While Roseanne follow-up implies that it really is the end for the long-running sitcom. The Conners has an unusual history, even within the strange world of network sitcoms. The series began life in 1988 as Roseanne, a family sitcom about a blue-collar brood and their resilient, snarky eponymous matriarch. Roseanne was a critical and ratings success until its ninth and final season, wherein the working-class Conner family won the lottery and became millionaires overnight. This altered the show’s tone completely and was retconned by 2017’s season 10 revival.

While Roseanne season 10 won back some critical acclaim, the show’s troubles weren’t over yet. Roseanne soon became The Conners when series star Roseanne Barr was fired for racist tweets. The Conners’ season 7 will be the last outing for the long-running sitcom.

The Conners Season 7 Being An "Event" Makes A Spinoff Less Likely

The Conners Season 7 Finale Seems Set To Definitively End The Sitcom

While the series is a major ratings success, The Conners is unlikely to spawn any subsequent spinoffs after season 7 ends. It is not impossible for the sitcom to come back after season 7’s ending, but ABC (via TVLine) recently confirmed that The Conners season 7 will be a six-episode “Farewell event” that will premiere in March 2025. Dubbing the final season a “Farewell Event” telegraphs a level of finality that a spinoff would unavoidably devalue. In contrast, Young Sheldon’s ending set up the events of The Big Bang Theory and its own spinoff, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.

Roseanne’s original ending was a messy finale that retconned the events of the preceding season.

Where Young Sheldon’s finale was designed to feel like a stopgap between other entries in the growing sitcom franchise, The Conners season 7's “Farewell Event” is a more definitive ending. Wherever The Conners season 7’s main characters end up as the spinoff wraps up its six-episode event, this is likely to be the last time viewers see them. In contrast, Roseanne’s original ending was a messy finale that retconned the events of the preceding season, only for season 10’s revival to then retcon this finale. Roseanne’s original ending left a lot to be desired, justifying its reboot.

Why It's Better If A Conners Spinoff Doesn't Happen

The Conners Doesn’t Need Another Follow-up

In comparison, The Conners season 7 can end the show right. There is no solid option for a spinoff, since the main characters have all been on the air for decades and the new lead characters, like Mark and Harris, don’t have character arcs that are sufficiently compelling to sustain a full-blown spinoff. The harsh reality is that The Conners season 7 will end the franchise for good, and this is most likely a positive thing since the show has been around since 1988. 37 years after Roseanne originally premiered, The Conners season 7 bringing the series to a close is perfectly timed.

The Conners season 7's six-episode "Farewell Event" is expected to air in March 2025.

Source: TVLine