‘Roseanne’ spinoff is official — without Roseanne — ABC announces
Welcome back, Conners.
Unwilling to let the working class family and its viewers disappear, ABC has brought back a makeshift “Roseanne” reboot called “The Conners,” rehiring most of the main cast except for its controversial lead, Roseanne Barr.
“We have received a tremendous amount of support from fans of our show, and it’s clear that these characters not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience,” stars John Goodman (Dan), Laurie Metcalf (Jackie), Sara Gilbert (Darlene), Alicia Goranson (Becky) and Michael Fishman (D.J.) said in a joint statement.
“We all came back last season because we wanted to tell stories about the challenges facing a working-class family today. We are so happy to have the opportunity to return with the cast and crew to continue to share those stories through love and laughter.”
The first iteration of the “Roseanne” reboot was axed suddenly after Barr called Valerie Jarrett, the former senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, the baby of the “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes.”
After the cancellation, Barr agreed to waive any financial and creative rights to the spinoff, an agreement that ABC stressed Thursday.
“I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from Roseanne,” she said in a statement. “I agreed to the settlement in order that 200 jobs of beloved cast and crew could be saved, and I wish the best for everyone involved.”
Executive producer Tom Werner also said he was “grateful to have reached this agreement to keep our team working as we continue to explore stories of the Conner family.”
It’s unclear how exactly Roseanne Conner will be killed off — either literally or figuratively — but the show promises to “follow the Conner family who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.”
In the season finale, the matriarch was undergoing long-awaited knee surgery, so an operating room accident could easily solve the casting issue.
“The Conners” will slide into “Roseanne’s” time slot on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. in the fall.