After almost four decades, the story of the Conner family has come to a close.
The Conners aired its series finale on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, ending its seven-season run after the show premiered as a direct continuation of the 2017 Roseanne revival — a total of 37 years following the family over the course of the original series, the reboot and the spinoff. Regular cast members John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and more returned for the ABC sitcom, and as it approached the end, they reflected on their long history with their characters.
“We always knew this would come to an end. Somehow it felt like it would be forever,” said Gilbert in a behind-the-scenes video ahead of the finale.
See the stars of The Conners from their early days on Roseanne in 1988 to their last episode of the show, nearly four decades later.
John Goodman as Dan Conner
Goodman, who has played patriarch Dan Conner since the beginning of Roseanne, admitted to PEOPLE ahead of the two-part finale that “it’s really hard” to move on from his character.
“It’s something I’m going to miss for a while. I’m old and resistant to change,” the actor said.
His connection to the show led him to suggest the emotional last few moments in the series finale.
Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris
Metcalf portrayed Jackie Harris, Roseanne’s neurotic younger sister. As The Conners approached its finale, she teased that there would be several loose ends at the end of the family’s story.
“There’s a lot to wrap up and I think the writers are really working hard to get everybody’s storylines sort of … not completed,” the actress told PEOPLE. “It’s not going to have a big bow tied up.”
She continued, “It will remain true to their storyline, what happens to them in the final episode. But, it’s a very short amount of time to wrap up this many seasons of a family that’s covered decades.”
Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner
Gilbert, who portrayed the second-oldest Conner child Darlene, echoed her costars’ sentiments cherishing their time as an on-screen family.
“I think we just have such a good time and we laugh a lot,” she shared during PEOPLE’s visit to the set. “Because we did it for so many years, it’s sort of deep in our soul. And so that is hard to imagine being without.”
Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner
Goranson played the eldest Conner child, Becky, for much of the first series (with Sarah Chalke filling in for three seasons). She reprised the role for The Conners, and ahead of the final season, said the finale wouldn’t be “wacky” or “culminating.”
“It’s just not really our style. Our show is about real people and real life situations, so I feel like we don’t need to do that,” Goranson said to PEOPLE. “It’s enough just saying that the characters are moving on in the future together as family.”
Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner
For the entirety of Roseanne and four seasons of The Conners, Michael Fishman played the Conners’ first son (and depending on who you ask, only son), D.J. In a statement to PEOPLE following his exit from The Conners after season 4, Fishman said he was “proud of the work” he did.
“While I was told I would not be returning for season 5, Lanford was a valuable place to grow up, learn and develop,” he added. “I was incredibly lucky to return home and demonstrate my expansion. As I venture into the world to build the future, I send tremendous love and success to everyone involved in production.”
Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner
Although Roseanne was initially renewed for an 11th season — their second after their revival — it was quickly canceled after Roseanne Barr wrote a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a Black woman and one of Barack Obama’s senior advisers.
In the series premiere of The Conners, it was revealed that Roseanne Conner had died of an opioid overdose.
Estelle Parsons as Beverly Harris
Estelle Parsons recurred as Beverly Harris, Roseanne and Jackie’s mother, throughout both series. In Parsons’ final appearance, Beverly bids her surviving daughter goodbye as she embarks on a “great adventure.”
Natalie West as Crystal Anderson
Though Natalie West’s Crystal Anderson was only a series regular for two seasons of Roseanne, she remained a welcome and familiar face through the sitcom and its follow-up. She made a final dramatic appearance in the second-to-last season of The Conners, in which it was revealed that Dan had been taking loans to pay for her heart medication.
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