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Conners fans on perpetual lookout for Jackie’s absentee son can call off their search. Showrunner Bruce Helford tells TVLine that the character of Andy has not made an appearance on the Roseanne spinoff because, well, he doesn’t actually exist.

“We made a conscious decision that certain years were going to be part of the dream that was revealed at the end of the run of the original Roseanne, and [Andy] was part of the dream,” Helford explains. “Andy fell into the same category for us as winning the lottery; [it’s] something we chose not to acknowledge.”

Andy was born as the son of Jackie and Fred in a Season 6 episode of Roseanne that aired in August 1994, but he was noticeably absent when the sitcom was revived three years ago (and he continued to be MIA when Roseanne morphed into The Conners in 2018). In previous interviews, Helford has kept Andy’s whereabouts something of an open question, saying as recently as a year ago that “He’d probably be off at college if he does exist.”

Fellow Conners EP Sara Gilbert, who also stars as Darlene, is not so quick to administer last rites to Jackie’s elusive offspring. “In my mind it’s not off the table entirely,” she tells us. “I know some of the writers think we’ve waited too long and it wouldn’t work, but I think there’s probably a way to do it.”

The Conners returns with the second half of Season 2 on Jan. 21 at 8/7c on ABC.