Of all the potentially great and wonderful things happening in the world of entertainment throughout 2024, scripted TV’s return to primetime is easily one of the most welcomed. Along with virtually every broadcast series out there, The Conners’ return was delayed due to writer and actor strikes, but fans can look forward to seeing the beloved family struggling anew when Season 6 arrives in February. And star Emma Kenney just offered up a behind-the-scene tease that may or may not be hiding a big spoiler.
The 24-year-old Shameless vet shared an Instagram Story celebrating her first day of filming The Conners in 2024, with her name-emblazoned chair very clear and prominent in the shot. But it’s the blocked out imagery above the chair that has my spidey-sense tingling. (Unless that’s just the after-effects of an actual spider bite.) Check it out!
First and foremost, a big congratulations to Emma Kenney and the rest of the Conners cast and crew for working hard on another new season, which may or may not end up being the final one. (That’s not set in stone or anything, but a possibility several of the stars have discussed.) Production kicked off ahead of 2023 concluding, and ABC gave viewers a holiday treat with the first Season 6 trailer, which confirmed Sean Astin’s return as Becky’s new love interest.
Now what’s behind that pixelated blob?!? It appears to be in front of a screen, possibly showing either dailies footage or a live camera feed, so the intention appears to be to stop her followers from seeing whatever, or whoever, is on it at the time.
To be sure, I fully understand that there might not be anything shocking lurking behind the blocky pixels, and that sharing peeks of footage from upcoming episodes may be frowned upon by the powers that. But free-flowing guest-star speculation is way more fun than thinking about network standards and practices, so here we are.
Since we already know that Astin’s Tyler will be back to add more smiles and good vibes for Lecy Goranson’s character, we can probably rule him out as being the answer to the mystery. Unless perhaps his relationship with Becky is already going so well that The Conners is introducing someone from his family. Or maybe Winona Ryder could play his ex-girlfriend, in a mirror-verse callback to their on-screen relationship in Stranger Things.
That may be too out there, though. It’s possible the pixels are covering the face of Estelle Parsons, who could possibly be making another emotional return as Bev. The last time viewers caught up with the Harris side of the family’s matriarch, she was diagnosed with dementia, which led to some uncomfortable hidden memories surfacing.
For a far less dour guess, it’s possible the Harris Conner actress is hiding the face of past recurring star Tony Cavalero as Harris’ near-husband and ex-boyfriend Aldo. When CinemaBlend talked to Emma Kenney ahead of Season 5’s premiere, she told us that while she agreed with her character’s decision to break it off, she did hope for Cavalero to return down the line.
And while I’m making random guesses, I might as well throw this one out there: George Clooney, the white whale of all Roseanne actors that haven’t made returns after their initial stints. But that’s not likely, and it’s also not likely that it’ll end up being a shot of Mary Conner, as we reported Jayden Rey has exited the sitcom.
The Conners is set to debut Season 6 on ABC starting on Wednesday, February 7, at 8:00 p.m. ET, kicking off a night of laughter rounded off by the Season 2 premiere of Not Dead Yet, Abbott Elementary’s Season 3 premiere, and the winter return of Judge Steve Harvey’s second season. Head to our 2024 TV schedule to see when all the other new and returning shows will be popping up.
