Television series
The Conners
The Conners brings back the beloved working-class family ten years later, grounded in real economic struggle and adult responsibilities. It's warmer and more grounded than nostalgia, with genuine stakes beneath the comedy. For anyone who loved the original Roseanne or who appreciates ensemble shows that treat ordinary life with respect and humor.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like working-class sitcoms where the jokes come out of overdrawn bank accounts and bickering over the fridge, and where the affection underneath is sturdy enough to survive the sniping.
Skip it if you want your comedy quick and cutting, since the broad setups and sentimental group hugs can feel familiar and a bit soft after a few seasons.
What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes, one after another, 112 of them across seven seasons, so it rewards settling in and letting the routines pile up.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Schitt's Creek2015
A wealthy family loses everything and rebuilds in a small town they own but never visit. Like The Conners, it finds deep humanity in financial precarity and family obligation, but with a lighter touch and genuine character growth across all six seasons.
But The early seasons lean heavily on fish-out-of-water comedy that can feel slight, and the show takes a while to find its emotional core.
Parenthood2010
Multi-generational family drama that treats parenthood, aging, money troubles and sibling dynamics with intelligence and warmth. Every character gets real complexity, and it never condescends to working people or their problems.
But Can be emotionally heavy in ways that some find exhausting; the ensemble is large and takes patience to care about.
Kim's Convenience2016
A Korean-Canadian family runs a corner store in Toronto. Like The Conners, it's about small finances, stubborn parents, and finding humor in daily friction without sacrificing the genuine affection underneath everything.
But Only five seasons, and it ended before it was ready. The later seasons shift tone in ways some viewers found disappointing.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Conners
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Transparent2014
Both are American family dramas that treat generational and economic strain seriously while refusing melodrama.
A Jewish family fractures when the parent transitions. It's achingly tender, achingly angry, and refuses easy answers about family obligation, identity and love. Utterly different in subject but shares The Conners' commitment to treating family complexity as worth serious artistic attention.
But It's punishing to watch—emotionally demanding in ways that leave you exhausted. Some viewers find the formal experimentation alienating.
More like this (7)
Atypical2017
A suburban family navigates parenting a son on the spectrum, with all its complications and humor. Strong ensemble chemistry, smart writing about money and responsibility, and genuine affection between characters who also drive each other crazy.
But The first season is somewhat uneven, and some viewers find the tone shifts between comedy and drama jarring.
BoJack Horseman2014
An animated show about family disappointment, money problems, and people doing their best under pressure. Shares The Conners' willingness to find both comedy and real pain in the same moment, and both respect their characters despite their flaws.
But It's dark, sometimes very dark, and the animation style takes adjustment. Not a comfort watch in the way The Conners can be.
Shrinking2023
Bill Lawrence's ensemble about a therapy practice grappling with real life: aging parents, money, divorce, kids, purpose. Warm and funny while treating serious subjects seriously, with an excellent cast that genuinely enjoys each other.
But The therapy framework can feel like it's solving problems too neatly sometimes. Some episodes prioritize sentiment over specificity.
Superstore2015
A workplace ensemble set in a big-box store, where characters are trying to survive paycheck to paycheck with dignity. Sharp writing about class and economics wrapped in genuine affection for ordinary people and their small rebellions.
But Takes several episodes to establish why you care, and some character arcs in later seasons feel repetitive.
The Good Place2016
High-concept comedy that treats regular, flawed people with respect and finds their moral complexity interesting. Like The Conners, it's fundamentally about the work of being good to people you're stuck with, and it's funny throughout.
But The premise is tricky and the show does demand some investment in philosophy. It's less grounded in recognizable reality than The Conners.
Outnumbered2007
Both find the humor and humanity in ordinary family life and parental struggle, but Outnumbered does it in a completely different visual register.
British sitcom about a couple with three kids, shot mostly on handheld camera with improvised dialogue. It finds the comedy in daily chaos and parental exhaustion without sentimentalizing family. Genuinely funny and genuinely touching.
But The handheld style is intentionally documentary-like and never stabilizes. Kids are prominent and sometimes very annoying, which is the point but not for everyone.
The Florida Project2017
Both treat financial struggle and family love without condescension or easy solutions, but one is a 30-minute comedy and one is an austere visual film.
A film about a mother and daughter living week-to-week in a budget motel in Orlando, told through the daughter's eyes with surprising joy. It's economically grounded like The Conners but filmed with gorgeous precision and visual poetry instead of sitcom warmth.
But There's no plot arc; it's a tone poem about precarity. The ending is deliberately ambiguous and some find it incomplete. Not funny, though sometimes wry.
