The Conners has been a comedy staple for ABC going back to the premiere in 2018, but the Roseanne spinoff doesn’t have a spot in the network’s reality TV-heavy fall schedule. Due to the WGA writers strike followed by the SAG-AFTRA actors strike, there’s currently no saying when shows like The Conners will be able to start production for the 2023-2024 TV season. While that’s bad news for fans who have been ready for more since the Season 5 finale back in May, there’s some good news as well. It’s just a matter of time before viewers will have the chance to watch in a whole new way.
Production company Werner Entertainment has finalized a deal with Lionsgate’s Worldwide Television Distribution Group and distribution company Debmar-Mercury for a licensing deal for The Conners, according to Variety. This means that the comedy can officially enter syndication, with the terms of the deal including basic cable, SVOD (subscription video on demand), AVOD (ad-based video on demand), and FAST (free ad-supported television). Global distribution will be handled by Worldwide Television Distribution, with domestic syndication handled by Debmar-Mercury. The expectation is that domestic syndication will begin in fall 2024.
Now, fall 2024 may sound like a long time off considering that the autumn portion of the 2023 TV schedule hasn’t even begun yet, but it does mean that fans will be able to watch The Conners with methods other than live broadcasts on ABC and streaming with a Hulu subscription. Hulu is a great place to watch recent episodes of the sitcom, but only the most recent season is available. At this point, you can only find Season 5 on Hulu. The syndication deal includes all five seasons of the show so far, as well as any future seasons. The Conners was renewed for Season 6 back in May.
The Season 6 renewal means that the sitcom, which is ABC’s most-watched comedy series, will hit 100 episodes, and that is not a milestone that too many network TV shows hit in recent years. As of the end of the fifth season, 93 episodes have aired. Assuming that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes don’t last so long that Season 6 runs for just six episodes, fans will be able to celebrate that milestone when the show returns.
Of course, the cast members who reprised their roles from Roseanne have been back for more than 100 episodes already. The original series was revived for a tenth season back in 2018, with Roseanne Barr once again starring as Roseanne Conner, but the revival ultimately only ran for nine episodes before it was cancelled due to controversial remarks made by Barr. Roseanne had already been renewed for Season 11 prior to ABC deciding to cancel it and move forward with a spinoff that ultimately killed off Barr’s character.
For now, fans of the sitcom can celebrate the deal to bring it to syndication while also crossing fingers that the strikes will be resolved soon and enable The Conners to get into production on Season 6. For now, you can always revisit the fifth season streaming on Hulu.
