Summary
The best way to wrap up Jackie’s arc inThe Connersseason 7 is to bring back a Roseanne character played by a high-profile actor. After much deliberation, ABC is officially wrapping up theRoseannespinoff sequel during the 2024-2025 TV season. Born out of the ashes from the shortlived Roseanne revival,The Connerswas kicked off by thedeath of Roseanne Connerin light of Roseanne Barr’s firing from her own show. Since then, it has fully embraced its ensemble nature, although there are still clear main players in the ABC family comedy.
While not officially part of the Conner clan,Jackie has been a regular character in the franchisesinceRoseannepremiered in 1988. Aside from how she fits into Dan and Roseanne’s family dynamics, she also has her own storylines, and sometimes, they are so much more exciting than what her sister is going through. InThe Connersseason 6, however, Jackie has finally settled in and retired from the Lunch Box to enjoy her days with Neville. This is a great way to leave the character, but there’s one way to make her overall arc so much more satisfying.
Jackie’s Reunion With Booker Will Show How Much She’s Grown In The Conners
From Roseanne To The Conners, Jackie Has Grown So Much
If Roseanne could see how far her sister has come in the last six years ofThe Connersshe would be proud. That said, it’s difficult to notice the small things but improvements in Jackie’s life unless the show brings in someone who was embedded in her past, and among everyone she interacted with in the franchise before, none will have as much impact as see her reunite with George Clooney’s Booker Brooks. When Roseanne premiered, Jackie was dating the original foreman at Wellman Plastics where she and Roseanne worked.
Bringing Booker back into her life inThe Connersseason 7, albeit briefly, would crystallize how much Jackie’s character has developed.
There was no denying that Jackie and Booker’s chemistry was off the charts. They were fun and flirty but were also quite toxic. As handsome and charismatic as Clooney was in the role,Booker was a horrible boyfriend, and yet, Jackie tolerated him. Bringing Booker back into her life inThe Connersseason 7, albeit briefly, would crystallize how much Jackie’s character has developed. She can still be very overeager and reckless, but she’s now more mature and responsible. She is in a stable marriage with Neville and is content with her life.
By reuniting Booker with this new and better version of Jackie,The Connerscan show his surprise at the life that she has made for herself. Granted that she remains in Lanford and continues to hang out with the same people, the fact that she has her own home, has a husband, and is now financially stable enough to retire is impressive, considering where she started inRoseanne. Booker can be the viewers' perspective in all of this as the show does an in-retrospect of her life.
Why Bringing Back Roseanne’s Booker Will Be Very Difficult For The Conners Season 7
The Conners Have Been Trying To Recruit Clooney To Return As Booker
The Connershave brought back legacy characters fromRoseanneas it helps the show establish a connection between it and its parent series, especially in light of the spinoff losing Roseanne. So, there’s a precedent when it comes to Booker returning. For what it’s worth, Booker still not returning inThe Connersisn’t for lack of trying. Executive producer Bruce Helford has revealed (viaThe Wrap) that he hasasked Clooney multiple times, but he always declines. However, considering Clooney’s stature, it may be virtually impossible to convince him to reprise his old small-screen role.
Clooney is now well-regarded as one of the biggest stars in showbusiness, and he hasn’t returned to network TV since his days onER.
His popularity in Hollywood has significantly changed since his stint onRoseanne. Clooney is now well-regarded as one of the biggest stars in showbusiness, and he hasn’t returned to network TV since his days onER.He did star in Hulu’sCatch-22from 2019, but he also directed and produced the project. In his proposed The Conners return, he will only be an actor playing a role. Because of this, it’s very difficult to imagine that he would seriously consider making a cameo inThe Connersseason 7, even though Helford supposedly maintains a good relationship with him.
How The Conners Can Convince Clooney To Return As Booker
The Conners Season 7 Being The End To The Roseanne Franchise Can Be A Factor
While Helford has established that he has long been courting Clooney to return as Booker with no success, there are some factors at play this time that could finally convince him to join the show. Firstly, and perhaps the most important element to highlight is thatThe Connersis ending, and this may be the final send-off for theRoseannefranchise. ConsideringRoseanne’s bizarre and unsatisfying finale, there’s motivation to make sure that they get it right this time. This might change Clooney’s mind. After all,Roseannedid play a role in the successful career that he now has.
If Clooney could reprise Bruce Wayne inThe Flash,then he could play Booker againThe Conners.
Secondly,Helford’s pitch can lean on how it can benefit Clooney’s advocacies— something that he has been focusing on for years now. His partnership with Nespresso helped him fund his activism, and whileThe Connerswon’t be able to pay him the same fee as the coffee company, it may be helpful to lean into this element. Couple this with the actor’s history with the ABC family comedy/drama, and it may be enough for him to appear in just at least one episode. If Clooney could reprise Bruce Wayne inThe Flash,then he could play Booker againThe Conners.
What Else Needs To Happen To Jackie Before The Conners Ends
Jackie Needs To Reunite With Her Mother
At this point, there’s really no overarching narrative for Jackie that desperately needs to be addressed except one —the fate of Bev. Laurie Metcalf’s character has reached the point in her life where she is happy in the grand scheme of things. She still gets in trouble occasionally, but nothing so serious that would derail her life. WhileThe Connersseason 6 officially ended the decades-long conflict between Jackie and her mom, Bev’s fate remains uncertain after she left to go on her solo grand adventure.
Jackie let her and Roseanne’s mother leave despite her condition because she understood Bev’s need to do it before her inevitable death but promised the rest of the family that she is tracking her. It would be great if Jackie’sThe Connersarc wraps up with them reuniting in any capacity. This way, no major lingering question about what happened to Bev and how Jackie copes with it haunts theRoseannefranchise.
The Conners
Cast
The Conners is a continuation of the Roseanne series, focusing on the iconic family members Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky, and D.J. Released in 2018, the series explores the family’s challenges with parenthood, dating, unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging, and in-laws within working-class America.
Roseanne
Roseanne was a late 80s Sitcom created by Matt Williams and starring Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert. The show followed a character created by Roseanne Barr herself as she attempted to navigate her family life in a fictional town in Illinois.
