I'm Worried 'The Conners' Will End Without Answering This Major Question About Jerry

As The Conners airs its final season, one unresolved mystery continues to haunt long-time fans: What happened to Jerry Conner (Cole Roberts)? Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan Conner’s (John Goodman) second son and fourth child was introduced much later in the series, with about a 20-year age gap between him and his oldest sister, Becky (Lecy Goranson). Unlike his other siblings, though, Jerry hasn’t appeared on-screen much at all since his initial introduction to the Roseanne series. His lack of a role in the revival led some viewers to believe he may have been retconned from the series.

One theory involved the possibility of Jerry having a suspicious connection with his family that led to him not playing an integral role in the Roseanne revivals. That theory was sparked from a one-off comment made by Dan himself, but now I’m worried we won’t ever find out the truth. With The Conners now airing its final season, I’m not sure if long-term fans will learn the truth about Jerry, and this unanswered question will likely continue to haunt us long after the series has ended.

On ‘The Conners,’ Dan Has Claimed to Only Have Three Kids

The whereabouts and truth of Jerry’s status are a tight-lipped mystery, one that dates back to the original series. In Season 8 of the original Roseanne, she gave birth to Jerry during a Halloween special. Unlike his on-screen siblings, Darlene (Sara Gilbert), DJ (Michael Fishman), and Becky, Jerry hasn’t made an appearance over the years, likely because of his much younger age. However, when the Roseanne reboot initially began, I would’ve expected Jerry to have more of a storyline now that the series was taking place in the present day, with all the Conner children representing their older ages. Yet, Jerry was still nowhere to be found, and the family claimed he was on a fishing expedition for the Roseanne revival.

However, the storyline became murky during The Conners’ release when Dan made a one-off comment about how he and his late wife Roseanne only had three children. Hearing this comment made me think that the youngest son might have been retconned from the series, much like Dan’s death. However, in an interview with TVLine, showrunner Bruce Helford suggested that Dan’s comment may have more to do with family drama, saying, “Dan said he only had three children, but is he so angry at Jerry, for something we learn about later, that he denies him as a son? We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Laruie Metcalf, John Goodman, and Sara Gilbert on the poster for The Conners Season 6

‘The Conners’ Season 7 Debuts With a Tragic Rotten Tomatoes Score

The series will end with Season 7.

‘The Conners’ Should Bring in a Surprise Guest for Its Final Season

However, I’m growing worried that we might not receive any firm answer about Jerry now that The Conners is wrapping up its seventh and final season. Season 7 will also be shorter overall, consisting of six episodes total. With only two episodes of the show’s final season remaining, I don’t believe finding out the truth is likely, especially since Jerry hasn’t been mentioned much throughout the last three seasons of The Conners. While the show’s writers will likely want to conclude any other loose ends and leave off on a good note, I think addressing Jerry’s whereabouts and true connection to the family would offer long-time fans a lot of clarity about questions that go all the way back to the original show.

Jerry’s birth always seemed more like a ploy to make Roseanne more interesting after being on air for half a decade, and he often seemed more like an afterthought. Couple this along with some of the producers’ retconned decisions for the revival, and I’m left even more confused about the truth of Jerry’s status. Considering The Conners is about to end, perhaps a surprise guest appearance from Jerry in the series finale could address the truth about his connection with the family. Addressing these inconsistencies would only help the series and give fans more clarity about the stars’ storyline.

This might seem like a small blip and irrelevant compared to some of The Conners‘ other inconsistencies about Roseanne, but knowing only three out of the four Conner children have even been acknowledged is a little unnerving. Given that Jerry was added near the end of the original series, he should’ve had more of a storyline, so long-term fans could connect better with the youngest star. On top of that, DJ was later written out of The Conners as well, leaving the revival’s focus primarily on the two daughters, which I think only added to the unevenness of the sibling dynamic. Overall, I’m hoping for a surprise ending that involves Roseanne and Dan’s long-lost fourth child; otherwise, this open-ended question about Jerry will certainly linger on my mind way beyond the series finale.

The Conners‘ two-part series finale premieres Wednesday on ABC.