How did Roseanne die on The Conners series premiere? This was a question that many viewers tuned in to find out about on Tuesday night.
The Conners episode on Oct. 16 served as the season premiere of the show, which is a spinoff of Roseanne, without the primary character at the helm.
Why was Roseanne canceled?
A quick backstory for what took place here was that Roseanne Barr made controversial statements on social media last year. It led to the show, Roseanne, getting canceled by ABC.
Due to how good the supporting cast has been, ABC decided to bring them back in a new format. That format is known as The Conners, with nearly every cast member returning who isn’t named Roseanne.
#TheConners at #PaleyFest NY. pic.twitter.com/Z757buhOH0
— Paley Center (@paleycenter) October 17, 2018
How did Roseanne die?
A short time into the season premiere of The Conners, it was revealed to the audience that Roseanne had died due to an overdose on opioids. While Dan and the family initially believed Roseanne suffered a heart attack, an autopsy proved that wasn’t the real cause of death.
It turned out that Roseanne had stashes of pills all over the house, despite Dan (John Goodman) doing his best to remove the pills from her vicinity.
The Conners move on without Roseanne
The writers didn’t cut any corners in revealing how the main character of the show wasn’t coming back. It lent itself to a storyline that is right out of the headlines in the country, as there is definitely an opioid epidemic taking place in America.
During the episode, Laurie Metcalf’s Jackie, as well as Roseanne’s mother (Estelle Parsons), take on more prominent roles.
Love The Conners! Perfect tone. Heartwarming. And most importantly: hilarious. @TheConnersABC pic.twitter.com/MAXqARmQoC
— Derick Waller (@wallerABC7) October 17, 2018
How Roseanne died, revealed on The Conners premiere, might not go over well with some fans who were upset Barr had been fired. At the same time, this was really the only way that the program could survive after the alleged racist remarks she made on Twitter.
The Conners airs Tuesday nights at 8/7c on ABC.