The Conners EPs Reveal Which Roseanne Characters Will Not Return in Final Season

Not everyone is RSVP-ing to The Conners‘ going away party.

TVLine can confirm that legacy cast members Johnny Galecki (David), Michael Fishman (DJ) and Estelle Parsons (Bev) will not appear during the Roseanne offshoot’s truncated final season, which kicks off with the first of six episodes on Wednesday, March 26 (ABC, 8/7c).

“[David is] very much mentioned, very much alive in the story,” executive producer Bruce Helford tells me. “We love Johnny, he was always welcome, but he has more or less started life anew down in Nashville [following the conclusion of The Big Bang Theory].”
Johnny Galecki ABC
Though fellow EP Dave Caplan contends that there was a potential story to tell — not necessarily revisiting Darlene and David’s relationship, but seeing David reconnect with their children, Harris and Mark — “there was so much to do in six,” and there wouldn’t have necessarily been time to see that story through, even if Galecki had agreed to come back.

“Honestly, once you see the arcs [you will understand],” Helford says. “What we never want to do is just bring somebody in just to see that person on the show. We want everyone to have something important to play.”
Michael Fishman ABC
That’s also why you won’t see Fishman, whose last appearance came in The Conners’ Season 4 finale. The following season revealed that DJ had reunited with his wife Geena, who was stationed in Germany, and Season 7 will confirm that their teenage daughter Mary — who was written out after Season 5 — has joined her parents overseas.
Estelle Parsons ABC
As for Parsons — who received TVLine accolades for a sublime Season 6 arc that saw a dementia-riddled Bev make amends with Jackie — it was simply a matter of logistics. The Oscar-winning actress is 97 years young and based in New York City, roughly 3,000 miles from The Conners’ home base at Radford Studio Center in Los Angeles. Helford won’t confirm or deny whether Bev is still hopping trains, but we will receive an update on Roseanne’s mother before the sitcom signs off in April. “There are certainly some comments made about her situation,” he promises.