'The Conners' star Michael Fishman spreads artistic wings and jumps into directing world

Actor Michael Fishman fulfilled his goal and directed his TV family castmates for the annual Halloween episode on "The Conners."

ByGeorge Pennacchio OTRC logo
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Michael Fishman directs special episode of 'The Conners'
"It's coming full circle for me:" Actor Michael Fishman steps behind the camera to direct "The Conners" annual Halloween episode.

Actor Michael Fishman became a fixture on our televisions in the '80s when he first started playing "DJ" on the sitcom "Roseanne." He was just 6 years old. Fishman is still part of the Conner family - but his job responsibilities are changing in a big way.

"It's coming full circle for me," said Fishman.

The actor was able to stretch his artistic wings and stepped behind the camera to direct "The Conners" annual Halloween episode.

"Growing up on this show I loved Halloween," said Fishman. "I'm the perfect person. Let's make this magical and harken back to the old days."

MORE: 'The Conners' addresses pandemic, financial hardship in new season

The Conners have always struggled with money. Now, they're also dealing with the impact of COVID-19 and things have never been harder.

From his youngest days, Fishman remembers spending as much time as he could in the "Roseanne" production truck... trying to learn everything he could about television. It's given him a strong base; and it came in hand when he had to direct his long-standing television family.

"It's so funny. It's like telling your parents and siblings what to do," said Fishman. "Everybody was so supportive, and they knew I did my homework and came prepared."

Fishman's career goal is to help drive relevant storylines... and his reasons are very personal.

"We have this mixed, blended, multi-racial family with a bunch of backgrounds and beliefs, so for me I want to see families like mine in production," said Fishman. "When you direct, you u can help be part of the voice."