The Conners Is Bringing Back a Legacy Roseanne Character — Find Out Who!
An extended member of the Conner family is returning after a six-year absence.
New photos from The Conners Season 6, Episode 5 reveal that Roseanne co-star Natalie West will reprise her role as Roseanne and Dan’s longtime friend (and Dan’s eventual stepmother) Crystal Anderson, who was last seen in the offshoot’s inaugural 2018 run.
More from TVLine
TVLine Items: Leighton Meester's CW Comeback, Elsbeth's XL Return and More
Grey's Anatomy Boss Meg Marinis Opens Up About Arizona's Return... Without Callie
In the episode, titled “When Sisters Collide and The Return of the Grifters,” Jackie’s husband Neville (played by recurring guest star Nat Faxon) finds out that the money he loaned Dan at the end of Season 5 to put toward inventory at the hardware store was used for a different purpose.
Meanwhile, the following photos (click to enlarge) show Crystal in the Conner family kitchen with Dan and his brother-in-law. Is it possible that Dan gave the money to Crystal after she fell on hard times? We’ll find out for sure when West reprises her original series role on Wednesday, March 13 (ABC, 8/7c).
Keep scrolling for a refresher on Crystal, and what we’ve learned about West’s character since Roseanne’s 2018 revival.
West was a series regular in Roseanne Seasons 3 and 4, and recurred before and after. Crystal appeared in a total of 60 episodes across Roseanne‘s original series run and 2018 revival.
In Roseanne Season 3, Crystal got involved with Dan’s deadbeat dad Ed (played by recurring guest star Ned Beatty). They eventually married and had two children, Ed Jr. and Angela. Crystal also had a son, Lonnie, from a previous marriage.
When West reprised Crystal in a pair of Season 10 episodes, she made no mention of Ed or her children — and eagle-eyed viewers might’ve noticed that there was no wedding ring on her finger. She was retiring from Lanford’s local casino with full benefits, and offered her service position to an out-of-work Darlene.
West then returned for a pair of Conners episodes. She was first on hand to grieve Roseanne in the 2018 premiere, then resurfaced at the casino in Season 1, Episode 6, having grown restless in her short-lived retirement. That marked Crystal’s last appearance… until now.
The following season, Dan learned — via the obituary page in the local paper — that his estranged father, Ed Sr., had recently died. They hadn’t spoken in 20 years.
Soon after, Dan reconnected with his half-brother Ed Jr. (played by Noel Fisher), who mentioned having a younger sister, Angela. But neither Dan nor Ed Jr. acknowledged Crystal or their step-brother Lonnie, leading many longtime viewers to assume that Crystal had been erased from canon (as the revival had already done with Roseanne and Dan’s son Jerry, Jackie’s ex-husband Fred, and Jackie and Fred’s son Andy).
But four years later, West will return in a Season 6 episode of The Conners and catch us up to speed on what’s been going on with Crystal. Are you looking forward to her return?
The Conners: 5 MIA Roseanne Characters’ Absences Explained
Best of TVLine
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
