AlthoughThe Connersseason 7 ended theRoseannefranchise for good, the show’s ratings prove that it didn’t necessarily need to be the sitcom’s final outing.The Conners’ large cast of charactersmeans the spinoff was always going to have a hard time wrapping up its story, no matter how many episodes the show included in its final season. That said,The Connersseries finalestill felt bizarrely rushed and subsequently misjudged. New characters were introduced in the final episodes, plots were left unfinished, and season 7’s runtime was cut short.
Inexplicably,The Connersseason 7 featured only six episodes, whereas most earlier seasons had over 20. Admittedly, there were only 11 episodes in the first season, and season 6 included 13 due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes. However, seasons 2, 3, and 4 included 20 episodes each, while season 5 reached a series high of 22 episodes.The Connersseason 7 outright ignored major characterswhile prioritizing new guest stars, making the compressed story feel like a 20-episode season that was cut short rather than a well-planned, shorter farewell.
The Conners Season 7’s Ratings Were The Best Since Season 5
Season 7 Barely Dipped Below 3 Million Viewers On Average
What makes this decision all the more confounding is that, on average,The Connersseason 7’s ratings were stronger than those of season 6(viaProgrammingInsider). Admittedly, season 7 featuring under half as many episodes as season 7 should be taken into account in any analysis, but season 5 proves this isn’t a major factor. After all, since season 5 included 22 episodes and season 6 included only 13, any difference between season 7’s six episodes and season 6’s 13 should be reflected in the difference between seasons 5 and 6.
However, this isn’t the case. For all the frustratingdropped storylines ofThe Connersseason 7, the spinoff brought in an impressive number of viewers. Season 7, episode 1, “It’s Gonna Be A Great Day,” earned 3.24 million viewers, a number that was then outdone by episode 5, “Exercise Bands, Money Plans, and Faraway Lands,” which earned 3.35 million. The least-watched episode of season 7, episode 4, “Danny Boy, the Interview, the New Hire, and the Hanging Chad,” still earned a more than respectable 2.84 million viewers.
Although early episodes were more successful and season 6’s premiere did manage to gain 3.59 million viewers, only five of season 6’s 13 episodes outdid the most-watched outing in season 7.
In comparison, season 6, episode 12, “Flying, Applying and Rassling Gators,” was viewed by only 2.02 million in May 2024. The season finale fared scarcely better, with episode 13, “Less Money, More Problems,” garnering an audience of only 2.15 million. Although early episodes were more successful and season 6’s premiere did manage to gain 3.59 million viewers, only five of season 6’s 13 episodes outdid the most successful outing in season 7.
The Conners Season 7’s Strong Ratings Make One Choice Even Weirder
Since a third of season 6’s episodes had just over 2 million viewers,The Connersseason 7 ratings were an improvement on its predecessor. This madeThe Connersseason 7’s bizarrely disappointing endingall the more surprising since the show’s rushed conclusion seemed to be based on a desire to wrap up the series as fast as possible. In the absence of any reports of behind-the-scenes problems, the logical conclusion would be thatThe Connersno longer appeared to be a profitable investment. However, that clearly isn’t the case.
Ames McNamara
Mark Conner-Healy
The Connersseason 7’s sudden ending could also have been a creative decision, as the show’s creators may have always planned to end the series after seven seasons. However, this doesn’t ring true either since the final season introduced a slew of new storylines that seemed destined for expansion in future seasons. Emma Kenney’s Harris gained a new love interest in the antepenultimate episode of the series, while Jackie only returned to the police force in the closing moments of the finale.
The Conners Season 7’s Ratings Prove A Full Season Would Have Worked
Season 6 Was Shortened By The 2023 Hollywood Strikes
SinceThe Connersseason 6’s run was shortened by strikes, season 7 could easily have been longer, with 20 or more episodes to make up for this.The Connersseason 7 ratings prove the show wasn’t losing viewersand may even have regained a few since season 6. Admittedly, the fact that the series was promoted as theRoseannefranchise’s final hoorah could have increased the number of viewers, as fans who had forgotten about the series tuned in to see how it would end.
The problem is that this would have been the case even if season 7 had 20 episodes or more.Adding more episodes toThe Connersseason 7wouldn’t necessarily have meant that it wouldn’t still be the spinoff’s last season. This means the show could have benefited from curious viewers tuning in again to see its conclusion and then carried this new viewership throughout a full season instead of a pointlessly truncated six-episode run.
The Conners Season 7’s Ratings Prove A Surprising Truth About Roseanne’s Spinoff
The Sitcom Barely Lost Viewers Since 2021’s Season 3
It is strange to learn thatThe Connersseason 7 had more viewers on average than season 6, but this does prove thattheRoseannespinoff’s ratings have never been predictable. When Roseanne Barr’s racist posts onX(formerlyTwitter) resulted in her firing, it would have been reasonable to expect thatThe Connerswould lose some viewers due to the absence of Roseanne’s title character. However,The Connersseason 1 premiere, “Keep on Trucking,” instead earned 10.56 million viewers, whereasRoseanne’s season 10 finale had 10.58 million.
Like many network sitcoms,The Connerslost viewers as the show continued, butThe Connersprioritized Darlene’s storyin the show’s later seasons after Roseanne’s death, ensuring this didn’t happen too fast. Admittedly, seasons 1-3 saw a steady drop in viewer numbers, from around 9 million in season 1 to approximately 7.5 million in season 2 and only 5 million by season 3.
Season 5 earned more viewers on average than season 4, despite having more episodes, thus making the show’s cancellation even more unexpected and inexplicable.
However, from seasons 4 to 7, the audience forThe Connerswas consistent, holding steady at around 3-5 million. Season 5 earned more viewers on average than season 4 despite having more episodes, thus making the show’s cancellation even more unexpected. As such, a look back on the lifetime ratings ofThe Connersonly serves to prove that theRoseannespinoff was more consistently popular than viewers might assume, but this didn’t help the show when it came to shorter seasons and its eventual but abrupt cancellation.
