 " Greatest Hits " marked the first appearance for married couple Rose and Bernard since the late second season and fans welcomed the recurring characters ' return . The writers cited the actors ' other projects as a reason for their absence . Additionally , it was feared that fans would complain if they appeared , when many actors with star billing had received limited screentime in the early third season . The writers also commented that they do not want to have the couple on the show if they are just going to be standing in the background ; they want to have Rose and Bernard in the show with interesting storylines . 
