The Conners season seven finale is an official goodbye to the sitcom family after television audiences have watched them for three decades. The emotional one-hour special aired April 23.
The Conner family is saying goodnight.
The Conners has officially ended, more than three decades after audiences first met the sitcom family. In the emotional one-hour special on April 23, Dan (John Goodman), Becky (Lecy Goranson), Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) quite literally said goodbye to viewers.
The first episode of the two-part finale, titled “Exercise Bands, Money Plans, and Faraway Lands” follows Dan as he prepares for the deposition against the pharmaceutical company that issued the opioid that killed his wife Roseanne (Roseanne Barr).
Darlene’s 19-year-old son Mark (Ames McNamara) shocks her when he tells her he is moving to New York City, and while she isn’t exactly ready for him to leave, she finds her own way to say goodbye. Meanwhile, Becky and boyfriend Tyler (Sean Astin) take a big step in their relationship, decide to take a big step in their relationship with a joint bank account.
And in the second part, “The Truck Stops Here,” Dan describes his late wife as “the love of his life” in a touching testimony, leading the company to award Dan with a check. Though as the entire family—including Jackie, Becky and Darlene—gather at Roseanne’s grave to share the moment together, it’s revealed the check is revealed to be worth just $700 and not the large payout they’d expected.
Still, each member of the Conner family says goodbye to Roseanne, sharing their successes as a family. For Jackie, it’s being back on the police force, and both daughters show their mom the men they are in love with.
Meanwhile, Darlene and ex David’s eldest Harris (Emma Kenney) tells her grandmother that she owns her grandmother’s restaurant, the Lanford Lunch Box. And Louise (Katey Sagal), Dan’s second wife, gives him his own private moment at Roseanne’s grave, giving him a moment to reflect on their family, telling her, “We always said if the kids were still alive at the end of the day we did our job. I think we did better than that.”

Later that night, they each take turns saying an emotional goodnight to one another, the last being Dan on the coach looking directly into the camera, saying goodnight to the audience at home.
For the ending, executive producers Dan Helford and Dave Caplan wanted to make sure that the family’s story would continue beyond the finale, leaving their stories open. “I don’t think we wanted a kind of ending where somebody turns off the lights and closes up shop,” Dave told TV Insider on April 18. “The Conners go on.”
As Dan added, “It’s true to their characters, which I think the audience of this show particularly wants.”

Indeed, that’s been the case with the Conner family since 1988 when Roseanne, centered around the titular comedian’s tight-knit blue-collar family debuted, ultimately running until 1997. Though in 2018, 21 years after season nine concluded, ABC revived the sitcom with the entire original cast returning—including John, Lecy, Sara, Laurie and Michael Fishman.
However, amid its successful season 10, Roseanne sparked controversy over a racist tweet about an official in former President Barack Obama’s administration, leading to her firing from the show and the series being refashioned into a spinoff in which her character has recently died from an accidental drug overdose. But despite The Conners’ rocky origins, family endured and now, seven seasons later, the rest of the cast is saying goodbye to these beloved characters.
“We always knew this would come to an end, but somehow it felt like it would be forever,” Sara, who plays Darlene, told Us Weekly on April 18. “The best thing television can do is make people feel connected.”

And the head of the family Dan, played by John, hopes his character and the show is remembered by how audiences connected with their television family.
“I would hope that the legacy of this show would be that people saw a little of themselves in us,” John explained to Us Weekly. “Humor has always been the thing that has pulled this family through.”
He added, “I am going to miss it very, very much. Above all, we had fun.”
Keep reading for more shows that made their way to the small screen this year.

Secrets of the Penguins (National Geographic) – Apr. 20
Executive produced by National Geographic Explorer-at-Large and Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron, this latest installment in National Geographic’s Emmy-winning “Secrets of” franchise takes viewers of all ages to the farthest corners of the world to witness penguin behaviors captured on film for the first time—showcasing the cute and fluffy flightless birds as they brave some of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out (Lifetime) – Apr. 21
Lifetime sets all-new series with the “pop”-ular dermatologist in Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out beginning April 21. Dr. Sandra Lee, better known as Dr. Pimple Popper, returns with more bursts, oozes, and pops only on Lifetime. For the first time, Dr. Lee will be inviting several proteges, the next generation of dermatologists, into the operating room with her to pass on her unique knowledge and skill set.

Andor (Disney+) – Apr. 22
Season two will see the characters and their relationships intensify as the horizon of war draws near and Cassian becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound.

Race for the Crown (Netflix) – Apr. 22
Race for the Crown takes you deep into the action-packed world of professional horse racing. With exclusive access to jockeys, trainers, and owners, this series offers an inside look at the high-stakes quest to win across the prestigious Triple Crown circuit. Meet the big personalities that drive the sport, and experience the passion, strategy, and drama as these dedicated individuals strive for victory.

Battle Camp (Netflix) – Apr. 23
In Battle Camp, the greatest stars from across Netflix’s broad slate of reality and doc-series return to face the ultimate physical and mental competition, where a giant spinning wheel randomly decides who stays and who goes. In order to keep your name off that wheel, our returning fan favorites need to be unbeatable in high octane challenges, unbreakable in grueling punishments and, last but certainly not least, unhateable in camp, as everyone has a vote. The player who achieves all three, becomes the ultimate Netflix reality competitor and takes home the $250,000 prize.

Vanderpump Villa (Hulu) – Apr. 24
Get ready to sip some tea because Lisa Vanderpump is back, along with Stassi Schroeder and a mix of familiar faces and new staff at Castello Rosato in the countryside of Italy. Hulu’s original series Vanderpump Villa is serving up a hot second season with all ten episodes dropping on April 24, 2025.

Black Snow (AMC+) – Apr. 24
In season two, Travis Fimmel reprises his role as Detective Cormack as he tackles two separate missing persons cases. One is professional, as he investigates the disappearance of Zoe Jacobs (Jana McKinnon), from her own 21st birthday party in 2003. And the other is personal, as Cormack searches desperately for his own younger brother, who went missing when they were children.

Étoile (Prime Video) – Apr. 24
The original new series is set in both New York and Paris, and follows the dancers and artistic staff of two world-renowned ballet companies as they embark on an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions: swapping their most talented stars.

Jessica Kirson: I’m the Man (Hulu) – Apr. 25
Jessica Kirson: I’m the Man is a fast-paced and sharp-tongued special that showcases Kirson’s searing perspective on everything from TikTok girls to her bizarre time at a trauma center.

WondLa (AppleTV+) – Apr. 25
This futuristic coming-of-age story follows sixteen-year-old Eva 9 as her epic journey continues, and she uncovers startling truths about her past and the world she calls home.
Picking up from season one’s shocking cliffhanger, Eva is drawn toward the promise of home—but new discoveries only lead to more unanswered questions. As she searches for the truth, Eva finds herself pursued by a relentless force that believes she holds the key to something far greater than she ever imagined. In a season brimming with revelations, sacrifice, and an existential fight for survival, Eva must choose where she truly belongs.
