Roseanne famously recast the role of older daughter Becky Conner after season 5, then brought the original actress back — but why did Becky leave Roseanne? Even by the 1990s when Becky’s Roseanne recast happened, TV recastings, even on major shows, weren’t a rare or new occurrence. One of the most famous examples is the recasting of husband Darrin on the 1960s sitcom Bewitched, with actor Dick Sargent replacing original cast member Dick York. It would seem Hollywood was overflowing with actors named Dick at the time.
When the powers that be want more of a show, but an actor no longer wants to participate, a recasting is a natural solution. Either that or create a new similar character to fill the void. With that in mind, Roseanne‘s Becky character leaving and being replaced might not have been too big a deal in the grand scheme, had things played out normally. Instead, Roseanne ended up playing a game of musical Beckys, with fans never knowing for sure who they would see on a particular episode. Here’s the answer to the question, “why did Becky leave Roseanne?”.
Roseanne’s Becky Actress Switch Explained
Becky left Roseanne because she wanted to go to college. Actress Lecy Goranson originated the role of Becky Conner and played her for the entirety of Roseanne seasons 1-4, and part of season 5. To accommodate her request to attend Vassar College, Roseanne‘s producers eventually opted to write Becky out of the show via a storyline in which she ran off and eloped with boyfriend Mark, played by the late Glenn Quinn. During season 6, though, Roseanne wanted to bring back Becky and Mark as full-time characters, and Goranson’s school commitments wouldn’t allow that. The result was a recasting of Becky’s role with future Scrubs star Sarah Chalke.
Chalke played Becky for most of Roseanne season 6 and all of season 7, and while the change was jarring at first, most fans ended up accepting Chalke into the Roseanne family. That’s why it was all the stranger when Goranson returned as Becky in season 8, prompting the question “why did Becky leave Roseanne in the first place?”. When Goranson’s college schedule permitted, she would appear on Roseanne, and when it didn’t Chalke would play Becky instead.
To the show’s credit, it turned this casting situation into an opportunity for laughs about Roseanne‘s two Beckys, cracking jokes alluding to Becky’s changing appearance, and having Roseanne ask Chalke’s Becky if she was glad she was there “this week” during an episode where the Conners went to Walt Disney World. Roseanne also did a credits gag in which a grown-up D.J. (played by John Goodman), has had a mental breakdown due to no one else realizing that there are two Beckys.
To further confusion surrounding the “why did Becky leave Roseanne?” issue, Goranson decided not to return for Roseanne‘s ninth – and originally final – season, allowing Chalke to play Becky full-time again. Goranson did come back decades later, however, when it was time for the Roseanne revival. In the reboot, Chalke was cast in a different role, with jokes again made about their resemblance.
What The Original Becky Is Up To Now
Goranson continues to play Becky on the Roseanne spinoff series, The Conners, which is her most notable recent project. Closer to the time of the original Roseanne‘s final season, Goranson had significant film roles as Candace in Boys Don’t Cry (1995) and Myra in Love, Ludlow (2005). More recently, Goranson has also appeared in the films Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate in 2018 and Buck Run in 2019, occupying more minor roles in both.
Given that she’s been reprising her most recognizable part as Becky Conner-Healy on The Conners since 2018, it makes sense that Goranson’s other projects have been smaller and more spread apart. With The Conners season 5 still going strong and Chalke now better known for Scrubs and as a Rick & Morty voice actress than for Roseanne, it seems that Goranson has cemented her claim to the title of Becky Conner for good, despite the “why did Becky leave Roseanne?” conundrum.
Who Roseanne’s Second Becky Actress Plays In The Conners
Keeping the “why did Becky leave Roseanne?” in-joke running, previous Becky actress Sarah Chalke has guest starred in The Conners cast as Andrea, the same character she played in the revival. In the Roseanne revival, Becky signed up to be Andrea’s surrogate until it was discovered that Becky’s eggs were too old to possibly support the child and the surrogacy fell through. Andrea made another appearance on The Conners season 1, episode 6, “One Flew Over the Conner’s Nest,” as quite the memorable The Conners guest star.
In the episode, Andrea appears at the Mexican restaurant that Becky works at, with her own child. She does, however, express regrets over having a baby since they’re so much work. In addition, in The Conners episode, Andrea bumps into Jackie and Mark as she’s leaving, and for some unexplained reason, she’s blocked Jackie on Facebook. It’s a fun cameo role for Chalke, one that certainly pays homage to her revolving door role on Roseanne. Hopefully, audiences can see Sarah Chalke make another cameo appearance on The Conners, as her character Andrea fits right into the created universe.
