The Conners, in a new twist, integrated real-time election results from Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary into Live from Lanford, Tuesday’s episode that aired live with special broadcasts for both the East and West Coasts, with some differences.
In the East Coast version, Mark (Ames McNamara) was preparing to do a school assignment on the primary, as chaos abounded in the home thanks to a leaky roof.
As the family huddled in the kitchen of the home – which was freezing on the winter evening – a discussion of the evening’s events abound, with the characters explaining their perspectives on the political process.
Avant-garde: The Conners, in a new twist, integrated real-time election results from Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary into Live from Lanford, Tuesday’s episode that aired live with special broadcasts for both the East and West Coasts, with some differences
Becky (Lecy Goranson) said of the candidates: ‘Some of them are really, really terrible; if you vote, you can be proud you’ll help elect someone who is just terrible.’
As the relatives scoured the home’s pantry for food, Mary (Jayden Rey) sent a tweet to President Donald Trump asking for his help – with dinner. She wrote: ‘Hi, @realdonaldtrump. Since you work for us, could you send us some cheese packets for our macaroni? This is @realmaryconner from Lanford, Illinois, where Chicago is.’
When Mark mentioned Alexander Hamilton, Darlene (Sara Gilbert) responded, ‘He was good, but he wasn’t president, just a really cool character in a musical we can never afford to see – and shot.’
Topical lines about the candidates sprouted in the episodes, as Becky said, ‘Elizabeth Warren offered free child care at the caucuses. I was this close to flying to Iowa so I could go to a movie.’
Election season: The episode was written with election results from Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary coming in real-time
Becky (Lecy Goranson) said of the candidates: ‘Some of them are really, really terrible; if you vote, you can be proud you’ll help elect someone who is just terrible’
Premise: Mark (Ames McNamara) was preparing to do a school assignment on the primary
Hey Mr. President: Mary (Jayden Rey) sent a tweet to President Donald Trump asking for his help – with dinner
Also in the episode, Mark and his older sister Harris (Emma Kenney) got into a verbal fight, as he admit he resented her for moving out of the home, as now he has to fend for himself.
In an ensuing exchange, Mark told Harris that he was dealing with problems with Austin, a closeted boy he’s involved in. Harris told that she should tell him, ‘Boy, bye’ and move forward.
Another storyline explored in the episode was Dan’s (John Goodman) ongoing romance with Louise (Katey Sagal) following Roseanne’s passing from a storyline overdose.
As she was leaving, his kids Becky, Darlene and D.J. (Michael Fishman) sought to keep them together with a festive get-together at Casa Bonita, but things imploded.
Best intentions: Darlene (Sara Gilbert) led a festive get-together at Casa Bonita in hopes of preserving her dad’s relationship, to no avail
Upset: Dan lashed out at his daughters for interfering in his love life
Moving on: Dan’s daughters continue to support him in his life as a widower
Dan admit to his daughters that he was missing Roseanne (who was killed off the series in a storyline overdose last year) and had stopped by a church in his anguish, where a priest gave him a tip about moving forward.
‘He told me to write a letter to your mom about how guilty I was feeling about Louise and then set it on fire and let go,’ he said.
In the last scene, Harris picked up the phone, which Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) answered with a dead-on impression of Hillary Clinton from the other room, giving her nonpartisan reasons why to cast a vote in this election year.
‘Some of these people are trying to help you: Warren and Sanders want to pay for your college tuition; [Andrew] Yang wants to give you $1,000 bucks a month; and Biden wants to decriminalize marijuana,’ she said. Harris said in response, ‘Wow, if I ever get to college, I am going to need some weed and spending money; OK, I’ll vote for them!’
Sibling rivalry: Mark and his older sister Harris (Emma Kenney) got into a verbal fight, as he admit he resented her for moving out of the home, as now he has to fend for himself
Good impression: Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) showed off her dead-on impersonation of Hilary Clinton in the show
Double trouble: The episode aired with two live broadcasts, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast
The West Coast broadcast was similar in storyline and dialogue, with adjusted news reports and lines based on the result of the primary, which Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders prevailed in, in between the broadcasts.
The subsequent broadcast had a tardy start amid an announcement from ABC News that Sanders had emerged victorious on the evening.
Mark joked in the second episode, ‘They’re saying Bernie won it, but there could be some Russian hacking. Putin’s in second.’
Guest star: Katy Segal is currently guest-starring in The Conners
Behind the scenes: The audience watched on from their seats
Going live: The Conners is following on from the likes of sitcom Will & Grace, which also aired live episodes in its time
Curtain call: The cast were seen congregating on the set as they wrapped filming
Gilbert, speaking with USA Today Tuesday, said that performing in a live episode has its ups and downs.
‘The risk obviously is making mistakes or feeling like you’re going to make a fool of yourself,’ she said. ‘But the truth is audiences always love when live things don’t go perfectly, so there’s no real dire risk.’
She added that the most important benefit to Tuesday’s unique broadcast was bringing about ‘awareness of voting.’
