Michael Fishman is addressing D.J. Conner’s absence in the series finale of The Conners.
Fishman, 43, originated the role of D.J. — Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan Conner’s (John Goodman) son — on Roseanne and later reprised the part in the first four seasons of The Conners. The actor departed the sitcom ahead of season 5, though some fans were hopeful he might appear in last week’s series finale.
“It’s the day after the Conners finale, and I have been inundated with people looking for a reaction. People seem to want to have there be some kind of conflict or controversy, especially on my part,” Fishman said in an Instagram video shared on Thursday, April 24. “The reality is, all I really have is empathy and understanding for all of the people on set and for all of our audience that’s grieving. I prefer to be a lighthouse in the dark.”
“When I look back at the legacy of the show, a legacy that started with Roseanne Barr and that we built into Roseanne and The Conners, I have only gratitude,” he added. “I really believe that that legacy belongs to all of you in the audience.”
‘The Conners’ Series Finale Noticeably Uses Archive ‘Roseanne’ Clips of Main Cast Members — Except Roseanne Barr
Fishman’s character, D.J., was not mentioned nor seen in the series finale, which aired Wednesday, April 23.
Executive producer Dave Caplan told TVLine in March that “there was so much to do in six” episodes that there wasn’t time to revisit characters whose stories were already wrapped up.
Meanwhile, Barr was unaware that The Conners, which originated from a revival of Roseanne, was coming to an end.
“We don’t care about cheap knockoffs. We support the real brands,” Barr’s son, Jake Pentland, told Us Weekly last week. “We only pay attention to things that matter to the American people.”
ABC revived Roseanne, which originally aired between 1988 and 1997, in 2018. Barr starred in the series alongside Fishman, Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert and Lecy Goranson. The revival was renewed for a second season when Barr made headlines for her controversial political comments on social media.
Roseanne was subsequently canceled and ABC decided to rebrand the show as The Conners and move forward with the remaining cast. Barr’s character was killed off and the sitcom proceeded as the fictional family mourned the loss of their matriarch after a fatal overdose.
