How Did Roseanne Die In The Conners?

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Conners season 7, episode 1, "It's Gonna Be A Great Day.”

Since Roseanne’s eponymous heroine was killed off before The Conners even began back in 2018, the spinoff has not addressed the cause of her death in some time. The Conners’ large cast of characters is spread across three generations of the titular family. Given how chaotic the sitcom’s stories are at times, it can be hard to remember that the series originally had one main character to ground its proceedings. Before it became The Conners, the sitcom about a working-class middle-American family started life as Roseanne in 1988.

Roseanne was a massive hit with audiences, running for nine seasons until 1997. Although Roseanne’s infamously bad season 9 was an outright disaster, the rest of the original run was fondly remembered. As such, it was no surprise when Roseanne’s season 10 revival arrived in 2017. What was a lot more surprising was when The Conners abruptly killed off Roseanne after the season 10 finale, changing the show's name and pivoting its focus to the rest of the family’s surviving members.

Roseanne Died Of An Opioid Overdose Before The Conners

Roseanne’s Death Was The Primary Focus Of The Conners Season 1

In The Conners season 1, episode 1, “Keep On Truckin’,” it was revealed that Roseanne died suddenly from unknown causes after knee surgery. Later in the episode, the Conner family learned that Roseanne’s death was caused by an accidental opioid overdose as she had been hiding an addiction to the pain pills she used to treat her chronic knee pain. Dan initially blamed a neighbor who supplied Roseanne with pills, but he reconsidered his reaction upon learning that Roseanne only traded pills due to high drug prices and that she had various sources to obtain the medication.

Roseanne’s overdose was a formative moment in the history of the series.

While The Conners’ new characters were fun, novel additions to the spinoff’s cast, there is no denying the fact that the circumstances of Roseanne’s death cast a dark shadow over season 1 of the spinoff. Most of the show’s plots centered on the family’s grief, either directly or indirectly, and, although life moved on eventually, Roseanne’s overdose was a formative moment in the history of the series. It is, after all, vanishingly rare for a series to continue after killing off its title character. This tonal feat is even harder to achieve in a family comedy.

The actual cause of Roseanne’s death was a behind-the-scenes controversy.

The Conners drew attention to a real-life issue when the sitcom spinoff killed off Roseanne via an overdose. While some of Roseanne’s best Jackie storylines were absurd and goofy, the show never shied away from harsh realities. The original series tackled poverty, domestic abuse, and parental neglect, so it was no shock when Roseanne’s death was used as an opportunity to focus on another real-life problem close to the hearts of many viewers. The actual cause of Roseanne’s death, however, was a behind-the-scenes controversy.

Why Was Roseanne Barr Written Out Of The Roseanne Franchise

Barr’s Real-Life Racist Comments Led To Her Dismissal

Roseanne was killed off due to Roseanne Barr’s real-life racist comments on X (then Twitter), which resulted in the actor's firing. Barr made racist tweets about former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, leading ABC to let her go and rewrite the series in her absence. WhileThe Conners season 7 adding new characters might seem surprising since the show has only a few episodes left before its series finale, it is worth noting that the spinoff started by introducing a slew of new faces.

The Conners Cast Member	Character
John Goodman	Dan Conner
Laurie Metcalf	Jackie Harris-Goldufski
Sara Gilbert	Darlene Conner-Olinsky
Lecy Goranson	Becky Conner-Healy
Katey Sagal	Louise Conner
Emma Kenney	Harris Conner-Healy
Ames McNamara	Mark Conner-Healy

David Healy’s new love interest Blue, played by Juliette Lewis, was introduced in episode 2 of season 1, while Matthew Broderick played Jackie’s short-lived new love interest in the next outing. These high-profile new additions were short-lived, but their presence did help distract from the downbeat atmosphere following Roseanne’s demise.

How Does Roseanne's Death Impact The Conners & Its Upcoming Ending?

Roseanne's Death Was Central To The Conners Season 7 Episode 1 "It's Gonna Be A Great Day"

Jackie and Dan fought over whether to pursue a wrongful death suit over Roseanne's passing in The Conners season 7, episode 1, "It's Gonna Be A Great Day.” Jackie wanted justice for her late sister while Roseanne’s widower wanted to move on. Thus, The Conners season 7 proved the spinoff will not ignore Roseanne’s legacy as the late sitcom heroine shaped the episode’s events despite her death, causing the biggest blow-up between Jackie and Dan since he started dating Louise in season 2.

Ames MacNamara's Mark smiles while sitting on the couch in The Conners

The Conners Season 7 Can't Afford To Continue Sidelining Mark After His Season 6 Role

Although Roseanne's spinoff could get away with sidelining Mark for much of season 6, The Conners season 7 needs to change this due to one plot.

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While this fight was intense and tragic, The Conners season 7’s Roseanne plot also set up a potentially perfect happy ending for the show’s heroes. Between Becky’s season 7 romance, Harris’s take-over of The Lunchbox, and Jackie rejoining the police force, the spinoff has a lot of plots to cover. However, Jackie’s court case could end with a rare finanical win for the family that is rooted, appropriately enough, in their most devastating loss ever. Thus, The Conners season 7 could use the death of Roseanne’s heroine to improve the lives of the show’s surviving family.

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