Dead Dans and Double Cousins: The Roseanne Family Tree

Apparently, Dan isn’t dead after all. After a head-scratching series finale 21 years ago, one of America’s favorite sitcoms comes back to TV tonight. To celebrate, let’s take a look at the Roseanne family tree.

Meet the Conners

Roseanne focuses on five generations of the Harris-Conner family. Roseanne (neé Harris) and her husband, Dan Conner, have three children: Becky, Darlene and David Jacob (“D.J.”). Later in the series (when in her forties), Roseanne gives birth to a fourth child, Jerry Garcia. Roseanne’s sister, Jackie, also features prominently in the series. She marries Dan’s friend Fred Oakland and has a child named Andy, though the couple’s marriage doesn’t last.

The previous generations of Harrises and Conners also make appearances throughout the show. Roseanne’s mother, Beverly “Bev” Loraine, has the largest role, frequently dropping in. She divorces her husband (Roseanne’s father), Al, after discovering he is having an affair, and he dies later in the series. Bev’s mother, Nana Mary, makes a handful of appearances as well.

Dan’s parents, the now-divorced Ed and Audrey Conner, have a somewhat more surprising role in the series. After flirting with her at a Thanksgiving dinner, Ed marries and has kids with Roseanne’s friend Crystal. Despite the large age difference between them, the couple stays together. Audrey, meanwhile, struggles with mental illness. According to the last season’s timeline, Audrey tries to kill Dan after he forces her to stay in a psychiatric hospital.

Double cousins

As the series progresses, the two elder Conner children pursue romantic relationships. As it turns out, Becky and Darlene both become involved with the Healy brothers: Mark and David, respectively. Both couples, Becky-Mark and Darlene-David, eventually get married. (The series’ finale suggests Becky was actually with David, and Darlene was actually with Mark; it’s unclear how the new season will resolve this discrepancy.)

Shortly after getting married, Darlene and David have a child named Harris. Born prematurely, Harris isn’t expected to live, but she pulls through. In the series’ finale, Becky and Mark reveal that they are also expecting a child.

Though Beck and Mark don’t seem to have a child in the new series, a child would create an unusual relationship that genealogists might recognize. Becky and Mark’s child would be Harris’ double cousin: Two children of the Healy family (Mark and David) would each have kids with children of the Conner family (Becky and Darlene).

The tenth season keeps expanding the Roseanne family tree. After the ninth season, Darlene and David have a second child, Mark Conner Healy. And this new Mark isn’t the only new cast member: The new season will also feature Mary, a daughter of D.J.’s.

Want to learn about more famous family trees? Read on to discover the Star Wars and Harry Potter family trees, as well as the genealogies of some of the most beloved US presidents.