What a bittersweet time, listeners: in our latest episode, we discuss the very last episode of The Conners. Someone fetch the Kleenex! In “The Truck Stops Here,” our beloved Conner family is once again saying goodbye, and this time might be even harder than it was in 1997. The finale wraps things up in perfectly imperfect fashion, with Dan (and Louise) surviving a difficult deposition, Jackie (against all odds) rejoining the Lanford PD, Darlene and Ben finally resolving their issues du jour, and Becky and Harris rolling merrily along, both ending the series in a good place. We discuss the episode’s light touch and references to Roseanne, who is present in spirit during a heartfelt scene at the cemetery, and we contrast The Conners‘s ending with Roseanne‘s – it’s almost as though they’re trying to right the wrongs of that show’s off-the-rails final season.

We also discuss the casts’ own thoughts on the ending, as shared in recent interviews, and we consider the “series finale” as a genre, wondering if it’s possible for a long-running sitcom to really meet expectations.

Join us for this tearful goodbye to our favorite family, plus tangents on Friends, Mad Men, Cheers, and more. Thank you for listening through the years! We hope to be back for at least one more episode before saying goodbye ourselves.