Goodbye, Roseanne, hello again, the Conners family. ABC has ordered a spin-off series of popular sitcom Roseanne, which bears the working title of The Conners.
Ten episodes have been ordered so far and will star Sara Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman as the titular family. In a joint statement, the actors said that their characters “not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience. 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.”
This news follows the cancellation of Roseanne in late May, after actor Roseanne Barr made a derogatory racist remark about Iranian-born African-American politician, Valerie Jarrett, who served as Senior Advisor for former President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017.
The 65-year-old comedian posted a tweet on her Twitter page on May 29th, 2018 that read:
“Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj” (referencing Valerie Jarrett). ABC, who had initially chosen to renew Roseanne for an eleventh season, then canceled the series, stating that Barr’s comments were “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with [their] values.”
The tweet was negatively received by Barr’s castmates, with consulting producer/writer Wanda Sykes leaving the show following the tweet. Barr apologized for the tweet, saying “the joke was in bad taste.”
Reacting to the new spin-off, Barr wrote an official statement.
“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.”
Executive producer Tom Werner also posted a statement, saying that “We are grateful to have reached this agreement to keep our team working as we continue to explore stories of the Conner family.”
Are you looking forward to watching The Conners? Do you think it will be the same without Roseanne? Sound off in the comments below!
