The Conners Season 4's Gun Violence Episode Was Written Into Actor's Contract
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Conners season 4, episode 14.
Lecy Goranson opens up about writing the gun violence episode of The Conners season 4. Penned by Goranson, who plays Becky Conner on the ABC sitcom, the episode is titled “Triggered.” Though it begins with the return of Katey Sagal’s Louise, things quickly take a turn for the worst when it’s revealed that someone was shot at the Landford Woods Mall. That’s where Becky’s daughter, Beverly Rose, is with her father Emilio (Rene Rosado). In the aftermath, and for a portion of the episode, Becky and the rest of the Conner clan find themselves watching the news in horror.
Ultimately, Emilio calls to let Becky know that their daughter is safe, but the relief proves to be short-lived as the titular family witnesses the shooter get taken out by police on live television. The shooter turns out to be James McNulty, a former classmate to Harris (Emma Kenney), which heralds a broader discussion of the gun violence epidemic and the way each character reacts to it.
In a new interview, Goranson shares that her insistence in writing this particular episode of The Conners season 4 came after a chance encounter. Speaking with TV Insider, Goranson said that she’d met a high school teacher after seeing a musical in Chicago. As the two crossed paths in Elgin, the town on which the fictional setting of The Conners is based, the teacher suggested that the ABC series devote an episode to gun violence. Goranson goes on to discuss the issue of gun violence, elaborating on why she felt it was vital for The Conners to address the subject. Goranson’s full quote is included below.
“I actually put writing this episode in my contract. [The teacher] ‘If you want to write about something in the show, you should write about gun violence because it’s really rampant.’ That was on my radar then. Then during COVID, as most people know, gun violence has gone way up. Everything related with gun violence, whether it’s suicide, accidental gun violence, or gun violence with minors, it is up. I just thought it was really important to use our platform in order to discuss something that’s very difficult to talk about in our society.”
The Conners, going back to the original series Roseanne, has never shied away from addressing social issues directly. Over the course of its long run, the sitcom has centered issues such as homophobia and child abuse. While these topics are occasionally handled with a relatively light touch, both Roseanne and its spinoff The Conners hasn’t been afraid to do away with humor in order to better illustrate its points. Some of that was evident in “Triggered.” The episode, directed by Michael Arden, lingers on several varying reactions to the tragic situation.
Even just in the first few months of 2022, there are a few relatively high-profile examples of Hollywood weaving in commentary on gun violence. In some cases, as with The Fallout, it’s a deeply moving and understated narrative. With others, like the reboot of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the inclusion of a school shooting backstory was likely better off on the cutting room floor. Still, like with The Conners, it’s a reminder that gun deaths are still a daily fact of American life.
Source: TV Insider