The Conners Is Losing A Cast Member Going Into Season 6, And The Decision Makes Total Sense

The Conners will finally return to primetime as part of the 2024 TV premiere schedule, and the first trailer for the upcoming sixth season confirmed the return of none other than Sean Astin. One member of the cast won't be back in the new batch of episodes, as an actor has been cut as a series regular. While that may be a bummer for fans who enjoy seeing as many Conners as possible involved in the shenanigans, the departure makes enough sense that it was arguably a long time coming. Jayden Rey will not return as a regular for Season 6.

Jayden Rey debuted in her role as Mary Conner back in 2018 as part of the Roseanne revival, and she was brought back when The Conners premiered to replace Roseanne following its unceremonious cancellation. While Mary was originally involved in the family shenanigans on a regular basis due to her dad D.J. agreeing to let her move in with his sisters when he was too busy to spend much time with her and her mom Geena was overseas. Now, Deadline confirms that Rey is out as a series regular, but guest appearances in the sixth season are possible. 

While it's always news when a cast member leaves a hit TV show on the level of The Conners, Rey's absence won't be hard to explain away when the show returns. D.J.'s daughter only appeared in five episodes of the fifth season, although she was listed in the credits for all 22. 

Seeing less of Mary was inevitable after Michael Fishman, who had played D.J. Conner since he was just seven years old going back to the original run of Roseanne, left the series between Season 4 and Season 5. Fishman eventually spoke up about his departure, noting that he was "told I would not be returning for Season 5," making it clear that he did not choose to leave the hit show. 

The Conners explained his absence first by establishing that D.J. had gone overseas to visit his wife and then the family reuniting back in the U.S., with Mary returning to her parents and leaving the main Conner house. Fishman has not appeared in the show since the Season 4 finale, so Jayden Rey technically outlasted him on the spinoff. 

It remains to be seen if The Conners will address Mary's absence upon returning for Season 6. She appeared in few enough episodes of the fifth season that the show might not actually need to do much to explain why she's not around, although I for one would like to see her again. After all, only a handful of episodes are available streaming via Hulu subscription, rather than the entire run of Rey as Mary. As for what we know is on the way in Season 6, take a look at the first trailer:

The Conners will premiere Season 6 on Wednesday, February 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The comedy kicks off a big night of comedy for the network, followed by the debuts of Not Dead Yet Season 2 at 8:30 p.m., Abbott Elementary Season 3 at 9 p.m., and Judge Steve Harvey Season 2 winter premiere at 10 p.m.