‘The Conners’ Spoilers: Justin Long, Steve Zahn Join Cast As Love Interests For Darlene And Jackie
It looks like Darlene is moving on from David on The Conners. Shortly after the Roseanne spinoff makes its debut later this month, Sara Gilbert’s character will have a new boyfriend. New Girl alum Justin Long has been cast for a recurring role as Neil, a love interest for Darlene Conner on the new series, Deadline reports.
With any luck, Long’s character will come face to face with Darlene’s ex-husband David (Johnny Galecki), who has a new love of his own. Juliette Lewis has been cast to play Blue, David’s girlfriend who was referenced last season on the Roseanne revival and whom Darlene referred to as a “crayon” with a “stupid name.”
While Justin Long’s casting is a new twist in the Darlene and David saga, The Conners showrunner Bruce Helford previously teased to TV Line that Galecki will return as David for “at least one” episode of the spinoff series and that the presence of his never-before-seen girlfriend Blue creates “some big complications for Darlene.”
Fans of the original show last saw Darlene and David’s attempt at reconciliation on the final season of Roseanne. In the episode “Darlene v. David,” a long-absent David returned to Lanford to see his children, Harris (Emma Kenney) and Mark (Ames McNamara) but he succumbed to a night of passion with Darlene. The episode ended with Galecki’s character announcing his plans to move back to his family’s Illinois hometown for good, but the exes agreed that they don’t make a good couple, officially putting to end a TV marriage that has been left hanging for two decades.
‘Roseanne’ Promo For Johnny Galecki Episode: It’s Darlene Vs. David A Generation Later https://t.co/FBw22s8qZn pic.twitter.com/9KmFxIElyW
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) April 13, 2018
Darlene isn’t the only family member that will embark on a new romance on The Conners. According to TV Line, on the new show’s Oct. 30 installment — an episode that will continue Roseanne‘s long-standing tradition of Halloween episodes” —Steve Zahn (The Crossing) will be introduced as a new love interest for Jackie (Laurie Metcalf). The official synopsis of the episode, titled “There Won’t Be Blood,” reveals that Roseanne’s sister insists that her brother-in-law Dan (John Goodman) vet her new guy, “only to immediately wish that she hadn’t.”
Longtime Roseanne fans know that Jackie has had a tumultuous love life. Over the course of 10 seasons of Roseanne, Jackie was involved with her Wellman Plastics supervisor, Booker Brooks (played by George Clooney) as well as the abusive Fisher (Matthew Roth ) and her eventual husband, Fred ( Michael O’Keefe).
The Conners premieres Tuesday, October 16 at 8/7c on ABC.
