“Roseanne” is coming back, minus Roseanne.
ABC is bringing back the show’s five original cast members for a spinoff with the working title “The Conners.”
Roseanne Barr will not appear on the show, and ABC says that she will have no financial or creative involvement.
Barr launched the eponymous show back in 1988 to much critical acclaim and returned for the much-anticipated reboot in 2018, which was a surprise hit and drew huge ratings.
The reboot was abruptly cancelled in May after Barr referred to Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to Barack Obama, as a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the “Planet of the Apes” on Twitter.
The racist tweet cost Barr her show, her relationship with her talent agency and her reputation.
Barr later apologized, calling the comment a “bad joke” and blamed the fact that she was on Ambien, an insomnia drug. The maker of Ambien responded that “racism is not a known side effect” of the drug.
ABC says the new spinoff will include Roseanne’s fictional husband, Dan Conner (John Goodman), sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), daughters Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky (Lecy Goranson) and youngest son D.J. (Michael Fishman).
Ten episodes will air in the fall of 2018.
ABC hasn’t revealed how the show will explain Roseanne’s sudden departure, but the network alludes to “a sudden turn of events” that forces the Conners to “face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.”
“Roseanne” made a name for itself in the ‘80s and ‘90s by shining a spotlight on everyday issues in blue-collar America. The show has delved into gay rights, poverty, bullying and abortion, and ABC says the new spinoff will stay true to that ethos.
“Through it all, the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns – with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails,” ABC said in a press release.
Sara Gilbert, who plays Darlene, will stay on as the show’s executive producer.
