"The Conners" Discussion Thread

[John]

 

i wonder why it wasnt upped to 13. Maybe it still could be. But maybe the cast could only comit to one more this season because of other work?

[Soapsuds]

And for some reason I thought it was a 13 episode pick up already...LOL

[Vee]

I don't think the cast wanted 13. This happened last season as well - it got an extra episode.

[John]

Roseanne got a 13 episode 11th season but after that went , ABC gave The Conners 10 episodes.

Personally I feel Prime time shows should be more like 13 episodes a year

 

That way cuts down on the filler episodes just to get 22

[Vee]

They were very likely hedging their bets to see how it would fare without Roseanne. The critics have loved it and the numbers are decent, so they said okay.

 

 

Most prestige shows - including marquee returning sitcoms like this - are 10-13 tops. Even 13 is starting to become rare for prestige shows. I don't care about quantity, I care about quality.

Edited October 26, 2018 by Vee

[Soaplovers]

I prefer quantity over quality. 

 

Show in the past functioned quite well with 22 to 26 episodes because the writers had talent and skill to maintain the quality (Roseanne season 1 through 5 had consistent quality) plus actors/production/writers weren't paid as much as they are now either.  Reality shows and shorter seasons are the result of greed.

 

With that said, I'm getting used to the show without Roseanne.. but it will never be as good as the original Roseanne.

[KMan101]

Wonder if Emilio will be Becky's new love interest. I wasn't home Tuesday night so I haven't watched this week's episode yet. Looking forward to it though.

 

Pleased to see it get additional episodes. As Vee said, a nice vote of confidence. And the cast seems to wants smaller seasons, which I also prefer, I think it makes for a tighter show. 

[John]

Back in the 50's and maybe into the 60's most prime time comedies did 39 episodes a season

 

I agree with KMan 13 episodes tend to make shows tighter as long as they have capable writing

[Vee]

I do think Emilio is probably Becky's new love interest.

 

 

Some sitcoms, maybe. Dramas? Nope. The Star Trek syndicated shows in particular were a brutal grind and the creative teams hated that length.

Edited October 26, 2018 by Vee

[Gray Bunny]

 

I’m on the fence because I feel like sitcom shows today don’t maintain momentum (or maybe it’s my waning interest?) but certainly 20 years ago, 26 good episodes could easily be done and enjoyed. 

 

Come to think of it, the only sitcom I’ve stayed loyal to in recent years is Modern Family which always holds my interest. What’s their count? Like 18-20? 

 

Side note: for at least 3 or 4 years of its seven season run, Melrose Place had some 32 episode seasons with a couple being two hours long!  I couldn’t imagine something like that for a show like This Is Us, etc. 

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by Gray Bunny

[Khan]

 

Said every Golden Corral customer, ever.

[Paul Raven]

Adding only one extra episode seems a bit odd, but there might be BTS reasons.

 

Don't know that Sara is the kinda gal that would be interested in any 'enhancements'...

[Vee]

One is all that was added for last season when it was a hit as well.

[Khan]

As long as they aren't shortening the episode order, I'm good.

[DRW50]

I finally watched this today. Pretty good. The dialogue is razor-sharp, great one-liners. Sometimes you can tell a little too clearly that you're hearing zingers rather than real people talking, but that feels like a small complaint to make. 

 

The Darlene and Becky stories felt like they were edited in from two separate episodes.

 

Becky's storyline is clearly going to be ongoing. The scenes with Dan catching her drinking felt much more like the old Roseanne. That doesn't mean it was better, just that it reminded me more of the old show's tone and style. John Goodman didn't seem as frail in this episode, and he nailed many of his very funny lines (my favorite was the one when DJ told him that it's never too late to get healthier, and he said, yes, it is too late). His scene with David at the end was priceless - it's still impressive to me how quickly Johnny Galecki gets back into the character all these years later. 

 

I'm more invested in the David and Darlene dramas (which had some beautifully written dramatic interludes here) than Darlene with her kids, but the scenes with Darlene and Harris really really work. Their scene with Jackie was probably my favorite in the episode - her line about the Conner women having such wit that leaves them bitter and alone was perfectly delivered. So was her line about the wonders of living with Bev. 

 

They still seem to not really know what to do with DJ, or his wife (who has more interaction with Darlene then her husband - of course Darlene is the central character), but the Mamma Mia bit was funny. Michael Fishman still works best as the kid brother Darlene and Becky needle. 

 

I'm disappointed, if not surprised, about the ratings. I guess whatever happens happens. I'll keep enjoying the show for now.