‘The Conners’ return to confront coronavirus
When “The Conners” returned to set in midAugust after a lengthy pandemic delay, John Goodman had no doubt that every safety precaution had been taken. But his heart still fluttered a bit when it came time to finally get towork.
“That moment before the first mask came off, I heldmy breath,” said the 68-year-old actor, who plays patriarchDan Conner in the ABC sitcom.
Sara Gilbert, who stars asDan’s daughterDarlene was also anxious, even though, as an executive producer, shewaswell aware of the measures the showtakes to keep everyone safe. The Los Angeles set is patrolled by two COVID-19 compliance supervisors, and the actors are tested five times a week, with everyone else tested at least three times a week.
Even so, “when they say ‘Rolling,’ Iwait until after the sound cue,” Gilbert said. “And then— at the very last second— my mask comes off.”
When the coronavirus pandemic intensified in March, it forcedHollywood to shut down production for months. Most shows interrupted by the pandemicwere back on set, with coronavirus protocols, by September, though some didn’t survive the break: Series including ABC’s “Stumptown,” Netflix’s “GLOW” and Showtime’s “On Becoming a God in Central Florida,” which all had new seasons planned or in theworks, were canceled by their networks.
Those that did return to production had a choice to make: Should they pick up where they left off and resume pandemic-free storytelling? Or should they deal with the coronavirus and its disruptions within their narratives?
For “The Conners,” which fromits earliest days as “Roseanne” has dealt with everyday difficulties like depression, divorce and job loss, itwas never even a question.
“We’ve always tried to represent blue-collar, middle-class families,” Gilbert said. “To pretend this isn’t happening seems out of touch.
“Life-and-death stories are familiar territory for us,” she added. (The show’s original matriarch, Roseanne Conner, was killed off via an opioid overdose after Roseanne Barrwas fired for comparing a former Obama adviser to an ape on Twitter. The showtitlewas subsequently changed from “Roseanne” to “The Conners.”)
When the series returns Wednesday for its third season, viewers willwatch the family grapple with the
same issues as the rest of the country: Dan is on the verge of losing the family home. His sister-in-law, Jackie (LaurieMetcalf ), is trying to keep the family restaurant alive by making deliveries on her bike (complete with a blinding neon yellowhelmet, gloves and face mask). Darlene and her boyfriend, Ben (Jay R. Ferguson), arewondering whether to shutter their startup magazine. Dan’s oldest daughter, Becky (Lecy Goranson), is navigating the return of her unauthorized immigrant husband, Emilio (Rene Rosado), who is caring for her baby while hiding from immigration authorities.
Of course, it’s hard to avoid incorporating the pandemic when it seeps into every aspect of life on set. Like every other returning series, “The Conners,” led by showrunner BruceHelford and executive producersDave Caplan and Bruce Rasmussen, has had to radically reconfigure nearly every element of its production for pandemic safety.
Before the cast and crew members set foot onstage, they have passed two temperature checks, filled out a symptoms questionnaire and passed aCOVID-19 test within, at minimum, the last two days. Hair and makeup are done with masks and visors— Gilbert said she finishes the area around her mouth herself. Props are sanitized between each take, and the showis filmed without an audience and with a limited crew.
And enforcement, Gilbert said, is rigorous. “You can’t eat or drink onstage,” she said. “Not evenwater. You have to go up to your dressing room.”
Gilbert said the series will not dwell on the darkest parts of the pandemic—
“People get that on the news every day,” she said— but will reflect real-world events. The second episode of the season airs Oct. 28, six nights before Election Day and three nights before Halloween. She said the Conners will celebrate their favorite holiday with some in-home trick-ortreating— and that politics may come up.
“But it’s not through the lens of ‘I’m for this guy!’ ” she said. “It’s ‘Howdoes what’s going on affectmy family economically?’ ”
Some of the moments that resonated with the actorswere unexpected. Goranson, who has been living alone in Los Angeles sinceMarch, said a scene in the third episode proved surprisingly emotional.
“Becky is quarantining with her family, and Iwas not able to,” she said. “But in the scene, she says something about being alone, and itwas almost confessional because itwas so true to what I had experienced.”
Goranson’s mother died in January, and she said her family has not been able to hold a gathering for her. “One thingmymomtold me before she diedwas ‘So little matters other than people,’ ” she said. “And that seems like cruel irony right now, because I haven’t been around anyone I love since she said that.”
It is unclear howlong the pandemic will infect the Conners’ fictional town of Lanford, Illinois, just as it is uncertain howlong masks and social distancing will remain the norm in America. But Goodman said that, despite everything, he tries to remain upbeat.
“It’s just another damn thingwe have to deal with,” he said. “I’m thrilledwe’re able to make a showat all.”