2024 has already been a big year for Nick Offerman, and we're still only in the first month! The Parks and Recreation favorite took a very dramatic turn for HBO's The Last of Us and earned an Emmy for his efforts; now, he's returning to the realm of sitcoms for a role in ABC's The Conners, and a first look at his arrival in the 2024 TV schedule shows an awkward encounter with John Goodman's Dan that already has me ready for more of the comedy greats together.
Nick Offerman's Emmy Win
While The Last of Us lost out to Succession in the Drama categories during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, the post-apocalyptic series based on the video game of the same name fared better at the Creative Arts Emmys. Nick Offerman took the trophy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role in the episode that centered on the love story between Bill (Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) in a hopeless time. Bartlett was in the running for Outstanding Guest Actor as well.
Offerman's win is especially notable due to the fact that he wasn't actually the first choice to play Bill, and changes were made from Bill and Frank's story in the video game to the TV show. Steven Spielberg himself was moved by the episode, and Offerman jokingly pitched a way for Bill and Frank to return despite their tear-jerking deaths in Season 1.
Nick Offerman Is Coming To The Conners
If you, like me, found yourself tearing up at Offerman's performance as Bill on The Last of Us, you probably don't have to worry about tragedy in his next role. The actor, who is largely known for his comedy work on NBC's Parks and Rec, is coming to The Conners in the Season 6 premiere as a guest star. While there are currently no details available about his character or what brings him into the mix, a preview for the premiere indicates that he and John Goodman could be hilarious together. Take a look:
Nick Offerman has a grand total of one line in the preview – "Are you family?" – but the ABC video is certainly hyping his arrival. Plus, Dan adopting a Cockney accent to deny that he's related to other members of the Conner family suggests that this could be a great scene when the sitcom finally returns after the long hiatus.
Given that Offerman is only billed as a guest star, we shouldn't count on seeing too much of him in Season 6. Then again, who could have guessed how large of a role Katey Sagal would have by the sixth season after she was booked for one episode back in 2018?
The Conners is well known for bringing in big names as guest stars by this point, including (but definitely not limited to) Dan Aykroyd, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, and Whoopi Goldberg. Plus, Sean Astin will be back in the Season 6 premiere as Becky's boyfriend, after debuting as the character in Season 5.
Tune in to ABC on Wednesday, February 7 at 8 p.m. ET for the Season 6 premiere of The Conners, featuring Nick Offerman opposite John Goodman. If you want to revisit how the fifth season wrapped back in the spring of 2023, you can find the last four episodes streaming with a Hulu subscription now.
