edit]

Leon Carp is played by Martin Mull. Leon, originally as Roseanne's boss at Rodbell's Luncheonette and later as her business partner in The Lanford Lunchbox, he is portrayed as a foe to Roseanne; although they have a contentious relationship at times, Leon gradually becomes a close friend of the Conners, ultimately becoming a surrogate family member. As a gay man, he is occasionally seen dating many men and having romantic troubles; however, he later marries his life partner Scott (Fred Willard) in a very public ceremony. In the ninth season, they visit the Conner residence bearing gifts for Darlene and David's new baby, Harris, proclaiming themselves as the infant's Aunt Scott and Aunt Leon. Near the end of the episode, they announce their plans to adopt a little girl. Leon's role in the series expands significantly in the eighth and ninth seasons, as he is featured in more episodes. He is especially upset when Roseanne wins the lottery, but Roseanne and Jackie end up relinquishing control of the restaurant to Leon and Nancy. Leon is a Republican, and holds George Bush in high regard. He also is shown throughout the series' run to be a fan of Liza Minnelli, as well as Broadway musicals.

Leon did not appear in season 10, nor did he appear on the spin-off series.

Ed Conner

[edit]

Ed Conner is played by Ned Beatty. Ed is Dan's father, a charming traveling salesman who always brings presents for the grandchildren. Dan has a troubled history with his father, and Roseanne tries to keep the peace between the two. The family likes Ed, but Dan grew up feeling neglected with Ed seldom being home and his mother's mental illness, in addition to verbal slights that Ed targets towards Dan (e.g., when Dan questions Ed dating Crystal, Ed makes a rude crack about Dan being "interested" in Crystal). It usually takes little to no time for Dan to become annoyed by his father's presence. All this was unknown to Dan until Crystal revealed it to Roseanne. Ed hoped to provide Dan with at least one stable parent as he would often be gone on sales trips during Dan's adolescence. He wants to learn from his past actions and be a better father and husband. He loves his son despite their troubled relationship, and also loves the rest of his family. He marries Crystal and has two children with her (Ed Jr. and Angela), who are significantly younger than their half-brother, Dan. He is said to have died in The Conners. It appears he was no longer with Crystal and was living alone.

Jerry Conner

[edit]

Jerry Garcia Conner is played by Cole Roberts and Morgan Roberts. Jerry is the youngest of Roseanne and Dan's children, born in 1995 when the two are in their forties. Jerry's conception presented a struggle for Roseanne and Dan, who previously never experienced fertility issues. He was named after musician Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, who had a fatal heart attack during Roseanne's pregnancy and of whom she and Dan were fans.

The decision to add a pregnancy storyline to the series coincided with Roseanne Barr's real-life pregnancy with her son, Buck Thomas. Barr, like her character, struggled with fertility, though Barr ultimately resorted to fertility drugs to conceive while her character became pregnant naturally. Initially, it was planned that the new cast addition would be a daughter, but when Barr gave birth to a boy, she decided the Conners should have a son instead, wanting her on-screen child's sex to match her newborn child's. Once it was decided the baby would be a boy, Barr named the character after Jerry Garcia and intended to have Roseanne give birth at a Grateful Dead concert. However, plans for a concert birth were scrapped when Garcia died unexpectedly.

Because he was so young, Jerry did not play a significant role in the series' initial run. Jerry never appeared in Season 10, nor did he appear on The Conners. In a season 10 episode, Roseanne briefly alluded to Jerry being on a fishing boat in Alaska, hence his absence. However, after that there was no mention of Jerry whatsoever, and it became apparent that the character—along with much of seasons 6 though 9 -- was simply retconned out of existence. In The Conners, various characters mentioned that there are only three Conner children.

Fred

[edit]

Fred is played by Michael O'Keefe. Fred is a mechanic who works at the city garage with Dan when he is introduced to Jackie, leading to a one-night stand, accidental pregnancy, and subsequent marriage. After much encouragement, Jackie eventually warms to Fred and accepts him as the father of her child and therefore a part of their lives. At first, Fred assumes Jackie rebuffs him because she thinks he fails to understand she was previously in an abusive relationship, in addition to her dysfunctional childhood. Being conventional, Fred is somewhat mystified by the Conners' and Harris' offbeat ways and finds the inner workings of Jackie's eccentric family confusing. Their disparate personalities eventually strain his and Jackie's marriage. Despite attempts to make their marriage work and seeing a counselor, Jackie and Fred realize they have too little in common and divorce. They maintain a relatively cordial post-divorce relationship and share custody of their son, Andy.

Fred did not appear, nor was he mentioned, in the revival series or in The Conners. His son Andy was retconned out of existence, and Fred appears to have suffered the same fate.

Andy Harris

[edit]

Andy Harris is Jackie and Fred's son, born in 1994 on the episode "Labor Day". Jackie breastfeeds Andy at the altar while marrying Fred ("Altar Egos"). Andy was the ringbearer at Darlene and David's wedding ("The Wedding"). Jackie occasionally dressed him in outfits Fred deemed to be feminine. D.J. made it a point to spend time with Andy because they were the only younger males in the family until Jerry's birth. Cousins Andy and Jerry took naps together in the same crib when they were babies.

Andy has been retconned out of existence in The Conners, with producer Bruce Helford explaining that the new show's producers have chosen to deliberately ignore certain developments of later seasons of Roseanne—including Andy's birth.[30]

Bev Harris

[edit]

Beverly Lorraine "Bev" Harris is played by Estelle Parsons. Beverly is the mother of Roseanne and Jackie, the wife of Al, and the daughter of Nana Mary. She has a half-sister named Sonya. Overbearing, critical, and shrill, she annoys her family members. She often nags them with a high-pitched whiny voice, often with good intentions but presenting them in an inappropriate manner. The family (especially Jackie) avoids spending time with Bev, and she is quick to inadvertently criticize how people run their lives. After the family plays back-and-forth tricks on each other in one Halloween episode, Roseanne ultimately prevails by faking a phone conversation in front of frantic Dan, pretending that Bev is coming for a three-week visit. Bev is traditional and conservative, as opposed to her daughters' more liberal and feminist philosophies. She is generous with the money she receives from her divorce settlement, often giving financial gifts to the family or to bail them out. She provides the seed money for Roseanne and Jackie's business venture, the Lanford Lunch Box, and later provides additional funding as a fourth partner. She is later forced into becoming a silent partner when Roseanne and Jackie are unable to work harmoniously with her. As revenge, Bev sells her share of the restaurant to Roseanne's disliked ex-boss, Leon Carp, making him their new partner. During the show's ninth season, which has subsequently been entirely retconned out of the series continuity, Bev comes out as a lesbian (according to one of Roseanne's fictional twists on her family, along with winning the lottery). In the finale, Roseanne states that it is her sister, Jackie, not Bev, who is a lesbian. This has also been retconned out of the series continuity.

From what is known of Bev's childhood and marriage, her life was emotionally difficult, plagued with instability and neglect. Her unrestrained mother Mary put her personal freedom ahead of her children. As a result of her promiscuity, Mary is uncertain about who Bev's father was. As a young woman, Bev found herself pregnant out of wedlock, as her mother had been. Unlike her mother, Bev married her baby's father, Al Harris. Their marriage lasted several decades, but Al treated their two daughters harshly and cheated on Bev, having a secret mistress for twenty years. Disappointed in her life, Bev grew bitter in her old age, making her critical of others.

Bev returned in season 10 of Rosanne, and in the subsequent follow-up series The Conners. In season 10 of Roseanne, Bev was kicked out of her retirement community for sleeping with others and spreading STIs; Jackie and Roseanne alternated keeping care of her at their respective homes. Darlene was granted power of attorney over Bev's finances, until late in the second season of The Conners, when the 94-year-old Bev, angry that Darlene allowed Jackie and Becky to re-open the Lunch Box restaurant (an asset Bev somehow secretly retained), revoked Darlene having power of attorney.

David Healy

[edit]

David Maurice Healy is played by Johnny Galecki. David is Mark Healy's younger brother. He first appeared in "The Bowling Show" (episode 4.14). Whereas Mark was initially a rebellious delinquent, David is friendly and respectful to the Conners. He is shy, polite, thoughtful, sensitive, soft-spoken, artistic, and intelligent. Much of his passive behavior results from his difficult home life and his mother's abusive behavior. He is romantically involved with Darlene, becoming the submissive partner. They also collaborate artistically, with David illustrating graphic novels that Darlene writes. His sweet manner endears him to the Conners, who eventually consider him as part of the family and jokingly refer to him as being more welcome than Darlene. He moves in with the Conners after Roseanne, herself a victim of child abuse, witnesses how abusive David's mother is. David and Darlene break up three times throughout the series, each for a successively longer period of time, but always reunite. After Darlene becomes pregnant, she and David married. In the series finale, Roseanne reveals in her writing that David had actually been dating Becky in "real life", and that Roseanne simply wrote his relationship as being with Darlene because she felt it made more sense.

The series finale is retconned for season 10, where it is revealed that David and Darlene have been separated for some years and David has been away, traveling and doing volunteer work abroad, leaving Darlene to raise their two children, Harris and Mark, as a single mother. David eventually returns to Lanford and tells Darlene he wants to reenter his children's lives. After sleeping together, both Darlene and David consider reconciling until Roseanne tells Darlene the reason David said he left their marriage. She says it would be bad for their children, who resent David being an absent father. At Dan's urging, David agrees to get his life settled before seeing the kids again.

In The Conners, David is working at Trader Joe's and has moved in with a free-spirited woman named Blue. Darlene is furious to discover that during the kids' first weekend staying with David, Blue allowed Harris' boyfriend to sleep over and she lost her virginity. David defensively says he was working and was unaware, but Darlene demands he be a more attentive father. David eventually breaks up with Blue because she wants children. David and Darlene began sleeping together again while Darlene is also in a relationship with Ben. Darlene decides she wants to be with Ben, and she and David finally agree to divorce. Ben, already knowing the two were seeing each other, breaks up with Darlene, though he eventually forgives her. David began seeing a therapist, and, during a joint session with Darlene, reveals he feels Darlene never treated him as an equal and caused him to leave her.

When David was first introduced to the series, his name was Kevin, though it was subsequently changed to David. While applying for college, he uses his full name, David Maurice Healy. As a show inside joke, Roseanne comments in Season 6, "David's not even his real name. Darlene made it up!" However, Barr had reportedly wanted to name the character David from the beginning, but the idea was rejected as Galecki was starring on another show, Billy as a character named David.[31]

Mark Healy

[edit]

Mark Healy is played by Glenn Quinn. Mark begins dating Becky when she is about sixteen years old, much to the Conners' consternation. He comes from a dysfunctional family. Mark is mechanically inclined, but unlike his younger brother, David, he is not very intelligent, is a poor student, and has few goals in life. Mark elopes with Becky when she is only seventeen. She drops out of high school to be with him when he leaves town after losing his job at Dan's failed bike shop. They move to Minneapolis for his new mechanic's job. Despite Mark's tough-guy image and rebel persona, he is only occasionally seen engaging in minor criminal activity, such as underage drinking and using a fake I.D. Roseanne and Dan initially detest Mark, considering him a disrespectful and condescending punk. They grudgingly tolerate him as Becky's boyfriend and later son-in-law. Mark's choice to ride a British Triumph motorcycle rather than an American Harley-Davidson did cause particular tension with Dan. However, Dan comes to respect Mark's work ethic and hired him as a mechanic at his bike shop and later at the Lanford city garage. Mark's personality changes over the course of the series — starting off as a rebellious delinquent but ultimately softening and proving himself to be a caring and responsible (though comedically dull-witted) husband to Becky. He is also a loyal brother, though Mark enjoys tormenting the more intelligent David and mocks his artistic and sensitive personality. Unlike David, who was warmly welcomed as a family member, Roseanne and the rest of the family only grudgingly accept Mark into their clan while still insulting him. Mark is not ungrateful to the Conners, however, and reveals to David, just before David's wedding to Darlene, that he considers Dan and Roseanne as being their parents now. Mark and David have two younger sisters, Lisa and Nikki, who are briefly seen in the Season 5 episode, "No Place Like Home for The Holidays".

In season 10, Mark is now deceased, leaving Becky a financially-strapped and lonely widow. Actor Glenn Quinn had died between the original series and the revival, and it was decided not to recast his role. No further information was initially given about when and how Mark died, though Darlene and David's son, who was about ten years old during Season 10, was named in Mark's memory. It is eventually revealed in a Season 3 episode of The Conners that Mark was killed in a motorcycle crash.[32]

Nana Mary

[edit]

Nana Mary is played by Shelley Winters. Nana Mary is Beverly's mother and Roseanne and Jackie's grandmother, and first appears at a family barbecue in season three. She has another daughter named Sonya. She makes several appearances from season three onward, mostly during family occasions. She is a brash but caring, outspoken, lovable retiree who gambles with her grandchildren. Unlike Bev, she is popular with the family. She also disagrees with Bev in certain situations, such as siding with Jackie when Bev urges her to marry Fred, and revealing that she had two abortions, upsetting Bev. She outsmarts Bev and torments her, much to the amusement of Roseanne and Jackie, who usually endure the same treatment from Bev. Her character is often a comic relief for the family, as well as offering a balance between Roseanne and Jackie's relationship with their mother, and Bev's relationship with Nana Mary. She was promiscuous in her youth and claims that as a globe-trotting free spirit she knew Pablo Picasso, Louis Armstrong, Ernest Hemingway, Fidel Castro, and Meyer Lansky, among others. Mary had Bev with another man before marrying her deceased husband, Marvin. She tells Bev she was very young when she gave birth, admits to not knowing who the father is, and avoided the subject until Bev demanded to finally know. Mary is a fan of a local radio call-in show that revolves around sex: "If I don't call, they worry," she claims. Nana Mary's last appearance is midway through season nine, in which she finally has a heart-to-heart with Bev, thus closing the story on their relationship. Despite her absence, Mary appears at other family occasions, including the birth of her great-great-granddaughter. In the reboot and spin-off, D.J. and Geena's daughter is named after Nana Mary, who has since died.

Arnie Thomas

[edit]

Arnold Shep "Arnie" Thomas is played by Tom Arnold. Arnie is an overweight, hot-tempered but jovial friend of Dan. Originally, he was written as a relative stranger to both Roseanne and Jackie, although this was later retconned, and he was subsequently written as having gone to high school with them. He frequently cheats on the women he dates and is occasionally ill-mannered. However, Arnie always tries to be a good friend to Dan. He marries Nancy but leaves her, claiming to have been abducted by aliens (later played upon in the fourth-season finale's end-credit sketch, where he is seen conversing with aliens on a spaceship). Before he and Nancy are engaged, he has a one-night stand with a drunk Jackie, who wakes up with no memory of their night together. Arnie is often seen wearing a yellow University of Iowa sweatshirt (Tom Arnold attended the University of Iowa in real life). He is last seen in season 5, where he unsuccessfully tries to win Nancy back, even after learning that she is a lesbian. Tom Arnold appears in the ending credits of a later episode but is now playing Jackie Thomas (in his role on The Jackie Thomas Show), and none of the characters know him.

Minor/recurring characters

[edit]
Main cast and characters of Roseanne and The Conners
Actor Character Roseanne The Conners
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Charlayne Woodard Vonda Green Recurring Guest
Anne Faulkner Sylvia Foster Recurring Guest
Evelina Fernandez Juanita Herrara Recurring Guest Recurring
Judy Prescott Miss Crane Guest Guest
Josh C. Williams Lonnie Anderson Guest
Luke Edwards Guest
Kristopher Kent Hill Guest Guest
Jared Rushton Chip Lang Recurring
Eric Allan Kramer Bobo Guest Guest
Ned Beatty Ed Conner Guest Guest
William Sadler Dwight Guest
John Randolph Al Harris Guest
Tom Arnold Arnie Thomas Recurring Guest
Stephen Dorff Jimmy Meltrigger Recurring
Ann Wedgeworth Audrey Conner Guest
Debbie Reynolds Guest
Debra Mooney Meg Wellman Recurring
Elizabeth Franz Marsha Recurring
Lori Tan Chinn Iris Recurring
Melora Walters Debbie Recurring
Brian Kerwin Gary Hall Guest
Jay O. Sanders Ziggy Guest
James Pickens, Jr. Chuckie Mitchell Guest Recurring Guest Recurring Guest
Adilah Barnes Anne-Marie Mitchell Recurring Guest
Bonnie Bramlett Bonnie Watkins Recurring
Danton Stone Jerry Bowman Guest Recurring
Meagen Fay Kathy Bowman Guest Recurring Guest
Troy Davidson Todd Bowman Guest
Shelley Winters Nana Mary Guest
Noel Fisher Ed Conner Jr. Recurring Recurring
Dan Butler Art Recurring
Matt Roth Fisher Recurring
Morgan Fairchild Marla Recurring
Wings Hauser Ty Tilden Recurring
Joseph Gordon-Levitt George Guest
[unknown] Andy Harris Guest Recurring
John McConnell Bob Recurring Guest
Danny Masterson Jimmy Phillips Guest
Traci Lords Stacey Flagler Recurring
Buck Thomas Jerry Conner Recurring Photos Only
Stan Freberg Mr. Parkin Recurring
Heather Matarazzo Heather Recurring
Juliette Lewis Blue Recurring
Stephen Monroe Taylor Dwight Guest Recurring Guest
Matthew Broderick Peter Recurring
Rene Rosado Emilio Rodriguez Recurring Guest
Katey Sagal Louise Goldufski Guest Recurring
Charlotte Sanchez Beverlly Rose Conner Recurring
Eliza Bennett Odessa Recurring
Nat Faxon Neville Goldufski Recurring
Alexandra Billings Robin Shetsky Recurring Guest
Milo Manheim Josh Recurring
Candice Bergen Barb Olinsky Recurring
Patton Oswalt Don Blansky Guest
Darien Sills-Evans Mikey Guest
Brian Austin Green Jeff Guest
Tony Cavalero Aldo Recurring
Travis Burnett Logan Recurring
Matt Walsh Professor Glenn Recurring
Sean Astin Tyler Guest Recurring
Seth Green Chad Recurring

Other family members

[edit]
  • Audrey Conner (Ann Wedgeworth and Debbie Reynolds) – She is the mother of Dan Conner, and the ex-wife of Ed Conner. In Season 2 she is introduced in "We Gather Together" as a friendly, eccentric brunette woman who loves her son and her new boyfriend, as well as her successful career owning a travel agency. It's later revealed that she has a history of mental illness which Dan's father hid from him. She returns in person in season 9, angry at her son for putting her away, seemingly trying to kill him. Her nurse at the mental institution is who Dan had a relationship with while being married to Roseanne. Note, however, that as almost all of season 9 was retconned out of existence, this no longer can be assumed to be 'true' within the show's continuity. (Initially, Dan's affair was revealed to be false, and part of a story Roseanne was writing as a way to deal with Dan's heart-attack death in the previous season. By season 10, even Dan's death was retconned away.)
  • Al Harris (John Randolph) – Al is portrayed as Roseanne and Jackie's henpecked yet humorous father with a knack for telling knock-knock jokes. Al initially appears to have a good relationship with his daughters, especially Jackie, and despite having more in common with her mother, Roseanne finds her father more bearable to be around. Randolph made two appearances as Al Harris during the show's first two seasons. In season four, however, his character changes dramatically. After being unable to secure Randolph for future shows, Al was written out of the series. It is revealed at the 1991 Thanksgiving dinner episode that the absent Al has had a mistress for over 20 years, for which Bev eventually divorces him. Around this time Roseanne Barr was in a public battle with her real-life parents, claiming that both had physically and sexually abused her. Barr insisted that parental abuse be incorporated into the series storyline, so it is revealed that her father was physically abusive to both her and Jackie, who lived in fear of him for most of their childhood. Upon his death, Roseanne meets with his mistress, Joan, who is unaware of Al's abusive behavior, as he had led her to believe that Roseanne and Jackie were ungrateful daughters despite his doing so much for them. At Al's funeral, after privately reading him a list of the things she hates him doing to her and Jackie, Roseanne thanks her father for giving her his humorous nature.

Wellman Plastics

[edit]

All characters below appear in the first season and part of the second season before being written out altogether. Clooney would make one more appearance in a season four episode.

  • Booker Brooks (George Clooney) – The original foreman at Wellman. Booker wasn't always taken seriously by the workers, but compared to their future boss, Roseanne and the others appreciate him more. He dated Jackie for a while, and they tried to keep it a secret.[33] He set the quotas at Wellman at 5,500, much lower than the 8,000 set by their next boss Keith Faber (Fred Thompson).[34]
  • Vonda Green (Charlayne Woodard, credited as Charlaine Woodard)- Spirited and perky friend of Jackie and Roseanne, also has a great singing voice.
  • Sylvia Foster (Anne Faulkner)- Older Wellman employee working there since the late 1950s, she occasionally hangs out with Jackie, Roseanne, and the rest of the gang at the Lobo. Has a husband named Joe who is hard of hearing.
  • Juanita Herrara (Evelina Fernandez)- Hispanic co-worker who after leaving Wellman with the rest of the gang opens a successful small business in Lanford with her husband Emilio and their teenage son.
  • Meg Wellman (Debra Mooney) – Owner of the Wellman factory, who believes she and Roseanne are good friends. Unaware she's getting their names wring, she comically refers to Roseanne as "Roxanne Conway" and Jackie as Janet. Accidentally hits Roseanne's car with her car in one episode.

Art's Beauty Shop

[edit]

All characters below appear in the show's second season only, when Roseanne takes a job as a receptionist and shampoo girl at Art's Beauty Salon.

  • Marsha (Elizabeth Franz) – Good friend of Crystal's who is the owner of Art's Beauty Salon named after her late husband who she was only married to for eleven months between 1959 and 1960. Marsha hysterically quotes Arthur throughout her run on the show despite the fact that he has been gone nearly thirty years leading Roseanne to quip that maybe Marsha would not miss him so much if they had been married longer.
  • Iris (Lori Tan Chinn) – Vietnamese beautician at the salon. Comically makes jokes throughout her run on the show about being a Vietnamese refugee held captive before emigrating to the United States. Often makes acerbic remarks about people being blown away by gun mortar attacks, which she reveals to Roseanne is her comic way of letting off steam. Chinn and Barr had appeared together in the 1989 movie She-Devil.
  • Debbie (Melora Walters) – Manicurist at the salon who is a young naive newlywed.

Rodbell's Department Store

[edit]
  • Bonnie Watkins (Bonnie Bramlett, credited as Bonnie Sheridan) – Roseanne's coworker at Rodbell's, during season three and four. She has a daughter who lives in Oregon and enjoys traveling by motorcycle with her husband Duke (David Crosby). Bonnie had a drinking problem along with her husband Duke early on in her life that she has since brought under control.

Neighbors

[edit]
  • The Bowman family are the Conners' neighbors between season 3 and 4 who relocated from Chicago to Lanford. At the end of season 4 they move back to Chicago.
    • Jerry Bowman (Danton Stone) – Kathy's laid-back husband who loves the small-town atmosphere of Lanford, having moved there from Chicago to take a managers job at Wellman Plastics.
    • Kathy Bowman (Meagen Fay) – Roseanne's wealthy and tense neighbor who hates Lanford and its blue-collar atmosphere. Has an acrimonious relationship with Roseanne.
    • Todd Bowman (Troy Davidson, Adam Hendershott ) – Kathy and Jerry's son; friend of D.J.
  • The Tilden family move into the Bowmans' old house in season 5.
    • Ty Tilden (Wings Hauser) – A neighbor of Roseanne's, who moved into Kathy's old house. He is a kind, laid-back, struggling single father of two daughters and owns a Winnebago.
    • Charlotte Tilden (Mara Hobel) – Ty Tilden's older daughter who acts responsibly, filling in the mother role for her sister Molly. Because of this, she finds that she has more in common with Roseanne than with Darlene or Molly.
    • Molly Tilden (Danielle Harris) – Ty Tilden's promiscuous daughter, who flirted with Darlene's boyfriend David and took Darlene to a rock concert then abandoned her to smoke weed with some guys in a van. She dies from brain cancer in season 3 episode 16 of The Conners, shortly after reconnecting with Darlene.
  • In the season-10 revival, a Yemeni Muslim family lives next door to the Conners, rousing Roseanne's suspicions that the family might be terrorists. They are introduced in episode 7, "Go Cubs". They also appeared in The Conners.
    • Samir al-Harazi (Alain Washnevsky) – A Yemeni man who is very aware of Roseanne's suspicions and protective of his family. He also has a very dry sense of humor, choosing to come to Roseanne's house in the middle of the night to repay money she loaned his wife, in retaliation for Roseanne asking to borrow his Wi-Fi password at 2AM.
    • Fatima al-Harazi (Anne Bedian) – Samir's wife, she is soft-spoken and kind, but firm. She allows Roseanne's granddaughter to use their Wi-Fi password to FaceTime her mother in Afghanistan, believing that children should not be punished for adults' prejudices. In return, Roseanne defends her from a racist cashier and loans her money for groceries.
    • Kas'im al-Harazi (Callan Farris) – Samir and Fatima's young son, who has been a victim of racism and bullying since his family's move to Lanford and is now so terrified that he sleeps in a bulletproof vest.

Other characters

[edit]
  • Lonnie Anderson (Josh C. Williams, Luke Edwards, Kristopher Kent Hill) – Crystal's eldest child, born to her deceased husband, Sonny.
  • Art (Dan Butler) – A divorced accountant to whom Roseanne and Jackie sell a motorcycle, and who provides tax services to Lanford Custom Cycle.
  • Bob (John McConnell) – A close friend of Dan's.
  • Dwight (William Sadler) – A buddy of Dan's who appears in the early seasons of Roseanne, who had a crush on Jackie. In The Conners, there is another character named Dwight who Dan appears to be friends with, but the character is not portrayed by William Sadler and might be a different character altogether.
  • Fisher (Matt Roth) – Jackie's former long-time boyfriend, whom Dan ultimately went to jail for assaulting after learning he abused Jackie.
  • Stacey Flagler (Traci Lords) – A waitress at the Lunchbox.
  • George (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – D.J.'s classmate.
  • Gary Hall (Brian Kerwin) – Jackie's former fiancé.
  • Heather (Heather Matarazzo) – D.J.'s girlfriend.
  • Jimmy Meltrigger (Stephen Dorff[35]) – Becky's former boyfriend from high school.
  • Chip Lang (Jared Rushton) – Becky's former boyfriend from high school.
  • Marla (Morgan Fairchild) – Nancy's girlfriend.
  • Anne-Marie Mitchell (Adilah Barnes) – Roseanne's childhood friend, who is married to one of Dan's poker buddies, Chuckie. She and Chuck have a son, Chuck Jr., who is the same age as Lonnie and Darlene.
  • Chuckie Mitchell (James Pickens Jr.) – Anne-Marie's husband, who occasionally worked with Dan. Pickens reprised the role in two episodes of the 10th season revival and currently (2019) appears on a recurring basis on The Conners.[36]
  • Mr. Parkin (Stan Freberg) – A highly qualified man who is frequently unemployed due to various incidents with the Conners.
  • Scott (Fred Willard) – A probate attorney who marries Leon.
  • Stinky (Matthew Fishman) – Roseanne's youngest child in an alternate reality, in the place of Jerry.
  • Ziggy (Jay O. Sanders) – An old friend of the Conners. Roseanne reveals that his real name is Norbert, then asks, "does your mom still call you Norbie?" Ziggy helps Dan open Lanford Custom Cycle, then disappears.
  • Jimmy Gartner (Danny Masterson) – Darlene's boyfriend, for whom she breaks up with David. In the 16th episode of season 7, Darlene confesses to Jackie that he broke up with her because he could not get close to her.
  • Ronnie (Joan Collins) – Roseanne's rich cousin who persuades Darlene to get her GED and apply to art school.

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
The list of characters from and catalogs the primary and supporting figures in these ABC sitcoms, which chronicle the everyday struggles and dynamics of the working-class Conner family in the fictional town of Lanford, . , starring as the outspoken matriarch alongside as her husband Dan, premiered on October 18, 1988, and ran for nine seasons until May 20, 1997, before a brief 2018 revival that drew over 27 million viewers for its debut episode. The revival was abruptly canceled after Barr posted a tweet likening former Obama advisor to a combination of the " & ," prompting ABC to deem it inconsistent with network values amid widespread condemnation. , a direct continuation featuring the surviving cast without Barr or her character—who is written out via an off-screen death from an —debuted on October 16, 2018, and has aired through 2025, maintaining the focus on family resilience amid economic hardship, evolving relationships, and social issues. Key characters include the Conner siblings Darlene (), Becky (/), and D.J. (), as well as Roseanne's sister Jackie (), whose portrayals highlight themes of labor, gender roles, and Midwestern pragmatism across both series.

Family Tree

Key Relationships and Lineage

The Conner family lineage originates with matriarch (née Harris) and patriarch , who married prior to the events of the original series and parented four children: daughters Darlene and , son David Jacob "D.J.," and youngest son Jerry Garcia Conner, born in 1995 during the show's ninth season. Jackie Harris serves as Roseanne's younger sister and thus aunt to the four children, sharing parents Beverly and Al Harris. Darlene Conner married David Healy, her high school sweetheart and brother to Mark Healy, producing two children: daughter Harris Conner-Healy (born circa 2000) and son Mark Conner-Healy (born in the 2018 revival). The couple divorced prior to premiere in 2018, after which Darlene entered a relationship with Ben Olson, though they did not marry or have children together by the series' conclusion. Becky Conner first married Mark Healy, with whom she had daughter Beverly Rose Conner-Healy (born circa 2001); Mark died off-screen from before the 2018 revival. Becky later married David Healy in 2020 during , establishing him as stepfather to Beverly while linking the Healy siblings' lineages through both Conner sisters. Following Roseanne's off-screen death from an in 2018 as established in , Dan remarried Louise Goldufski, a high school acquaintance, in 2021, with no children from this union. D.J. Conner had a daughter, Mary, born in 2014, extending the lineage without specified marriages or additional partners in the series. Jerry Garcia Conner remained childless in depicted storylines across both series.
GenerationKey Members and Ties
Parents (d. 2018) m. (m. Louise Goldufski 2021); Roseanne's sister: Jackie Harris
ChildrenDarlene m. David Healy (div., father of Harris and Mark); Becky m. Mark Healy (d., father of Beverly) then m. David Healy; D.J. (father of Mary); Jerry
GrandchildrenHarris and Mark (Darlene/David); Beverly (/Mark); Mary (D.J.)

Core Family Characters

Roseanne Conner

serves as the central matriarch and title character in the sitcom Roseanne, portrayed by across its original run from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and the 2018 revival season. She embodies a resilient, blue-collar working mother residing in the fictional town of Lanford, , where she confronts everyday economic pressures through jobs such as factory work at Wellman Plastics. Her character is defined by sharp , domineering presence, and a messy yet devoted approach to family support, prioritizing tangible loyalty and grit amid financial instability over external abstractions. Throughout the series, Roseanne navigates major arcs involving workplace strife, including a failed at Wellman Plastics due to quota hikes and changes, leading to periods of and shifts to roles like or diner co-owner. These experiences underscore her tenacity as a factory laborer facing layoffs and the harsh realities of in midwestern America, while maintaining household stability through unfiltered, pragmatic decision-making. Her evolution highlights a shift from combative employee to entrepreneurial attempts, reflecting adaptive survival in a volatile job market. In the 2018 revival, Roseanne grapples with aging-related health challenges, including knee issues requiring surgery and reliance on prescription painkillers, mirroring real-world vulnerabilities in working-class communities. Her character's arc concludes off-screen in the spinoff , premiering October 16, 2018, where she dies from an accidental post-surgery, a plot point attributing the tragedy to overprescribed medications amid the national addiction epidemic. This absence reorients the series toward her family's coping without her anchoring influence, yet preserves her legacy as the unpolished voice of heartland resilience.

Dan Conner

Dan Conner is the family patriarch in the sitcoms Roseanne (1988–1997, 2018) and its spin-off The Conners (2018–2025), portrayed throughout by John Goodman. As a blue-collar drywall contractor and handyman, Dan embodies working-class resilience, often navigating financial instability through odd jobs and entrepreneurship while maintaining a humorous, easygoing demeanor rooted in traditional family values. His character prioritizes providing for his family amid economic pressures, reflecting the struggles of Midwestern everyman life without significant ideological evolution across the series' decades-spanning run. In the original Roseanne series, Dan suffers a heart attack in the season 8 finale, which the season 9 conclusion (aired May 20, 1997) retroactively reveals as fatal, framing much of the latter episodes as Roseanne's fictional writing. This was retconned in the 2018 revival, establishing that Dan survived the health scare, with the finale's events dismissed as Roseanne's imaginative novel rather than reality, allowing Goodman's return. The transition to further adapts Dan's arc post-Roseanne's death (depicted as an in 2018), where he grapples with grief while resuming his role as moral anchor and provider. Dan's storyline in The Conners includes remarriage to Louise Goldufski (Katey Sagal) on October 13, 2021, in season 4's "The Wedding of Dan and Louise," amid a tornado threat that underscores the family's perpetual precariousness. He owns a bike shop as a steadier venture, symbolizing his practical ingenuity against ongoing hardships like lawsuits and family crises. Dan remains a consistent presence through the series finale on April 23, 2025, where he faces a deposition tied to Roseanne's death, affirming his steadfast commitment to family unity and self-reliance.

Jackie Harris

Jackie Harris is portrayed by throughout the original series (1988–1997, 2018 revival) and its continuation (2018–present). As Roseanne Conner's younger by three years, Jackie is depicted as optimistic yet insecure, often displaying neurotic tendencies and a quirky demeanor that highlights her emotional dependence on family early in the series. Her character embodies evolving independence, transitioning from codependent sibling dynamics to self-reliant pursuits, including enrollment in the police academy in 1989. Jackie's personal arcs include brief forays into trucking in 1991 and later entrepreneurial ventures, underscoring her resilience amid insecurities. She marries Fred in season 7 after he sues for custody of their unborn child, giving birth to son Andy in 1994 during the "" episode; the couple divorces by season 8. In , Andy resides with his father post-divorce, appearing sporadically, while Jackie maintains her role as a devoted and family supporter, prioritizing sibling loyalty over extensive romantic subplots. This consistent emphasis on familial bonds illustrates Jackie's growth into a stabilizing figure within the Conner support system.

Darlene Conner

Darlene Conner is the middle child of Roseanne and Dan Conner, portrayed by Sara Gilbert across the original Roseanne series from 1988 to 1997 and its 2018 revival, as well as the spin-off The Conners from 2018 to 2025. Characterized by her sarcastic wit, intellectual independence, and tomboyish demeanor, Darlene exhibits a rebellious streak through her artistic pursuits and early activism, including animal rights advocacy during her teenage years. Her personality, marked by stubborn determination and social awkwardness, often leads to conflicts that underscore working-class family dynamics. As a young adult, Darlene marries Healy, with whom she has two children: daughter Harris in 1995 and son Mark in the 2018 revival timeline. The couple's relationship deteriorates due to financial pressures and David's decision to travel abroad, leaving Darlene as a single mother facing the trade-offs of raising children amid economic instability. She later enters a with Olinsky, marrying him after navigating a involving David, which highlights her turbulent romantic history and challenges in prioritizing stability over passion. Darlene's career reflects her ambitions as a writer and editor, initially succeeding as of a local magazine in Lanford during the 2018 revival, only to face job loss and pivot to roles such as waitress to support her family. Subsequent shifts include pursuits in food services management at a college and further writing opportunities, illustrating the precariousness of professional aspirations in a blue-collar context where family obligations frequently disrupt career progression. These arcs portray Darlene's evolution from angsty teen intellectual to a flawed adult grappling with motherhood and employment instability, emphasizing realistic constraints rather than idealized success.

Becky Conner

Becky Conner is the eldest child of Roseanne and , depicted as a diligent young woman navigating the challenges of early adulthood in a working-class family. Portrayed by from the in 1988 through season 5, the role transitioned to for seasons 6–9 after Goranson departed for , with Goranson resuming the part for the 1995–96 ninth season, the 2018 revival, and all subsequent episodes of . Becky's narrative arc centers on her repeated efforts to achieve financial and emotional security, often thwarted by limited opportunities and relational instability reflective of broader economic pressures on blue-collar women. She elopes with boyfriend Mark Healy at age 17 in 1992, defying her parents' opposition, and the couple briefly relocates to for work before returning to Lanford, , where Healy joins the city garage and Becky takes a waitressing position at Bunz . Their endures despite tensions over Becky's unfulfilled aspirations, such as her interest in college, which Healy resists amid their precarious finances. In The Conners, set after Roseanne's off-screen death, Becky contends with Healy's passing from a occurring 16 years prior, around 2002, exacerbating her isolation and fiscal strain as a single woman in her 40s. Facing in service roles, including co-managing The Lunch Box diner with aunt Jackie Harris and later shifting to overnight leadership at La Casita Bonita, she resorts to for income before unexpectedly becoming and delivering daughter Beverly Rose prematurely in September 2019 following complications from a tornado-damaged pregnancy. Becky's resilience manifests in her persistence through these adversities, including brief relationships such as with Aldo, which end due to mismatched expectations, and a developing with Tyler in later seasons, prioritizing over amid ongoing childcare and career demands up to the series conclusion in 2025. Her story underscores the cyclical barriers of low-wage labor and personal loss, yet highlights her adaptability in maintaining family ties and self-sufficiency without descending into .

D.J. Conner

D.J. Conner is the youngest child of Roseanne and , portrayed by from the second episode of the original series in 1988 through its 2018 revival and the subsequent spin-off . Initially introduced as an infant and developed as a shy, awkward boy navigating family dynamics and school challenges during the original nine seasons (1988–1997), the character matures into a reserved yet increasingly assertive young adult facing real-world pressures. In the 2018 Roseanne revival, D.J. is depicted as a U.S. Army who completed an overseas deployment, returning with service-related impairments including partial from an explosion and symptoms of (PTSD) such as heightened anxiety and readjustment difficulties. These elements underscore his transition from sheltered youth to burdened provider, embodying a sense of duty amid economic and personal hardships in the Conner household. Throughout (2018–2022), D.J.'s arcs emphasize his commitment to family stability, including single-handedly managing household responsibilities during periods of absence by other relatives, which reflects a pattern of generational resilience in working-class despite limited in later episodes due to production decisions. Fishman departed the series after its fourth , with D.J. written out via re-enlistment to reunite with deployed family members overseas—a choice made by showrunners rather than the actor—and the character did not appear in the 2025 .

Jerry Garcia Conner

Jerry Garcia Conner is the fourth and youngest child of Roseanne and , depicted as their "miracle baby" born when the parents were in their mid-forties, symbolizing the original series' theme of resilient family growth amid economic hardship. His birth occurs on Halloween 1995 during the eighth-season episode "Halloween: The Final Chapter," portrayed by infant twins Cole Roberts and Morgan Roberts. The character's name honors frontman , who died in August 1995 shortly before the episode aired. Throughout the original Roseanne run (1988–1997), Jerry's role remains peripheral, with the infant and toddler versions appearing in only a handful of episodes, emphasizing his quiet demeanor and the family's focus on older children Darlene, Becky, and D.J. The series finale's narrative twist—revealing key events including win as Roseanne's fictional writing—does not retroactively erase Jerry's existence within the family's established storyline, as confirmed in subsequent productions. In the 2018 Roseanne revival and spin-off The Conners (2018–present), Jerry is aged up to his early twenties but receives minimal screen time, often referenced off-screen as pursuing independent interests like marine studies, reflecting the shows' emphasis on the adult dynamics of older siblings and parents. No consistent actor portrays the teen or adult version, and his absence from episodes underscores the narrative shift away from the youngest child's development, with producers citing logistical challenges in integrating peripheral family members. This limited presence highlights Jerry's symbolic rather than central function, avoiding deeper arcs that could dilute the core ensemble's interpersonal conflicts.

Extended Family and In-Laws

Beverly Harris

Beverly Harris is the mother of and Jackie Harris, serving as a who exerts a domineering influence over her daughters' lives through critical interventions and unfiltered commentary on their choices. Portrayed by , she embodies a tough-love realism rooted in working-class , often highlighting the causal links between parental expectations and adult family dysfunction, such as Roseanne's resentment toward her mother's overbearing style. A recovering alcoholic with a history of boozy escapades and high-strung demeanor, Beverly frequently meddles in , dispensing pessimistic yet candid advice that underscores intergenerational tensions, including clashes over propriety, ambition, and emotional restraint. Her manipulative tendencies and pretentious airs amplify these dynamics, positioning her as a catalyst for confrontations that reveal deeper patterns of neglect and unmet needs in the Harris lineage. Major arcs include her relocation to a Lanford in 1992, marking a shift toward dependency while maintaining her intrusive role in the Conner household through periodic visits. Following her husband Al's death, she marries Ed Conner—father of Roseanne's husband Dan—in a union that exemplifies her impulsive pursuit of companionship amid widowhood, though it later dissolves, leaving her to navigate solitude and family obligations independently. These developments culminate in her absence from the Conner home by season 7, reflecting evolving family boundaries strained by her persistent realism about life's hardships.

Ed Conner

Ed Conner is the father of , portrayed by in the original series from 1989 to 1997. He appears in multiple s across seasons 1 through 3 and season 6, often depicted as a charming yet flawed traveling salesman whose visits stir family tensions. His relationship with Dan is marked by unresolved resentments from Dan's childhood, including emotional distance and , as revealed during Ed's initial visit in the season 1 "Father's Day," aired January 10, 1989. Ed's storyline includes his from Beverly Harris after decades of , followed by his and to the much younger Crystal Anderson, introduced in the season 1 episode "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," aired March 14, 1989. This arc highlights Ed's impulsive and self-serving traits, contrasting with Dan's more grounded paternal role, though Ed occasionally shows affection through gifts for his grandchildren. His appearances provide sparse but pivotal grounding for the Conner family's dynamics, underscoring themes of generational dysfunction without extensive redemption. In The Conners spin-off, Ed does not appear on-screen, with his death referenced off-screen in season 2, episode 13, "Broken Toys and Dead Parents," aired February 19, 2020, via a local that Dan discovers, prompting reconciliation reflections with half-siblings. This narrative choice aligns with Beatty's limited availability post-original series and his real-life passing on June 13, 2021, at age 83, though the in-show timeline precedes it. Ed's absence reinforces the series' focus on aging and loss among without delving into further backstory.

Crystal Anderson-Conner

Crystal Anderson-Conner is portrayed by actress , who joined the series in a recurring role starting from its early seasons. Introduced as a longtime friend of from high school, Crystal's character initially navigates social tensions within the Conner family upon entering a romantic relationship with Ed Conner, Dan's estranged father, which positions her as a potential rival to the established family dynamics. Despite this, her portrayal emphasizes a good-hearted but passive personality, often yielding to relational pressures, which facilitates her gradual acceptance into the fold. Over the course of Roseanne's original run from 1988 to 1997 and its revivals, Crystal's arc illustrates an evolution from outsider to integrated ally, particularly after marrying Ed in season 3, becoming Dan's stepmother and bearing two children with him, Ed Jr. and Angela. This union, set against the Conners' working-class struggles in Lanford, Illinois, highlights adaptive blended family structures amid financial instability, where Crystal's presence underscores unexpected alliances formed through shared hardships rather than blood ties. Her appearances, totaling around 59 episodes across the original nine seasons plus the 2018 revival, often depict her supporting the family in minor crises, transitioning from perceived antagonist—due to Ed's unreliability—to a reliable, if peripheral, confidante who reinforces communal resilience. In , the spin-off continuing post-2018 without , Crystal makes cameo returns, including in season 6, episode 5 aired on March 13, 2024, where her enduring marriage to Ed is referenced amid ongoing family economic challenges, affirming her role in sustaining blended ties without overshadowing core dynamics. These limited appearances maintain her as a symbol of relational forgiveness and practical integration, avoiding deeper conflicts while echoing the original series' theme of improbable family expansions in tough times.

David Healy

David Healy is a recurring character in the sitcom (seasons 4–9, 1992–1997; season 10, 2018) and its spin-off (seasons 1–2, 2018–2019), portrayed by . Introduced as the younger brother of Mark Healy, David begins as a troubled teenager from a marked by parental divorce and relocation from , exhibiting sensitivity and artistic inclinations that draw him into a relationship with Darlene Conner during high school. Throughout the original Roseanne run, Healy's arc evolves from dependent youth to family man; he and Darlene marry, fathering daughters Harris (introduced as an infant in season 9) and later Mark, amid shared struggles with financial instability and relational strains that culminate in separation. Post-divorce, Healy relocates to seeking employment stability, a move that distances him from the Conner family dynamic and underscores the enduring consequences of relational breakdowns on parental roles. In the 2018 revival and , Healy's presence sharply declines after early episodes, with narrative explanations framing him as an uninvolved father who rarely visits his children or participates in family milestones, including his complete absence from the season 7 finale aired in 2023. This portrayal, which casts him as effectively absentee despite prior commitments, stems from production necessities to resolve his non-appearance without involvement, as executive producers noted the imperative to address the void in his children's lives for storyline continuity. The reduction in Healy's role reflects Galecki's scheduling conflicts, including his lead in (2007–2019), followed by his semi-retirement from regular television commitments, leading creators to forgo further cameos despite contingency plans for alternative resolutions like character death if needed. This shift highlights how external factors, rather than in-universe consistency, shaped the character's trajectory from integrated family member to peripheral figure, amplifying themes of absentee parenthood's real-world ramifications.

Mark Healy

Mark Healy II, the son of Darlene Conner and Healy, is portrayed by Ames McNamara. Named after his late uncle, the original Mark Healy who was married to Conner, he serves as the younger brother to Harris Conner-Healy and embodies a youthful extension of the family's working-class dynamics. Introduced during the 2018 revival, his character arc in highlights a transition from childhood curiosities, such as an affinity for , to adolescent struggles with identity and autonomy within the Conner household. Mark's rebellious phase manifests in juvenile missteps driven by economic pressures and limited guidance from separated parents, reflecting generational patterns of shortcut-seeking in the Conner environment. In season 6 of , facing tuition costs for the , he resorts to collaborating with hackers for illicit income, exemplifying risky behaviors born from financial desperation rather than inherent malice. Earlier, he engages in by selling essays to peers, a scheme uncovered and addressed through family confrontation, underscoring how the Conners' pragmatic, no-nonsense upbringing exposes and corrects such deviations. These incidents catalyze Mark's maturation, as repercussions from his actions—coupled with the Conner family's emphasis on accountability—foster responsibility and long-term planning. By season 7, despite lingering temptations like a questionable job, his pursuit of higher education signals growth, attributing his development to the stabilizing influence of extended family support amid parental instability. His storyline also incorporates navigating in a blue-collar setting, with met by familial acceptance that reinforces resilience without excusing prior recklessness, emblematic of how Conner kin shape successive generations through tough-love realism.

Characters Introduced in Revival and Spin-Off

Harris Conner-Healy

Harris Conner-Healy is a fictional character portrayed by actress in the ABC sitcom revival and its spin-off . She is the eldest daughter of Darlene Conner and David Healy, and the older sister of Mark Healy. Originally appearing as an infant in the ninth and final season of the original series, which aired in 1997, the character was recast and aged up to a teenager for the 2018 revival's tenth season, premiering on March 27, 2018, to reflect updated family dynamics in the Conner household. In the revival and subsequent The Conners episodes, Harris is characterized as intelligent yet rebellious, often clashing with her mother over independence and decision-making, while demonstrating underlying family loyalty through involvement in Conner household matters. Early storylines highlight her sassy demeanor and youthful indiscretions, such as an incident in the series' first season where police return her home after discovering her underage drinking, prompting family interventions to address her behavior. She frequently navigates tensions between personal aspirations and familial expectations, including job-related risks from participating in protests she views as principled, as depicted in a third-season aired , 2020. Harris's development progresses through managing greater responsibilities, such as assuming control of the family-owned restaurant in the sixth , which aired starting in 2023, marking a shift toward maturity amid ongoing generational conflicts. By the seventh and final , concluding in April 2025 with episodes premiering in March, she retains ownership of the but opts to depart with a romantic partner, signifying her pursuit of autonomy beyond the family business. These arcs underscore her evolution from a troublesome teen to a young adult balancing self-reliance with Conner family ties, exclusive to the post-2018 continuity.

Mary Conner

Mary Conner is the daughter of D.J. Conner and his wife Geena Williams-Conner, serving as the youngest grandchild in the Conner family lineage. Introduced during the 2018 revival of Roseanne as a child character, she embodies a sense of youthful innocence contrasting the adults' ongoing personal and financial struggles. Portrayed by actress Jayden Rey, who was born on April 25, 2009, Mary appears sparingly across The Conners, with her presence often limited to family gatherings or brief subplots that underscore the Conners' multigenerational dynamics without driving major arcs. For instance, in Season 3, Episode 2 ("Halloween and the Election vs. the Pandemic"), she expresses disappointment over a canceled local Halloween event, prompting relatives to improvise a home alternative, highlighting her peripheral yet endearing role amid broader family tensions. Her screen time dwindled further in later seasons, appearing in only five of the 22 episodes in Season 5 despite being credited, reflecting the series' focus on elder characters. Rey's departure as a series regular was announced ahead of Season 6 in January 2024, potentially shifting Mary's narrative to off-screen developments.

Geena Williams-Conner

Geena Williams-Conner is a introduced in the 2018 revival of and continued in its spin-off , portrayed by starting in the latter series. Initially played by in the revival's tenth season, the role was recast with Robinson as a series regular for first season, emphasizing her integration into the Conner family dynamic. Depicted as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Geena returns from deployment in at the outset of The Conners, embodying the resilience required of readjusting to family life. Her character highlights the practical challenges and sacrifices faced by service members, including separation from family and the demands of , without delving into broader family narratives. Appearances are limited after the first season, with sporadic returns such as in the third season finale, underscoring her transient presence amid ongoing deployments. Geena's portrayal draws from real-world experiences, as noted by cast connections to service families, positioning her as a figure of steadfast support within the extended Conner household while prioritizing duty obligations. This role serves to illustrate the unyielding needed in high-stakes professions, reflecting empirical realities of life such as frequent relocations and emotional fortitude.

Louise Goldufski Conner

Louise Goldufski Conner, portrayed by Katey Sagal, is introduced in The Conners as a Lanford native returning to town and working as a bartender and musician at the Casita Bonita casino. She first appears in season 1, episode 11 ("Bezos, Sandals and Superglue"), as a guest character interacting with Dan Conner at her workplace. Her role expands in season 2, where Dan expresses romantic interest, culminating in a confession of love on April 14, 2020. The character's arc centers on a pragmatic relationship with Dan, evolving from casual dating to by the end of . Dan and Louise marry in , episode 4 ("The Wedding of Dan and Louise"), aired October 13, 2021, amid logistical chaos including a forecasted that disrupts preparations but does not derail the ceremony. As a from onward, Louise embodies independence, often prioritizing her career and while navigating integration into the Conner family dynamic. By season 5, Louise mentors younger Conners like Harris in practical matters, reflecting her no-nonsense demeanor shaped by years of self-reliance. Later seasons, including 6 and 7 through 2025, explore tensions in her partnership with Dan, such as her occasional frustration with family obligations and external storylines like a school board position that highlight her outsider status despite marriage. These developments underscore a realistic portrayal of remarriage after loss, emphasizing mutual support over idealized romance.

Ben Olson

Ben Olson is portrayed by in the ABC sitcom , debuting in the series premiere on October 16, 2018, as Darlene Conner's employer at a local publication where their professional dynamic evolves into romance. Olson's character embodies an optimistic demeanor, often pursuing ventures with enthusiasm despite setbacks, such as temporarily managing his family's following personal losses. This trait supports Darlene amid her career and personal transitions, though his impulsive decisions occasionally strain their partnership. The relationship arc highlights challenges of adult dating in midlife, including debates over cohabitation and balancing independence with commitment, as Ben pushes for deeper integration while Darlene navigates hesitations rooted in prior experiences. Temporary separations arise from these tensions, such as a breakup in season 3, yet they reconcile, culminating in marriage by season 3's end, with Olson providing steadfast, if imperfect, emotional backing through Darlene's professional pursuits. Executive producer Bruce Helford noted the couple's resilience amid such conflicts, emphasizing Ben's role in fostering growth despite relational friction. In later seasons, Olson's business endeavors underscore his flawed optimism, including a fire destroying the family hardware store in season 6, which yields an insurance settlement he uses to acquire Hardware magazine, launching a new publishing venture that preoccupies him and tests spousal dynamics into the series finale. Promoted to series regular in season 3, Ferguson continued portraying Olson through the seventh and final season, concluding April 23, 2025, where Ben's supportive yet venture-driven presence remains central to Darlene's storyline.

Other Major Recurring Characters

Nancy Bartlett

Nancy Bartlett is a recurring character on the sitcom , portrayed by from 1991 to 1997. She functions as a steadfast friend to and Jackie Harris, distinguished by her acerbic humor and engagement in non-monogamous and same-sex relationships, which contrast with the Conner family's blue-collar, traditional Midwestern backdrop. Introduced amid Roseanne's social circle, Bartlett initially appears as the girlfriend of Arnie Thomas, Dan Conner's poker buddy, before their estrangement. In season 5, she discloses a brief romantic involvement with Dan during one of his separations from Roseanne, straining but ultimately not severing her ties to the family. She later dates women openly, such as introducing partner Sharon to Roseanne and Jackie in the 1994 episode "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and enters a marriage of convenience with Leon Carp, maintaining her role as a reliable confidante despite lifestyle divergences. Bartlett's presence underscores themes of loyalty across ideological and relational differences, appearing consistently through the original run as the Conners navigate personal upheavals. Bernhard returned for the 2018 revival in season 10, reinforcing the character's enduring connection to the core group in at least one episode. The character is absent from spin-off, launched in 2018 after Barr's departure, as the series pivoted to new family-focused narratives excluding select original supporting figures like Bartlett.

Leon Carp

Leon Carp is a recurring character on Roseanne, portrayed by Martin Mull from season 3 through season 9, appearing in 46 episodes. Introduced as Roseanne Conner's boss and manager at the Rodbell's Luncheonette, Leon exhibits a demeanor and shrewd entrepreneurial instincts, often prioritizing and in his business approach. His initial antagonism toward Roseanne evolves into a close, loyal friendship, providing a contrast to the Conner family's working-class Lanford roots with his more urbane, sophisticated style. Leon's business arcs highlight his opportunistic spirit, including a stint as a health inspector before acquiring a one-quarter ownership stake in the Lanford diner in 1994 after purchasing Beverly Harris's share amid family tensions. This partnership with and Jackie underscores his role in navigating the diner's challenges, from competition to daily management, blending his acerbic wit with practical savvy. In season 8, he marries Nancy Bartlett in the episode "December Bride," aired December 12, 1995, formalizing their longstanding companionship despite their respective same-sex orientations. In the spin-off The Conners, Leon has limited presence, with no on-screen appearances as of season 6 despite fan interest in reviving the character; showrunners cited scheduling and narrative priorities as reasons for his absence. His entrepreneurial flair and flamboyant bond with remain emblematic of the series' exploration of unlikely alliances in small-town America.

Fred

Fred is a on the Roseanne, portrayed by actor from 1993 to 1995. He serves as the short-term husband of Jackie Harris, becoming a temporary brother-in-law to Roseanne and through his employment as a co-worker of Dan. Introduced in season 6, Fred embodies a traditional working-class , often depicted engaging in manual labor and straightforward relational dynamics within the Conner family's blue-collar environment. Fred's primary storyline revolves around his marriage to Jackie, which begins amid her and culminates in a in the 6 episode "Altar Egos," aired May 11, 1994, after initial hesitations and a near-cancellation due to misunderstandings involving Dan. The union quickly deteriorates, leading to separation by 7's "," aired April 11, 1995, where Fred expresses ongoing bitterness while Jackie begins exploring independence. This divorce arc highlights incompatibilities in their partnership, with Fred pursuing legal actions related to before fading from the series after his final appearance in 8, episode 10, "," aired December 10, 1996. Fred does not appear in the 2018 Roseanne revival or its spin-off The Conners, remaining absent from subsequent narratives despite his prior ties to the core . His brief tenure illustrates a failed attempt at long-term integration into the Conner household, contrasting with more enduring connections through episodic conflicts over compatibility and lifestyle differences.

Minor and Recurring Characters

Coworkers and Colleagues

Booker Brooks, portrayed by , served as the initial foreman at Wellman Plastics during the early episodes of , supervising line workers including and Jackie Harris. His lenient management style contrasted with subsequent supervisors, though employees often disregarded his authority due to perceived incompetence. Keith Faber, played by Fred Dalton Thompson, replaced Brooks as foreman in the season 1 finale "Let's Call It Quits," aired May 2, 1989. Faber imposed a 50% increase in daily production quotas, leading to worker demoralization and confrontations; Roseanne negotiated a reduction but ultimately led colleagues, including Jackie and , in a mass and over his authoritarian tactics and misogynistic demeanor. This arc highlighted tensions in blue-collar factory environments, reflecting real-world pressures from management demands amid economic instability. Wellman Plastics staff, such as returning coworkers in The Conners season 3 episode "Plastics, Trash Talk & Darlene Antoinette" (aired November 4, 2020), interacted with Darlene Conner upon the plant's reopening after prior closures tied to deindustrialization trends. These minor figures underscored ongoing labor challenges, including isolation from peers and caricatured workplace dynamics, as Darlene faced perceptions of elitism from her educational background. In The Conners, Emilio Rodriguez, portrayed by Rene Rosado, worked alongside Conner as a busboy at , where their brief relationship resulted in the birth of daughter Beverly Rose in 2018. Emilio's undocumented status led to his following an raid, exemplifying vulnerabilities in low-wage service jobs amid . raised the child solo, with Emilio sporadically reappearing, highlighting economic precarity in non-union roles compared to factory work. These characters' storylines often depicted factory shutdowns and job scarcity, as seen in Wellman Plastics' intermittent operations, mirroring U.S. decline with Lanford's spikes post-closures. Layoffs and disputes emphasized causal between global competition and local labor unrest, without romanticizing outcomes.

Friends and Neighbors

Kathy Bowman (played by ) serves as the Conners' antagonistic neighbor during seasons 3 and 4 of , relocating from with her family and clashing frequently with Roseanne over class differences and local customs in the blue-collar town of Lanford, . Bowman, depicted as affluent and disdainful of the neighborhood's working-class ethos, complains about influences like D.J. Conner on her son Todd and argues with Roseanne in episodes such as "Troubles with the Rubbles," where construction site incidents escalate tensions. Her family's departure after season 4 underscores transient neighborhood dynamics amid economic strains. The Tilden family replaces the Bowmans as next-door neighbors in season 5, fostering more integrated community interactions reflective of Lanford's supportive localism. Ty Tilden (Wings Hauser), the family patriarch, joins the Conners on a Winnebago road trip to California in "Lose a Job, Winnebago," highlighting mutual aid during Roseanne's unemployment. His daughters, Charlotte Tilden (Mara Hobel), an awkward teenager, and Molly Tilden (Danielle Harris), Darlene's promiscuous rival and classmate, appear in five episodes, with Molly's rebellious behavior contrasting yet bonding with Conner family teens through shared adolescent experiences. In The Conners season 3, Molly briefly returns to Lanford before her off-screen death from an aneurysm, noted by Darlene as a former antagonist now mourned. Season 10 introduces unnamed Muslim neighbors (Alain Washnevsky and Anne Bedian), initially eyed with suspicion by Roseanne over fertilizer bags mistaken for bomb materials, but ultimately aiding the cash-strapped Conners with access in "Go Cubs." This pragmatic alliance evolves from prejudice to neighborly utility, with the characters positioned to persist in continuity. In The Conners, Marcy Bellinger (Mary Steenburgen) emerges as a recurring neighbor entangled in the family's opioid crisis, supplying Roseanne with pain pills that contribute to her fatal overdose. Featured in the series premiere "Keep on Truckin'," Marcy defends communal pill-sharing as a necessity in unaffordable healthcare environments, prompting Dan's initial blame before broader reflection on economic hardships. Her role illustrates neighborhood interdependence amid working-class struggles, extending the original series' portrayal of local ties over external judgments.

Other Supporting Roles

Jean, portrayed by Jane Lynch, appears as the Conner family's lawyer in two episodes of The Conners seventh season, providing legal counsel amid family crises. Chad, played by Seth Green, is Darlene's friend introduced in the same season, featuring in three episodes centered around social interactions at the Lobo Lounge. A in Lanford, portrayed by Zoe Perry, recurs in two episodes of season seven, engaging with Jackie Harris on her prospects for rejoining . Ed Conner, Dan's father from the original Roseanne (played by ), dies off-screen prior to The Conners season two; Dan discovers the news through a local on February 18, 2020.

References

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