When “Roseanne” reconvened for a follow-up series that would eventually be rebranded as “The Conners,” there was just one fly in the ointment: Johnny Galecki. The actor who would go on to become a huge star thanks to his role as the highly intelligent Leonard Hofstadter in “The Big Bang Theory” played David Healy in “Roseanne” back in the 1990s, and he was last seen united in wedded bliss with Darlene Conner (Sara Gilbert). “The Big Bang Theory” was still running when the new “Roseanne” series was getting off the ground, so there was a chance that Galecki may not be able to reprise the role of David, even in a guest capacity. What would they have done had this been the case?

During an interview with TVLine, Sara Gilbert revealed that there was a failsafe in place should Galecki be unable or unwilling to return. “The backup plan was going to be [Darlene] dealing with the heartbreak of him being an absent father,” she revealed. “Darlene would have plans for him to show up, he would say he was going to show up, and then he wouldn’t show up. I was still going to deal with the relationship, but it would not have been the same without him.” In the end, Galecki came back for a handful of episodes. According to Gilbert, we would have seen a lot more of him had it not been for his other commitments. “I think if Johnny didn’t have an empire to run, he would’ve certainly been in more episodes,” she said.

So why didn’t Johnny Galecki join the cast of “The Conners” permanently after saying goodbye to Leonard? Well, Galecki wrapped up “The Big Bang Theory” then promptly disappeared from Hollywood for a more private life in Nashville, so the creators of “The Conners” had to cope with David’s continued absence. That translated into David’s two kids – Mark (Ames McNamara) and Harris (Emma Kenney) — coping without him onscreen.

When Mark goes to college, he scrambles to get a scholarship and then has to hustle hard to pay for the things the scholarship doesn’t cover. A series of unfortunate events results in Darlene taking an extra job to make ends meet and Mark finding his way into the tech world — which, ironically, dampens his desire to go to college. It is repeatedly stated throughout later seasons of “The Conners” that David can’t contribute anything to Mark’s quest for cash or any problems that Harris faces, and Darlene expresses bitterness over his absence, as do the kids.

While Darlene and David briefly explore the notion of getting back together over the course of a multi-episode arc, Darlene eventually decides to marry Ben (Jay R. Ferguson) in Season 4. Fans of “The Conners” had mixed feelings about Ben and Darlene, but she clearly made the right choice: With Ben, Darlene ends up thriving. She becomes the co-owner of a house with Becky (Lecy Goranson), finds a job she’s good at that makes great money, and watches her kids excel. Some fans hate that she didn’t stay with David, but with Ben, Darlene finally finds real happiness.