The Conners’ upcoming sixth season could also be its last, at least according to the ABC sitcom’s executive producer Bruce Helford.
“Sara Gilbert expressed to the network that we don’t want to go out without knowing that we are going out with a series finale so we can build to the right ending — and at this point in time, we feel that [next season] is possibly going to be the last season of The Conners,” he tells TVLine.
“I would not [say that] definitively because the numbers were so good this season, and we’ve all had a really great time… but it’s definitely a possibility,” he adds.
The show could even end up with a shortened sixth season due to the Writers Guild of America strike.
“The conversation right now is about how many episodes can we do [depending on] whatever happens with the writers’ strike,” Helford said, prior to the strike taking effect on Tuesday. “There may only be 13 episodes. Obviously, we always want to do 20 or 22 [episodes], but at this point in time, we’re talking about if we can do 13 — God willing — and if we can do more, we’ll do more.”
The Roseanne spinoff, which features much of the show’s original cast — including Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Lecy Goranson — is averaging five million total viewers to date — up from last season. Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, Jayden Rey and Jay R. Ferguson round out the cast, along with recurring guest stars Katey Sagal and Nat Faxon.
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