Original Roseanne star leaves The Conners ahead of season 5

A beloved member of the Conner household is leaving Lanford.

The Conners star Michael Fishman will not return for season 5 of the Roseanne spin-off series, EW has confirmed. The legacy cast member portrayed D.J. Conner, son of Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan (John Goodman), on all 10 seasons of the 1988 sitcom and returned for the spin-off in 2018. Though a series regular, Fishman appeared in only about half of the spin-off episodes, taking a more active role behind the camera as a director.

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Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, and Jay R. Ferguson are all set to return for the fifth season. Katey Sagal will also continue to recur as Louise, Dan's second wife. Other principal stars include Jayden Rey, Emma Kenney, and Ames McNamara.

While there are no plans for Fishman to return as a guest star, the door (and a seat around the Conner kitchen table) remains open.

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The ABC spin-off follows much of the same beloved characters as they navigate parenthood, dating, financial pressures, and aging in working class America. As for the matriarch of the original sitcom herself, the spin-off killed off Barr — whose namesake sitcom was canceled after a social media controversy — via opioid overdose.

The Conners season 5 returns Sept. 21 on ABC. TVLine first reported the news of Fishman's departure.

Editor's note: A previous version of story said Rey would return in a guest star capacity. ABC has clarified that the actress, who portrays D.J.'s daughter Mary, will return as a series regular.

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