The Conners on ABC

By Erin

*Photos courtesy of ABC*

“The Conners” follows the story of America’s favorite family as they face the daily struggles of life. The show brings awareness to everything from parenthood, financial pressures, the pandemic, and many more important topics that are so relatable in our day to day lives. The newest episode tonight covers everything from addiction to loss, and the economic inequality in school systems. Sara Gilbert and Ames McNamara who both star in the show shared with us their thoughts on the show and on virtual learning.

 Sara and Ames have a very unique dynamic as mother and son on the series, and the upcoming episode (airing Wednesday, April 21 at 9/8c on ABC) where their characters Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Mark (Ames McNamara) deal with the realities of virtual school. Mark is stressed and exhausted from studying for an important entrance exam so Darlene steps in to help, but her plan backfires. Both Sara and Ames have dealt with these issues firsthand in their personal lives as well. I think we can all resonate with this episode as we have all experienced the realities of virtual learning and the hardships it has brought in the last year.

Sara Gilbert (Executive Producer; Darlene Conner on ABC’s “The Conners”)

Sara Gilbert endeared herself to millions of television viewers with her portrayal of the sarcastic yet loveable Darlene Conner on the long-running, hit series “Roseanne,” a role which garnered her two Emmy® nominations among numerous other accolades. Gilbert reprised her role as Darlene in the series revival in 2018, which premiered to record-breaking numbers, and she continues in her role as both Darlene and executive producer on ABC’s hit comedy “The Conners.” 

Ames McNamara (Mark Conner-Healy on ABC’s “The Conners”)

Ames McNamara is a high-schooler from Hoboken, NJ. He has been acting in local musical theater since age 5 and professionally since age 8. He stars as Mark Conner-Healy on The Conners and also voices a lead role in a new animated show for pre-schoolers.

When he’s not acting, Ames likes to direct his friends in short movies, go on hikes with his family, read fantasy novels, and play tennis and soccer. He’s a huge Premier League and Formula 1 fan.

Besides continuing to act and direct, Ames hopes to work in environmental justice when he’s older, and ultimately to become president. 

Virtual Interview with Sara & Ames

The first question on everyone’s minds was what Ames and Sara thought of virtual school.

Ames: I’ve definitely experienced a lot of virtual school, so it’s inescapable the problems with virtual school, it’s really not the same as in person school, but it’s the best that we can do right now. I was able to relate to everything that Mark is going through because it’s stuff that’s happening to me and so many kids across the country right now- and across the world. Obviously this technology is amazing, and it’s so amazing that we’re all in this Zoom call from all different places right now. But it’s not perfect and there are some glitches, and stuff like that. But I feel personally lucky to have had amazing teachers who have helped me, through my virtual school experience and really made it still engaging, which is- can be a problem sometimes. And you know, Zoom fatigue is a very real thing.

Sara: I agree. I feel fortunate that I’ve just had meetings, and I have more breaks than what my kids were dealing with, but there were definitely times like, my computer’s not working right, or my charger’s not working right, and then, you know, missing school and particularly for my youngest, I think he checked out a decent amount because being six years old, sitting on a screen all day, it’s exactly the opposite of what we try to do for our kids.  We use it when we’re in a pinch, but we don’t like them sitting on screens all day. It’s definitely been a struggle, but I’m happy to see things slowly returning back towards what we think of as normal, and obviously a multitude of even more serious reasons. 

What do they hope the audience will take away after watching the episode?

Ames: I hope that the audience takes away- and probably already know that this is a problem, but I think our episode helps to illuminate more of the problems, and it shows also how it doesn’t just effect the kids, but it effects everyone in the family. I think that that’s something that this episode does a good job of portraying. 

Sara: I think it also shines a light on the inequities in our country. I think we’ve all seen how people with less means already we’re struggling, but it puts a spotlight on that and it furthered those struggles, so it almost widened the divide between people who have more and people who have less. They didn’t always have tablets or computers, or Wi-Fi access, and so their kids would be falling further behind.  This episode talks about how unfair that is, and that it’s really not a level playing field, and how much stress that causes a parent who just wants the best for their kid.

This episode blows up the myth of meritocracy during Darlene’s school confrontation. Why do you think it’s important overall for the series to show that not everyone gets ahead just by working hard?

Sara:   I think it’s important to show because, the only way we can change things is to first have some awareness around it and see the problem, be in touch with the problem and then, hopefully be able to take some action. I mean, it is really unfortunate and something that I love about our show that we get to address the fact that this is obviously a fictional group that represents a lot of people who are very kind, smart, intelligent, funny, good people that cannot break the cycle of poverty, and cannot break through the levels of how unfair things can be in this country.

Does Ames have any advice for kids who are feeling the pressures of doing virtual learning and adjusting to this world?

Ames:  I think probably my best advice would be, it’s really tough now, but we’ve already lost a year of being able to hang out with friends and family, and socialize, and even though it’s really not ideal at all to be doing schools long hours, and then homework on the computer, but I think, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I hope this is not gonna be the normal thing for too much longer.

Who would be their dream guest stars for the show?

Ames:   That’s a very tricky one. I think for me, it would have to be someone like Lin-Manual Miranda. He’s someone who I think is a really amazingly creative person, and I love Hamilton. I think it would just be so amazing to to meet him and maybe get a chance to talk to him.

Sara:   That’s so hard. When we’re done with this I’m gonna be thinking of a million people but, Judi Dench, Octavia Spencer, I mean, we’re going for the best, you know. There are so many. It’s really difficult to say. 

 Sara was asked how important it is to address real-life issues in the show?

Sara:  If you have such a large platform, it’s so important to use your voice and talk about what’s going on in the world. I don’t think we directly go after every topic. It’s more when you’re talking about what’s affecting the family, you naturally are going to be dealing with what’s happening in our society, especially if you’re dealing with a family that is lower-middle class, and struggling to get by, a lot of the day-to-day issues are going to affect them.

About “The Conners”:

“The Conners” follows America’s favorite family as they continue to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford. Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky and D.J. will continue to grapple with parenthood, dating, financial pressures and aging in working-class America. Through it all – the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns – with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails. The series stars John Goodman as Dan Conner, Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris, Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner, Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner-Healy, Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner, Emma Kenney as Harris Conner-Healy, Ames McNamara as Mark Conner-Healy, Jayden Rey as Mary Conner and Jay R. Ferguson as Ben. “The Conners” is executive produced by Tom Werner, along with Sara Gilbert, Bruce Helford, Dave Caplan, Bruce Rasmussen and Tony Hernandez. The series is from Werner Entertainment.

“The Conners” airs WEDNESDAYS (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET) on ABC.

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