The Conners rose from the ashes of the Roseanne revival that crashed and burned, and fans really responded to the additions to the cast of characters with actors like Katey Sagal. The Sons of Anarchy star is reprising her role in a much bigger way in the second season, which was far from a sure thing. Not all of the big-name guest stars from Season 1 are very likely to return. So, was there any question of how Sagal would feel about being involved in a greater capacity in Season 2, and in a role that was key to Dan's character?
CinemaBlend's Jeff McCobb spoke with Katey Sagal when he visited the set of The Conners, and she said this when he asked how it felt to be more involved this season:
It feels great. I know John [Goodman] and I had fun last season in that one episode, so I wasn’t sure what they were going to do with that. And, so, yeah I was thrilled when they called and said we’d like you to come and dance around that issue [of dating as a widower].
With Katey Sagal's character, Louise, The Conners was able to kick off an arc that definitely wouldn't have happened back when the Conner family returned to the small screen with the Roseanne revival. Roseanne Conner was killed off between the end of Roseanne and the beginning of The Conners (much to Roseanne Barr's dismay), leaving Dan a widower.
Although Dan wasn't exactly looking to jump back into the dating pool, Louise was an old friend and coworker of Becky's when she began to flirt with him, so he was probably about as comfortable as he could have been. Considering his wife hadn't died all that long ago, it wasn't too surprising that Dan didn't immediately start trying to woo Louise.
Still, they seemed ready to rekindle their friendship, and perhaps turn that into something more. How, when, and where to move on should be a key issue, and who better to team up with John Goodman for the story than Katey Sagal?
Speaking of John Goodman, Katey Sagal revealed that he's one of the highlights of working on The Conners again. She said this when asked if there was any hesitation about signing on for multiple episodes this time around:
No, no. You know it’s always nice to work and it’s nice to work with great actors and really great writing. That’s what I make choices, and they pitched me their ideas for the season and I liked them. And, I get to work with John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf and Lecy [Goranson] – Lecy’s amazing - it doesn’t get much better. So, that’s awesome.
Louise won't just be flirting with Dan for all of her screentime. She and Becky work together in the same restaurant, and Becky may have a rough time with the idea of her dad moving on after the death of Roseanne. Laurie Metcalf is frequently in the mix at the restaurant as well and always more than happy to interfere with the lives of her family members, and it should be a joy to see Katey Sagal and Metcalf sharing the screen more.
See Katey Sagal in the mix as Louise and the rest of The Conners cast when new episodes air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC in the fall TV lineup.
