The “Roseanne” years may be gone but, judging by Wednesday night’s episode of “The Conners,” they are not forgotten, as guest star William H. Macy shows up in Lanford as Smitty Cusamano, Rosie’s ex-boyfriend — and Jackie’s former high school crush.
In the exclusive clip above, Dan is pleasantly surprised when Smitty – who left town decades earlier and “made a killing” in the pool supply business — shows up at his door, having arrived to attend a mutual friend’s funeral. “Why hang out with us regular folks after you made it big?” Dan jokes.
“’Cause showing the regular folk how you made it big is the whole point of making it big,” he answers. “Money doesn’t bring you happiness, Dan. But it makes other people feel bad about themselves, and that makes you happy.”
But Smitty’s arrival doesn’t just bring a smile to Dan’s face, it brings with him an even bigger one from Jackie, who used to have a massive crush on him when he dated Roseanne before she and Dan got together. Whether he is as thrilled to see her as she is to see him is debatable, as seen in the additional exclusive video below.
Fans of “Roseanne” back in the ‘90s might also recognize the bar in the clip above. That is the Lobo, which was the hangout frequented in the original series.
Eric Allan Kramer, who was the Lobo Lounge bully from an episode of “Roseanne” back in 1989, reprises his same role.
And, of course, the questions that beg to be answered are: 1) Is Smitty as happy as he appears to be? 2) and, will we see more of Macy in future episodes? Stay tuned!
“The Conners” airs Wednesday nights on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
