Did ‘The Conners’ Say Goodbye to Johnny Galecki’s David for Good in Season 5 Finale?

Roseanne spinoff The Conners aired its fifth season finale on Wednesday (May 3) night, and it provided fans with a surprising update on Johnny Galecki‘s beloved character David.

The episode saw Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and David’s son Mark (Ames McNamara) attending his high school graduation, teasing a potential reunion with his father, who hasn’t appeared on the show in some time.

However, the episode revealed that David hasn’t bothered with Mark or his sister Harris (Emma Kenney) in the past four years. Ultimately, Mark decided that the only father he wanted at his graduation was his stepfather, Ben (Jay R. Ferguson).

Does that mean fans will never see David again? According to executive producers Bruce Helford and Dave Caplan, they reached out to Galecki to appear in the finale, but the stars just didn’t align.

“We even approached [Galecki] for this episode, to be honest with you,” Helford told TVLine. “It was just one of those things where it didn’t work out — and like you say, he’s certainly taking a step away, taking a breather, and we understand that. But we have to deal with what’s going on in the Conners’ lives, so we just decided this was the time [to address David’s absence].”

“The last time Johnny was here, he really went out of his way to say how much he loved not only the legacy of the show, but what we’re doing with The Conners,” Caplan added. “He’s a big fan, and he loved being on the show. But real life tends to take priority, and if he needs to step away, we all respect that.”

As for why they decided to portray David in a negative light in the Season 5 finale, Helford explained, “We’re approaching the grand bow of the show, maybe next season or whatever, and there’s only so long we can go [without seeing David]. And Johnny is just too busy. We love him, and he would love to be doing stuff with us, but it just hasn’t worked out scheduling wise.”

“One of the things we’re implying is that zebras don’t change their stripes; it’s one thing to talk a big game, and it’s another thing to show up, which is what parenting is about,” Caplan stated. “You’ve got to be there, and you’ve got to show up, and what we’re saying is that David didn’t come through for [Mark] and Ben did. With all of the complications of being a Conner, Ben stepped up.”

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The decision to portray David as a deadbeat dad didn’t come easy, as Helford explained, “For the longest time, we didn’t want to say anything negative [about the character] because you never know if Johnny’s going to want to come back, and we didn’t want to have to repair a relationship.”

“We tried to keep him from being a completely negligent father, and then it became a matter of having other characters [to service],” he continued. “And we wanted Darlene [in the finale] to say that he’s never going to change.”

Despite the heel turn, the EPs are still open to having David return to the show if Galecki is on board. “We always leave the door open,” Helford said, “and certainly there will be discussions about David because he’s the father of Harris and Mark.”

The Conners, Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC