AfterThe Connersfailed to give Darlene’s daughter a meaningful purpose,Happy’s Placemakes this mistake worse with Emma Kenney’s upcoming guest role in the sitcom.The Connersseason 7will arrive in March 2025, and the six-episode “Farewell event” will bring theRoseannefranchise to an end after 36 years.The large cast ofThe Connersmeans it will be tough for the series to give everyone a perfect ending, but some supporting characters need a significant role more than others. Chief among them is Emma Kenney’s Harris, first seen in the final seasons ofRoseanne’s original run.
Every The Conners Characters Who Has Been Around Since Roseanne Season 1
Roseanne famously killed off the show’s title character when it became The Conners, but some of Roseanne’s original stars remain its main characters.
When her older self was introduced inRoseanneseason 10, Harris was little more than a hackneyed Gen Z stereotype. Spoiled, catty, and ungrateful, Darlene’s daughter mostly existed as a setup for Roseanne’s tired gags about “Kids these days.” When Roseanne was killed off and the show was retooled intoThe Conners, Harris received more focus and became a more rounded, believable character. However, her aims remained obscure. Even after six seasons and storylines that included a canceled engagement, a miscarriage, numerous jobs, and an ADHD diagnosis, Harris’s purpose inThe Conners remains unclear.Happy’s Placecould make this worse.
Emma Kenney Plays Reba’s Daughter In Happy’s Place
The Conners Actor Guest Stars As Happy Place’s Gracie
According toTVLine, Reba McEntire’s sitcomHappy’s Placewill soon see Kenney play the heroine’s daughter, Gracie McAllister. In season 1, episode 10, “The McAllister Girls,” McEntire’s Bobbie will be reunited with her daughter Gracie, a member of the military who was deployed overseas until recently. Described as “No-nonsense and somewhat tough,” Gracie is a character with clear goals, an evident purpose, and ambition. This stands in stark contrast with Kenney’s role as Harris. Even afterThe Connerskilled off Roseanne, the show never shook off Harris’s original characterization as a shiftless slacker. Eventually, this inevitably hurt her arc.
A season 6 subplot revealed Harris’s ADHD diagnosis, but this didn’t result in any follow-up storylines in The Conners.
In season 6’s premiere, Harris came up with numerous good ideas when TV chef Morris Chestnut was helping to revamp The Lunchbox.Harris took over managing the Lunchbox when Jackie retired, as her aunt admitted to Chestnut that her heart was no longer in the business. This was an obvious opportunity for the formerly lackadaisical Harris to show some initiative and ambition, but her next subplot saw her getting stoned in Mark’s dorm room and completely disregarding the restaurant. A later season 6 subplot revealed Harris’s ADHD diagnosis, but this didn’t result in any follow-up storylines inThe Conners.
Kenney’s Gracie Is An Accomplished Woman — Something That The Conners Failed To Do With Harris
The Conners Never Gave Harris’s Character A Meaningful Purpose
The character description forHappy’s Place’s Gracie proves that Kenney can play ambitious, complex characters even in a guest stint. However, despite Kenney’s seven-year run playing a major supporting character, one ofThe Connersseason 7’s biggest problemsis working out how to make Harris’s story compelling. Harris’s growth continues to stagnate even after she inherited the Lunchbox, since the sitcom spinoff barely features any stories about her personal growth.Happy’s Placeinadvertently highlighted this issue when the newer show’s brief guest stint gave Kenney more to do thanThe Connershas offered her since the show began.
