Roseanne spin-off The Conners has added Maya Lynne Robinson as a series regular.
She’ll be playing DJ’s wife Geena Williams-Conner and the mother of their child Mary, played by Jayden Rey, The Hollywood Reporter says.
Maya isn’t the first person to play Geena, of course.
In this year’s Roseanne reboot, the character was played by Xosha Roquemore, but the first appearance for Geena was all the way back in the mid-1990s in the original run of the sitcom.
Rae’Ven Larrymore Kelly played the young Geena, who DJ (Michael Fishman) was unsure about kissing in a school play because she is black.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the incredibly talented Maya Lynne Robinson to the cast this season,” said showrunner Bruce Helford.
“Her character, 2nd Lieutenant Geena Conner, whom a younger DJ was reluctant to kiss in his school play, comes full circle as his wife and Mary’s mother, bringing back a little piece of Conner history.
“Yet, while Geena is no stranger to the family, viewers old and new will enjoy seeing how her ‘military-style’ discipline meshes with the Conners’ more laid-back attitude.”
Despite the critical and commercial success of the Roseanne reboot, ABC cancelled the show following a racist tweet by its title star Roseanne Barr about former Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett.
The network later ordered a spinoff series without Roseanne that she will not profit from.
While unconfirmed, comments from Dan Conner actor John Goodman suggest that the Roseanne character could be killed off in The Conners to explain her departure.
The Conners premieres on ABC on Tuesday, October 16 at 8pm ET in the US.
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