A new season of The Conners is ready to premiere on September 21, 2022, but will do so without one of its most pivotal stars, Michael Fishman. The veteran actor, who has also directed a few episodes of the show, has been around since Roseanne's time. He has shocked fans and creators alike with his decision to leave the show to pursue other opportunities in Hollywood.
Michael Fishman appeared as D.J. Conner in The Conners, continuing the character from the original show, Roseanne. He worked in Roseanne for 10 seasons before playing the same role in The Conners. Although this decision is rather unexpected, the showrunners have already figured out a way to write off the character in the first few episodes of The Conners season 5.
Read on for more details about Michael Fishman's exit from his signature role.
"It has been my honor"- Michael Fishman on his exit from The Conners
Michael Fishman aptly embodied the son of Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan (John Goodman) throughout all the seasons of Roseanne. This role earned him significant praise. Talking about the role ahead of his exit from the show, Fishman said:
"It has been my honor to play D.J. Conner. It’s every actor’s dream to be a series regular, especially on a groundbreaking show, where we tackle significant topics,...The opportunity to do comedy and drama alongside iconic castmates, while reaching fans in meaningful ways has profoundly impacted my life."
He continued:
"I am proud of the work I did as part of Roseanne and The Conners. Especially the privilege of playing a Military Veteran, an Interracial Spouse, and the father of a Bi-racial child, portrayed by the amazing Jayden Rey."
Fishman was full of praise for the show, its creators, and its costars. He added:
"While I was told I would not be returning for season 5, Lanford was a valuable place to grow up, learn and develop. I was incredibly lucky to return home and demonstrate my expansion. As I venture into the world to build the future, I send tremendous love and success to everyone involved in production."
Michael Fishman has been keen on writing and directing, working on five episodes of The Conner as a director. He has also claimed that although he is looking for opportunities to direct, he is still inclined to work as an actor and will continue to pursue it.
The showrunners have planned a clever way to make the character's exit believable. According to Bruce Helford, they will be using D.J.'s wife, Geena (Maya Lynne Robinson), who is an army lieutenant stationed overseas.
Helford said:
"She was involved in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and she is still overseas on assignment, so he is going to be going over and spending time with his wife...It does get addressed in the first few episodes."
Helford further stated:
"We love him, he's part of the family. There's certainly no one saying he will never be on the show [again]. It's just a matter of whether storylines come up that are built for that."
The new season of The Conners will premiere on September 21, 2022, on ABC. Stay tuned for more updates.