The Conners Series Finale Ends With A Perfect Line From John Goodman

Contains spoilers for "The Conners" Season 7, Episode 6 — "The Truck Stops Here"

After seven seasons of ups, downs and plenty of family drama, the fact is that "The Conners" ended with one simple fourth wall-breaking moment from star John Goodman's Dan Conner. With his family heading to bed around him and his wife Louise (Katey Sagal) waiting for him, Dan thinks back to his children's youth, the many happy memories they've shared in the house, and the fights and pranks they've played on one another. He smiles, looks tearfully into the camera, and says "Goodnight." 

It's a small, low-key moment that caps a series finale filled with triumphs and tragedies for the family. Aunt Jackie (Laurie Metcalf, who was initially hesitant to join the revival) manages to tough her way back into a position on the Lanford Police Department, passing the reentry exam after episodes of self-doubt. Mark Conner-Healy (Ames McNamara) eschews going to college, deciding instead to move to New York and take a position in a cyber security firm. Louise and Dan, Tyler (Sean Astin) and Becky (Lecy Goranson), and Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Ben (Jay R. Ferguson) all reaffirm their love for one another after suffering through relationship shakeups.

And Dan finally receives a check from the class action suit filed against the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the pain pill which caused Roseanne's (Roseanne Barr) demise. The family only earns $700 for their troubles, after months of debating whether to testify. That it all ends with Dan's bittersweet reminiscence is fitting — as is that the line tuned out to be a cast member's idea. 

It turns out that Dan's final line originated with John Goodman. The line was pitched by the actor, according to showrunner and executive producer Bruce Helford, who told The New York Post, "The whole thing just felt so real emotionally, that it would have been too hard to cut it out." Fellow executive producer Dave Caplan felt that Goodman went with the pitch because he wanted to thank the fans himself for their loyalty.

Goodman's address to the audience came after the rest of the cast members also cried real tears onscreen as they said their final goodnights to each other. Executive producer Bruce Rasmussen noted, "I don't think I've ever seen it before on TV, where the characters actually break the fourth wall, and you see the actual emotion of what [the actors are] going through ... That was them saying goodbye to each other, for real." Dave Caplan added that this conclusion felt particularly appropriate for a show that's been so fan-oriented over the years.

And so, after 37 years, the family will move gracefully into the sunset — not that any of the producers were willing to rule out another revival or spin-off sometime in the future, noting that they brought Dan back from the dead for this revival. "There wasn't some artificial stop where the Conners disappear from the universe. They're out there somewhere, living their lives, doing relatively well, for them," Caplan said. It's a comforting image for any sitcom fan, but especially those who love the misanthropic yet wonderful Conner clan.