logo
'The Conners' Cast Reveal What They Took from Set as Show Ends After 7 Seasons (Exclusive)

'The Conners' Cast Reveal What They Took from Set as Show Ends After 7 Seasons (Exclusive)

Yahoo25-04-2025
The stars of The Conners will always have a piece of the show with them after the ABC sitcom ended after seven seasons.
During PEOPLE's visit to the set during their final week of filming in September, the cast revealed what they planned to take from the set as a memento of their time on the series.
John Goodman, who began playing beloved patriarch Dan Conner on Roseanne nearly four decades ago, said he and his costars had already been given a quilt. However, he was still 'going to look around and nab something,' adding, 'I'll probably filch something before the end of the day. Probably some wardrobe.'
Related: Why Did The Conners End? Inside the Decision to Conclude the Sitcom After 7 Seasons
When asked if he made a habit of taking costumes from his projects, Goodman, 72, shared, 'I've been gifted wardrobe from other shows, I'll say that. I used to get my whole year's lineup of suits and shirts from Saturday Night Live…except I had to have all the Velcro parts buttoned up.'
His costar Sara Gilbert, who first played Darlene Conner on Roseanne before reprising the role on The Conners, was considering taking 'one of the old pictures of us as a kid that's up there because there's real pictures of us.'
The actress, 50, admits the mementos don't 'hold the memories the same way as just the memories,' adding, 'But, I'll try to find something.'
Related: The Conners Ends on an Emotional Note: How the Family Honored Roseanne in the Series Finale
Emma Kenney, who first appeared as Harris Conner on season 10 of Roseanne and later reprised the role on the spinoff, shared, 'I took a mug from The Lunch Box the other day. It's already in my pantry.'
Laurie Metcalf, who plays Jackie Harris on both The Conners and Roseanne, admitted she was inspired by her surroundings during her interview with Kenney, 25, at one of the tables at the show's tavern, The Lobo Lounge.
'I'm looking around The Lobo,' she said, to which Kenney said, 'I have a shirt from The Lobo.'
'I mean, I don't even have a Lobo Lounge shirt,' the actress, 69, shared. Kenney teased, 'You got to get one.'
'I might take one right off the wall,' Metcalf said.
is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more!
Related: John Goodman Came Up with The Conners' 'Goodbye to the Audience' in Series Finale, Executive Producer Says
Metcalf, 69, added that she was considering taking another wardrobe staple, saying, 'I've worn the same winter coat… My blue coat with the fur. I've worn that for 30 years. That might be fun to take.'
Goodman admitted to PEOPLE that saying goodbye to The Conners — which aired its series finale on April 23 — has been 'really hard."
'It's something I'm going to miss for a while. I'm old and resistant to change," Goodman said.
The actor admitted that the last seven seasons of the spinoff have gone by 'so fast,' adding, 'It was so exciting when we got this together, and it seems like it was two weeks ago.'
Gilbert shared, 'I think we just have such a good time, and we laugh a lot. And the group, not just the cast, but the crew as well, the writers. It feels like family, and because we did it for so many years, it's sort of deep in our soul. And so that is hard to imagine being without.'
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Conners is available to stream in full on Hulu.
Read the original article on People
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nancy Olson, the Last Living 'Sunset Boulevard' Cast Member, Looks Back on Making the Iconic 1950 Film (Exclusive)
Nancy Olson, the Last Living 'Sunset Boulevard' Cast Member, Looks Back on Making the Iconic 1950 Film (Exclusive)

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Nancy Olson, the Last Living 'Sunset Boulevard' Cast Member, Looks Back on Making the Iconic 1950 Film (Exclusive)

The 97-year-old talks to PEOPLE about her experience making the 1950 film and why she chose to leave Hollywood soon after NEED TO KNOW Nancy Olson, the last living Sunset Boulevard cast member, talks to PEOPLE about making the iconic 1950 film Olson was a 21-year-old student when director Billy Wilder cast her as Betty Schaefer The actress, now 97, admits she 'was a little too naive not to be scared to death' about having such a big role As the last surviving principal cast member of the enduring 1950 film noir Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood's most scathing indictment of how the industry discards people when they're no longer useful, actress Nancy Olson had a true 'close-up' view of the personalities behind the classic film. And as Sunset Boulevard marks its 75th anniversary on Aug. 10, the players remain larger than life in her memories. Olson, then 21, was a student with only a handful of acting credits when she was cast by the film's director and co-writer, Billy Wilder, to play Betty Schaefer, the eager studio production assistant and aspiring writer who offer the washed-up screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) possible on-ramp back into the industry and out of the clutches of his older movie star benefactor Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), whose delusions of reclaimed grandeur threaten to consume them both. But as Olson, still glamorous and sharp-witted at 97, tells PEOPLE exclusively, she soon realized that Wilder, who was looking for a comeback vehicle after a string a disappointing films following his triumphant hit and defining noir Double Indemnity, was not interested in pushing her to embody Betty; instead, he wanted Betty to embody her. 'I remember being very impressed that Billy chose me to play Betty Schaefer, and after a certain point, I realized that he wanted me not to be a character; he wanted me to be myself,' Olson recalls. Indeed, the filmmaker wanted to learn as much about Olson and her life as an aspiring Hollywood player and sprinkle her qualities into Betty. 'He interviewed me on the lot, walking around on the way to the commissary, and he'd asked me a million questions,' she remembers. 'What was it like growing up in Milwaukee? What was it like to be in college and work?... He wanted the public to believe that I could possibly be that person." "And you know something?" she adds. "I was a little too naive not to be scared to death! I kind of came in and they said he wanted me to wear my own clothes, and I thought, 'Okay, I'm going to be Nancy.' And there I was.' In contrast to Olson's limited experience, Swanson, then 51, had already lived a comparative lifetime in Hollywood as one of the most popular and well-paid stars of the Silent Era, but after time, parts had grown fewer and fewer, and she largely stepped back from show business to focus on other endeavors, though the still hosted her own daytime TV show. But Olson recognized that Swanson was no bitter recluse or haughty diva in the mold of Norma Desmond. 'Gloria was very friendly to everyone,' Olson says, noting that Swanson was thrilled to be back at work in what was easily the juiciest role of her career and was prescient about just how significant Sunset Boulevard would be for everyone involved. 'For her to be back doing the major part that she was playing was something that she understood, more than anyone else on the set: that this movie would never be forgotten, that this was something that was rare and that would have an impact,' Olson recalls. 'She understood that, and she knew that she would never ever be forgotten.' Olson worked most closely, of course, with Holden, who had made an auspicious debut in Hollywood but subsequently struggled to find meaty roles to sustain his trajectory. His encroaching alcoholism and flagrant infidelities in his marriage were taking a personal toll, though he recognized the ripe opportunity that Sunset Boulevard afforded him. 'Bill's life was falling apart,' Olson explains. 'He had done two incredible pictures, Golden Boy and Our Town, and then he was in the Army for four years. So when he came back, it was like starting all over again, and he was given very minor roles…and he was starting to drink too much, and his marriage was falling apart. So he had an understanding of the role of Joe Gillis, who was desperate, losing everything, and he ended selling his soul for survival, that character.' Holden tapped his own turmoil to inform his compelling performance, both cynical and tragic. 'Bill understood it, and absolutely, I think it's a brilliant performance. Anybody who watches the movie, watch Bill: Bill is amazing!' Indeed, Holden received an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor for his portrayal, as would Swanson (Best Actress), costar Erich von Stroheim (Best Supporting Actor), and Olson herself (Best Supporting Actress). Of Sunset Boulevard's 11 nominations, including Best Picture, it would claim three trophies, including Best Screenplay for Wilder and his co-writer Charles Brackett. Launched with such tremendous fanfare, Olson would continue to pursue a Hollywood career for a few years, including making three more films with Holden, but after marrying lyricist Alan J. Lerner of Broadway's famed songwriting duo Lerner and Lowe (he dedicated My Fair Lady to her), she largely retreated from acting to focus on home and family (she would later marry the legendary Capitol Records executive Alan W. Livingston), returning only sporadically over the decades. Her decision to step back, she says, was prompted by the shadowy side of the industry that she glimpsed on screen and off while making Sunset Boulevard and the lessons she took from the experience – just as Betty recoiled from ugly realities she was exposed to in the film. 'I said to myself, 'I do not want to be a movie star, a commodity to sell,'' she recalls. 'I will be thrown away someday just as Gloria Swanson was, and so was Marilyn Monroe, who committed suicide at the age of 36.' 'What I decided at the end of that movie was, 'I don't think I want to be a movie star. I want family. I want children. I want a life, and this is not a life,'' Olson adds. Sunset Boulevard was meticulously restored in honor of the milestone anniversary and is now available in a 4K UHD home video. Read the original article on People

ABC's new suburban mystery The Family Next Door is understated and addictive
ABC's new suburban mystery The Family Next Door is understated and addictive

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

ABC's new suburban mystery The Family Next Door is understated and addictive

At first glance, the ABC's new flagship drama looks like a soapy cross between Neighbours and Home and Away. Sweeping shots of rugged coastline and holiday homes roll into a tree-lined cul-de-sac near identical to Ramsay Street. The sun is shining. It's bin day. But The Family Next Door's powerfully restrained performances, stellar local cast and twisty tale elevates this suburban mystery. It will quickly have you hooked. Trouble in paradise The six-part series, based on Sally Hepworth's 2018 novel, is set in the fictional seaside town of Osprey Point, on Victoria's Great Ocean Road. Isabelle (Teresa Palmer) rents a house on Pleasant Court. She is ostensibly in town to write an article about 'the new Byron Bay'. However, we quickly learn she has been suspended from her job at Child Protective Services, and has actually moved in to start obsessively investigating the four neighbouring families. With each episode, Isabelle becomes more frantic and reckless in her search for someone or something, and less willing (or able) to face her own increasingly evident demons. Palmer – who is in a rich vein of form this year, having starred in two of Binge's latest series, Mix Tape and The Last Anniversary – brings a magnetism and disconcerting sense of foreboding to the ABC's drama slate. Mum's the word For me, the greatest appeal of The Family Next Door is its focus on the women in each of the families on the street. The series explores the universal challenges of motherhood, marriage and friendship, as well as the complexities of managing identity and responsibility across these roles. Resident busy-body realtor Ange (Bella Heathcote) is manically trying to lock in a local property development that she is problematically invested in, while micromanaging everyone around her. She is palpably irritating. Essie (depicted brilliantly by Philippa Northeast) is struggling to physically and emotionally connect with her young children. The social and personal implications of a frightful incident at the playground reverberate across the series. All the while, Essie's mother and husband loiter helplessly. Each episode centres on a different matriarch, so the ensemble cast gets time to shine, as Isabelle chips away at their relationships, stories and secrets. Familiar faces and accents It is terrific to spend some time with such a strong local cast. It's not uncommon now for Australian dramas to (often clumsily) shoehorn in a big international name to secure development funding and ensure foreign distribution. The Family Next Door doesn't do this, and it's better for it. There are many familiar and reliable faces, including Catherine McClements, Jane Harber, Maria Angelico and Bob Morley. The show feels hefty with talent. It also makes for an engaging and genuine experience: a funny and authentic portrayal of suburban life, without a random American accent that needs explaining. It's relatable in an understated way – not in an 'I can't believe how much happens in Summer Bay!' kind of way. No mystery in adaptations This series likely got across the line without a big international name due to its limited six-episode run. But this is also the kind of Australian storytelling that has the potential to resonate with local audiences and also travel well as part of the popular 'mystery drama based on a book' genre. In the past few years we've seen Netflix commission several similar examples, such as Boy Swallows Universe based on Trent Dalton's novel and The Survivors, based on the novel by Jane Harper. The value of this type of content lies in its existing audience of readers, as well as the ability to hook viewers in and keep them glued. The Family Next Door is also reminiscent of Netflix's The Perfect Couple. It even reminded me, bizarrely, of HBO's The White Lotus – mostly because of the music parallels. The series is directed by Emma Freeman, who also directed ABC's The Newsreader (2021–25). With an experienced creative team, and adapted by a handful of award-winning screenwriters, Freeman has ensured the ABC's latest foray into this genre sits comfortably alongside more expensive mysteries from the big streamers. The Family Next Door is now on ABC and iView. This article is republished from The Conversation. It was written by: Alexa Scarlata, RMIT University Read more: Rewatching Picnic at Hanging Rock at 50: an unsettling portrayal of place, silence and disappearance Shark tales, a sinking city and a breathless cop thriller: what to watch in August The Man from Hong Kong at 50: how the first ever Australian–Hong Kong co-production became a cult classic Alexa Scarlata does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Jeff Buckley's Ex on the 'Heartbreaking' Pressure the Rock Icon Was Under Before His Death at 30 (Exclusive)
Jeff Buckley's Ex on the 'Heartbreaking' Pressure the Rock Icon Was Under Before His Death at 30 (Exclusive)

Yahoo

time16 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Jeff Buckley's Ex on the 'Heartbreaking' Pressure the Rock Icon Was Under Before His Death at 30 (Exclusive)

The singer, who died of drowning in 1997, struggled under the weight of fame and expectations, those close to him tell PEOPLENEED TO KNOW Before he died in 1997 at the age of 30, Jeff Buckley released the hit 1994 album, Grace Friends and his former partner tell PEOPLE the singer felt immense pressure after his debut and struggled with fame "It was just heartbreaking because it was overwhelming for him," his former girlfriend, Rebecca Moore, says of the demands placed upon himJeff Buckley began his musical career carrying a burden: the legacy of a father he never knew. "He didn't want to be known as Tim Buckley's son," says director Amy Berg, whose new documentary on the "Hallelujah" singer, It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley is out now. Tim Buckley, an experimental folk singer with a cult following, left before his son was born and died in 1975 when Jeff was 8. "That ghost haunted him," Berg says. When Buckley signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Columbia Records, the expectations were even greater. "It was a ton of pressure," his former girlfriend, Rebecca Moore, says. "For every artist, a big record contract's going to be pressure. But this for him had the added weight of legacy of his dad, and he was under pressure to do something unique." At Columbia, "there were a lot of eyes on him," adds Buckley's former tour manager Gene Bowen, who says that label execs looked at him as an artist in the vein of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. His 1994 debut, Grace, was a critical success, lauded by the likes of David Bowie and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, who declared it one of his favorite albums of the decade, Buckley was in the spotlight and on a relentless touring schedule for the years that followed. And then, expectation began to build for a second album. "It was just heartbreaking because it was overwhelming for him," Moore says of the demands placed upon him. "He once said to me, 'Rebecca, I can't even shower in the morning.' I think all he could focus on was keeping himself upright and getting to the meetings and seeing through the obligations." Working 16-hour days playing shows and doing press, "there was burnout," says Bowen. But "the label wanted pounds of flesh and they were like, 'We want to get this record done.' " Buckley's mom, Mary Guibert, recalls Jeff once telling her, "They want to make me a commodity. They want me to make another Grace." But, she adds, "He wanted to shock people. He wanted to create something that was edgy. He wanted to be a Morrissey. He didn't want to be Michael Bolton." By 1997, still struggling to produce a second album, Buckley moved to Memphis, Tenn., to write in solitude. "He wanted some stability," Berg says. "And that's what Memphis represented for him at the time. I think he just wanted some peace in his life." Buckley began to get traction on a new album that spring, and that May he invited his band down to record. "He was extremely excited to get this thing done, to be back with the bandmates," Bowen says. "Everything was laid out, I had all the gear down there and we had this cool old warehouse that we were going to use." But on the evening of May 29, on his way to meet his bandmates, he stopped at the bank of a tributary adjacent to the Mississippi and, singing along as Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" played on a nearby stereo, waded into the water. A wake from a passing riverboat pulled him under. His body was found six days later and an autopsy ruled his death an accident. The recordings he left behind were released in 1998 as a second album, Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. But his mother says Buckley's legacy was far greater than his music. "In my eulogy, I gave what I called 'The Golden Promise', because the absence of this one individual is such a gaping hole in our collective souls that it would take each and every one of us make a promise to do something to make the world a better place because he's not here," Guibert says. Take PEOPLE with you! to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox. Bowen took that to heart, and with Guibert's support, he co-founded Road Recovery Foundation, which pairs music industry mentors with young people struggling with addiction and other issues to help them heal through art and performance. It was a cause, says Bowen, a former addict himself, that Jeff encouraged him to pursue. "He understood what it's like to be lost, to not fit into the equation, to be the outcast," says Bowen, who adds that the program has helped more than 50,000 young people in the 27 years it's been in operation. "And anyway he could elevate someone else, he wanted to help. Especially young people, he loved that." Read the original article on People

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store