'The Conners' Recasts a 'Roseanne' Family Member
One out, one in!
Roseanne Barr is not returning as Roseanne Conner for the "Roseanne" spinoff "The Conners." Apparently ABC will be killing the TV Roseanne via an opioid overdose, perhaps as a balance to killing off Dan Conner (John Goodman) at the end of the original run of "Roseanne."
ABC also just announced a recasting -- Maya Lynne Robinson is joining the family as DJ’s (Michael Fishman) wife Geena Williams-Conner. Geena was deployed in Afghanistan, and only briefly seen last Season 10 over Skype. At that point, she was played by Xosha Roquemore. It's not clear why the role was recast.
It looks like "The Conners" has bigger plans for Geena, who is also mother to young Mary (Jayden Rey). ABC posted several photos of DJ, Geena, and family tied to "The Conners" premiere in October:
Fans first met Geena back in 1994 in the "Roseanne" episode "White Men Can’t Kiss," as the girl DJ didn’t want to kiss in his school play because she was black. Last year, we learned that DJ later married Geena.
Showrunner and executive producer Bruce Helford shared a statement on the new casting:
“We’re thrilled to welcome the incredibly talented Maya Lynne Robinson to the cast this season. Her character 2nd Lieutenant Geena Conner, whom a younger DJ was reluctant to kiss in his school play, comes full circle as his wife and Mary’s mother, bringing back a little piece of Conner history. Yet, while Geena is no stranger to the family, viewers old and new will enjoy seeing how her ‘military-style’ discipline meshes with the Conners’ more laid-back attitude."
"The Conners" premieres Tuesday, October 16 at 8/7 on ABC. The premiere, titled "Keep on Truckin'" has this synopsis:
"A sudden turn of events forces the Conners to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before."
We can all guess what that "sudden turn of events" might be.
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