There was such a big reaction last week to my report on “The Conners” that we continue with updates.
This past week, “The Conners” on ABC Wednesday night at 9pm scored 3.73 million viewers. That’s exactly 2 million less than the week of November 26, 2019. Last year it was 5.76 million. Where did everyone go?
The key demo dropped from 1.6 million to 1 million of those fans.
A couple of viewers suggested that ABC might move the show back to Tuesdays at 8 once “The Bachelorette” is done, and “Dancing with the Stars.”
But there’s been no such announcement. “The Conners” has been put out to pasture. It still wins the night, which says a lot of about Wednesday viewing anyway. It’s very low.
Wednesday’s episode was directed by “Wonder Years” star Fred Savage. It was written by Jana Hunter and Mitch Hunter. The description: “Friends in High Places and Horse Surgery” – Darlene begins to develop a friendship with a manager at Wellman Plastics, which lands her in an awkward situation between the boss and her sister, Becky. Meanwhile, Louise’s brother, Neville, tries to win over Jackie by making a thoughtful gesture, creating uncomfortable tension.”
What I don’t see there is any mention of John Goodman as Dan. I don’t know who Louis and Neville are. Jackie is Laurie Metcalf, and the show should be writing for her in a big way. If Goodman and Metcalf aren’t at the center of the stories, you’re going to lose the die hard fans. Period.
PS The fans are angry the show punted on introducing Roseanne and Dan’s missing son, Jerry Garcia. Tom Pelphrey would have been perfect for the role. There’s still time to fix that decision.
