The Conners

The [series’ writers Bruce Helford, Bruce Rasmussen and Dave Caplan] struck what felt like the perfect balance between darkness and light, while also being respectful--almost reverential at times--to the character of Roseanne. But make no mistake: While The Conners is packed with poignant and tearful moments, it’s mostly really, really funny.

Having played Darlene (well, with a 20-year gap) for 30 years, it’s almost effortless to see Gilbert so naturally play Darlene as her mother’s daughter. She’s got a bit of Roseanne Conner in her as we remember her from 1988, not 2018. ... Darlene isn’t Roseanne. But with Barr off the show, “The Conners” can finally be “Roseanne.”

The show works fine without her [Roseanne]. ... The Conners still wants to be a sitcom for both Democrats and Republicans, but instead of making hay of culture war flashpoints, it stays focused on the Conners’ bleakly circumscribed reality--and the foreshortening of opportunity that applies to the have-nots of both political tribes.

The writing as overseen by veteran Roseanne producer Bruce Helford is sharp--the tone is very similar to the 10 years of the original Roseanne you may have watched and enjoyed.

Roseanne’s sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) and daughter Darlene (Sara Gilbert) are the beating heart of this recently altered household, and they take the new narrative in wonderfully awkward, wry and entertaining directions.

The Conners rises admirably to that challenge, delivering kitchen-sink comedy that, at least in the initial two episodes, the first of which airs Tuesday night, is just as funny as anything in Roseanne 2.0. The Conners even feels closer in tone and intent to the original Roseanne.

In what’s been a woefully bland fall TV season, especially for network comedy, it’s frankly a delight to watch a sitcom this solid, with a cast of people you love this much, all executing so well, and, we hope at some point, not have to couch their praise in caveats about the Roseanne of it all.

The Conners is a TV show capable of standing on its own two feet.

The sudden nature of it all is unavoidably awkward, but the script from creators Dave Caplan, Bruce Helford, Bruce Rasmussen manages to squeeze in a surprising amount of jokes for the occasion, and the accomplished cast is more than up to the challenge of landing them. Goodman, Gilbert, Metcalf, and Lecy Goranson as Becky are particularly sharp, finding ways to let their characters’ personalities come through their fog of grief.

The Conners skillfully picks up where "Roseanne" left off and even manages to improve on the predecessor.

It's not going to be a cultural phenomenon without the woman once at its center, but it seems likely to be a comfy, enjoyable place to sit down for a meal.

For those on the fence, I’d say if you liked the original and its short-lived revival, this new incarnation will feel like a new--and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny--window into the lives of old friends.

The result is a very interesting little sitcom, where what’s happening backstage reflects what’s happening on camera. It’s mostly about loss; for Dan, Darlene, and Jackie, it’s become about the redefinition of their roles in the Conner family. The setting snaps so familiarly into place that it’s like a time capsule.

The lovingly biting tone of the working-class comedy remains much the same. [29 Oct - 11 Nov 2018, p.11]

Life goes on, and a family comedy starring Goodman, Metcalf and Gilbert makes this the most promising “new” show in one of the worst broadcast network fall seasons ever.

It was unsettling and raw and fitfully funny. But it also felt more like “Roseanne” than last spring’s revival did. ... [Darlene's] dry, Gen X humor could give The Conners a distinct voice from Barr’s gleeful bullhorn. There’s still plenty to do with the underdeveloped family branch of D.J. (Michael Fishman), his soldier wife, Geena (Maya Lynne Robinson), and their daughter, Mary (Jayden Rey).

Tuesday’s episode was loaded with characters and jokes, but a viewer quickly got the sense that only Goodman and Laurie Metcalf (as Roseanne’s sister Jackie) have the acting chops strong enough to convey deep grief along with sudden segues into catharsis and punchlines about condolence casseroles. Callous as it may sound, the sooner Roseanne is forgotten, the better the show might become.

The two episodes I screened also made me laugh quite a bit. None of the jokes are going to be all-timers--okay, maybe one line about Pierce Brosnan will make it into the time capsule but the characters have a warm and funny way about them that the original Roseanne had in spades and the new version too often replaced with mean-spirited insults and the like. While the characters still tease and insult each other incessantly, there’s more warmth to it.

Some of the problems that existed on “Roseanne” this past spring are still areas of concern in “The Conners,” most notably the acting by some of the show’s secondary cast members. And there are occasional groaner bits of dialogue. But reliably winning performances from stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert continue to carry the series.

What The Conners has going for it, which shouldn't be underestimated, are a couple of world-class actors in John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf as the one-time title character's husband Dan and sister Jackie.