Michael Fishman Not Returning to ‘The Conners’
With Season 5 of ABC’s hit sitcom, The Conners, upon the horizon, news that the cast is losing a legacy character in Michael Fishman’s DJ Conner is shocking.
While the central characters of this show aren’t affected, the news of a family member leaving isn’t something fans want to hear.
Michael Fishman has been playing the character of DJ Conner off and on since he was 6. While on Roseanne, Fishman was a considerable part of the family’s various adventures as the youngest child for most of the series; his little brother comes along later in the show.
DJ’s role in the spin-off hasn’t been as camera-forward as his other family members, but Fishman has done considerable work for the show behind the scenes directing five episodes.
In front of the camera, DJ’s daughter, Mary, has become central to the overall story of The Conners. DJ hasn’t been overly present with the family in a season or two as he travels a lot for work, so he left his daughter in the care of his father and sisters.
TVLine, who exclusively reported the news about Fishman’s exit, also shared that Jayden Ray, who plays Mary, will return as a guest star rather than a series regular.
According to TVLine, the door is still open for Fishman’s DJ to make a return. However, there are no plans for him to be part of Season 5, so that return is a ways off, if at all.
With DJ and Mary off-camera, there’s a possibility the series could explore a storyline where DJ and Mary finally reunite with Mary’s military mom.
Season 5 of The Conners will most likely center on Darlene’s new marriage, Becky’s continued pursuit of education, Jackie’s new adventure as a wife and continued owner of the restaurant, and Dan’s struggle to keep his home and family together.
According to TV Insider, the rest of the principal cast is slated to return for Season 5.
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The Conners Season 5 premieres Wednesday, September 21 on ABC at 8/7c.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.