Michael Fishman, who played D.J. on the long-running series and spin-off, is leaving the Conner family.
A beloved Conner family member is leaving Lanford.
According to EW, The Conners star Michael Fishman will not return for season 5 of the Roseanne spin-off series. The legacy cast member played D.J. Conner, the son of Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan (John Goodman), on all ten seasons of the 1988 sitcom and returned in 2018 for the spin-off. Despite being a series regular, Fishman only appeared in about half of the spin-off episodes, preferring to work behind the camera as a director.
The fifth season will see the return of Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, and Jay R. Ferguson. Katey Sagal will also return as Dan’s second wife, Louise. Jayden Rey, Emma Kenney, and Ames McNamara are among the other main characters.
While there are currently no plans for Fishman to return as a guest star, the door (and a seat at the Conner kitchen table) are still open.
The ABC spin-off features many of the same beloved characters navigating parenthood, dating, financial pressures, and ageing in working-class America. In terms of the original sitcom’s matriarch, the spin-off killed off Barr — whose namesake sitcom was cancelled following a social media controversy — via opioid overdose.
Season 5 of The Conners premieres on ABC on September 21. Fishman’s departure was first reported by TVLine.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated that Rey would return as a guest star. The network has confirmed that the actress who plays D.J.’s daughter Mary will return as a series regular.
