ABC Announces 'Roseanne' Spinoff Without Roseanne
“Roseanne” is gone, but “The Conners” are not.
After canceling one of TV’s hottest show in response to a racially charged tweet actress Roseanne Barr sent out in May, ABC has decided to move forward with a show that will chronicle the exploits of the rest of the family, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The show, which currently bears the working title of “The Conners,” will not include Barr in any form, nor will she have any financial involvement in the show. Barr participated in the deal that lets her co-workers get back to their jobs.
“I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from ‘Roseanne.’ 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,” Barr said in a statement.
“We are grateful to have reached this agreement to keep our team working as we continue to explore stories of the Conner family,” said Tom Werner, the show’s executive producer.
ABC released a statement from “Roseanne” stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman.
“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 statement said.
Some doubted the show would hold together without the woman at the center.
Roseanne without Roseanne is just like Diamond without Silk; It won't work!
— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) June 22, 2018
https://twitter.com/malaspina_kathy/status/1010121470348087297
No date was announced for the show’s premiere. The show will air on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., in the same time slot once dominated by “Roseanne.”
The show will have 10 episodes in the upcoming season, three fewer than “Roseanne” was scheduled to have.
“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,” the cast members said in their statement.
Although efforts to put together a spinoff of “Roseanne” began almost as soon as ABC had canceled the show, Variety reported that the key issue in the way was developing a plan in which Barr would not share in either the profits or the development of the show.
“The Conners’ stories demonstrate that families can always find common ground through conversation, laughter and love. The spinoff will continue to portray contemporary issues that are as relevant today as they were 30 years ago,” ABC said in a statement.
“Roseanne” originally aired from 1988 to 1997 before being revived by ABC, which dropped the show almost immediately after Barr sent out a tweet comparing former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to a cross between the Muslim Brotherhood and “Planet of the Apes.”
In reporting on the spinoff, The Hollywood Reporter said that among the factors ABC may have considered were salaries it was already committed to pay to actors who otherwise would not have been working, and the need for a major show to lead off its primetime lineup on Tuesdays.
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