Is Roseanne Coming Back to The Conners? New Return Speculation Explained

The return of some classic Roseanne actors has come wondering if comedian Roseanne Barr will ever come back to play a role in The Conners. 

Barr was the lead of the beloved ABC sitcom bearing her name for nine seasons from 1988 to 1997 along with a revival that saw the actress (along with the rest of the cast) return to the show in 2018. 

However, despite plans for more, the Roseanne revival was canceled and the spin-off The Conners was greenlit, coming after Barr's reputation was sullied thanks to some controversial tweets.

Classic Roseanne Character Return for The Conners

One major Roseanne character made her triumphant return to TV sets across America, popping up in the revival spin-off series The Conners. 

Season 6, Episode 5 of the hit ABC sitcom saw Natalie West reprise her Roseanne role of Crystal Anderson, getting some fans' hopes up that Roseanne Barr's titular character could be next. 

Crystal was last seen midway through the series' first season back in 2018, portraying the longtime friend of Roseanne Barr and John Goodman's Roseanne and Dan Conner. 

West appeared in 85 episodes across Roseanne's first nine seasons on TV as well as two of the 2018 revival that was cut short because of controversy surrounding its lead actress. 

Appearing in The Conners' Season 6 episode titled "When Sisters Collide and The Return of the Grifter," it is revealed the Roseanne mainstay has gotten sick over the years, suffering from a heart condition. 

While it is unknown if West's Crystal will appear in any more of The Connors Season 6, it seems like the creative team may be setting the character up for a final arc in the world of the show, all without her on-screen bestie Roseanne. 

Will Roseanne Barr Ever Return to The Conners?

As The Conners has continued to honor the legacy of the hit Roseanne TV series, some have begun to wonder if former lead actress Roseanne Barr will ever return to the TV world she helped to create. 

At the time of writing, it would seem highly unlikely a corporation like Disney (which owns The Conners network ABC) would want anything to do with Barr. 

Barr and the Roseanne team were thrust back into the spotlight back in 2018, bringing back the beloved sitcom to critical acclaim. The Roseanne revival was a massive success for ABC, enough so that a second season was greenlit after just its premiere. 

However, those plans were shelved in May 2018 after Barr posted a racist tweet comparing a White House aid of Muslim descent to the Planet of the Apes films. 

Disney CEO Bob Iger was quick in his decision to remove Barr from the network, with ABC releasing a statement saying, "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent" and "we have decided to cancel her show" (via BBC):

"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values and we have decided to cancel her show."

The former TV star has stayed out of the public eye for the most part since then, only recently returning to the entertainment world for a 2023 comedy special. 

Barr has since said she regrets the tweet, but studios with the family-friendly image of Disney do not take this kind of thing lightly. That, along with the fact that her character was killed off in-universe after the events of the first season of Roseanne's revival, makes Barr's potential return in The Conners extremely unlikely.

The Conners Season 6 continues with new episodes airing on ABC every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.