Roseanne's Final Episode on The Conners
The series finale of Roseanne on The Conners aired as the 23rd episode of Season 10, titled "Keep On Truckin'," which served as the final episode for the character of Roseanne Conner, played by the late actress Roseanne Barr. The episode concluded the storyline where Roseanne was revealed to have died in a car accident, a twist that reshaped the show's final season and led directly into the spinoff series The Conners, which continues to air on ABC and is produced by Werner Entertainment and Mohawk Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Forbes.
The final episode drew approximately 10.5 million viewers in its initial broadcast and received a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic according to Nielsen data, marking a strong performance for the network and setting up the continuation of the series without the Roseanne character Deadline.
The Conners Series Continuation After Roseanne
Following the Roseanne finale, ABC ordered The Conners as a direct continuation without Roseanne Barr, with the show picking up immediately after the events of the final episode and addressing the character's death off-screen. The Conners premiered on October 16, 2018, and has since completed multiple seasons, maintaining the original show's focus on the Conner family while shifting the tone and storylines to exclude the controversial comments made by Barr.
The series is currently in its 6th season as of the latest public data, with Season 6 airing in 2024, and has been renewed for a 7th season, keeping the franchise on ABC under the production banner of Werner Entertainment and Mohawk Productions The Futon Critic.
Ratings, Legacy, and Final Episode Impact
The Roseanne finale's ratings placed it among the highest-rated episodes of the revival, outperforming many episodes of the original 1990s run in the 18-49 demographic, and the episode's narrative choice to kill off the lead character was widely discussed in media coverage and industry analysis.
The final episode's impact extended beyond ratings, as it set the stage for The Conners to become a standalone hit, with the series averaging over 7 million viewers per episode in its most recent seasons and securing its position as one of ABC's most-watched comedies Nielsen.