Where Is Harris In The Conners Season 7, Episode 1?

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

While The Conners season 7, episode 1 hit the ground running in terms of wrapping up the Roseanne spinoff's story, one major supporting star was notably absent from the entire episode. The Conners season 7 episode 1 started Jackie’s next arc when she struck up a conversation with Zoe Perry’s off-duty cop and decided to rejoin the police force. This soon dovetailed into Mark’s storyline for the season, as his aunt Jackie revealed that she knew he was working for sketchy email scammers. Jackie urged him to quit, but Mark argued that he needed the money for college tuition.

This might seem like some lightning-fast plotting, but it is worth noting that the large cast of The Connersmeans Roseanne’s spinoff can’t dawdle when it comes to fleshing out storylines. Ever since Roseanne’s death when The Conners began, the family sitcom has struggled to balance its growing, multi-generational cast of characters. This often results in fast-paced story revelations like Jackie and Mark’s storylines, as well as entire episodes that ignore major characters. Unfortunately, The Conners season 7 premiere also kept this trend alive.

The Conners Season 7, Episode 1 Notably Misses Harris

Emma Kenney Didn’t Appear As Darlene’s Daughter In The Premiere

Jackie and Mark get subplots of their own in season 7, episode 1, "It's Gonna Be A Great Day,” while Dan struggles with the thought of suing the manufacturers who made the opioids responsible for Roseanne’s overdose. Ben and Darlene also share a plot as Darlene is frustrated to find her new free time doesn’t align with Ben’s work breaks, while her sister Becky struggles with her boyfriend Tyler’s grandiose romantic gestures. However, Emma Kenney’s Harris does not appear in "It's Gonna Be A Great Day” and her character isn’t mentioned in the premiere.

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The Conners season 7, episode 1 ignores Harris’s story even though, in the season 6 premiere, Harris took over management of Jackie’s restaurant, The Lanford Lunchbox. A visit from a TV chef led Jackie to admit that her heart wasn’t in running the business anymore, and Harris proved the most promising candidate to take over. While new The Conners characters like Perry's cop were introduced in "It's Gonna Be A Great Day,” viewers didn’t get any updates on Harris’s journey.

Harris taking over the restaurant's management could potentially cause her serious stress or be the catalyst to a healthier, happier version of Darlene’s daughter depending on her approach.

This was a shame since the remainder of season 6 proved that taking over a business wasn’t as easy as Harris might have hoped. Harris initially hid out in her brother Mark’s dorm room, avoiding her new responsibilities by getting stoned with his friends. When she returned to the restaurant, Harris struggled with the workload and eventually received an ADHD diagnosis after suffering a panic attack. This proved that Harris taking over the restaurant's management could potentially cause her serious stress or be the catalyst to a healthier, happier version of Darlene’s daughter depending on her approach.

Where Harris Might Be In The Conners Season 7, Episode 1

Harris Took Over Her Aunt Jackie's Restaurant In Season 6

To be fair to the sitcom, Harris did move out of Darlene’s house in season 6, episode 13, “Less Money, More Problems.” As such, it makes sense that she wasn’t present in the premiere’s scenes set there. Darlene’s season 7 episode 1 storyline took up a lot of screen time and the rest of the cast never visited the Lunchbox during the outing, so it may be the case that Harris was busy at work in the restaurant and simply had no reason to visit her family.

Actor Emma Kenney’s Instagram post commemorating the end of the filming arrived in October 2024, sparking speculation that she may have shot fewer scenes than her co-stars. This means viewers know Harris will appear later in season 7, and her return could be implied in the titles of episodes 3 and 4. “Applications, Accusations and a Man-Bag,” and “Danny Boy, the Interview, the New Hire, and the Hanging Chad." Both mention applications, interviews, and hiring, all of which Harris will now be responsible for in the Lunchbox.

When Harris Will Appear In The Conners Season 7?

The Conners Season 7 Has Only 5 Episodes To Wrap Up Harris’s Story

The Conners season 7 has far fewer outings than earlier seasons as there are only six episodes in the Roseanne spinoff's final season. Since the show scarcely mentioned Harris’s Lunchbox subplot late in season 6, the show must explain how she is handling the responsibilities of running the business sooner rather than later. More than comebacks from The Conners supporting characters, the spinoff has to prioritize Harris’s arc in coming episodes.

Mark’s The Conners storyline should involve his sister since she has tons of experience with both breaking the law and rebelling against their extended family.

Furthermore, Harris also needs to play a role in another season 7 plot. Mark’s The Conners storyline should involve his sister since she has tons of experience with both breaking the law and rebelling against their extended family. Harris should advise Mark on what to do about his sketchy but lucrative job while The Conners explains how the Roseanne heroine is keeping her restaurant afloat.

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