Life after Roseanne:

Sara Gilbert talks about her spin-off sitcom.

In the spin-off TV comedy series The

Conners, the family from Roseanne are now forced to face the daily struggles of life following the death of their matriarch. In reality, Roseanne Barr was fired from her hit comedy role after making what were viewed as racist comments on Twitter. Jenny Cooney Carrillo sat down with Sara Gilbert, who plays Darlene, to talk about where to now for

The Conners and why she decided to go to Yale while filming the original

Roseanne in

the 90s. When did you realise the show might continue without Roseanne? It was a few weeks before we knew for sure The Conners would move forward. Shortly after the cancellation, the network approached us to see if there was a viable way forward so we had some meetings and then it became a business issue of getting the contracts back in order because nothing like this had ever happened before so there was a lot to figure out.

Have you spoken to Roseanne since she was fired?

I reached out to her, but we have not spoken yet.

“Growing up in Hollywood was such an insulated experience, I really wanted to broaden my horizon and then try to bring that back into whatever I created later.”

– Sara Gilbert

How did you come up with a storyline to explain her absence?

That story was something that the writers really worked on and considered and eventually they all reached a decision that it was the best way forward.

How did it feel to go through that process of writing her off the show?

As a cast, I think we have always trusted the writers but because coming back had its fair share of emotions, it allowed us to channel that into the work in a really honest way and while there were parts of it that were difficult, we also got to speak about the kind of issue our show has always tried to tackle and allowed us to explore what happens to a family after that issue takes away its matriarch. But we also pay homage to the character of Roseanne Conner, who means so much to so many people.

Why do you think The Conners matters to so many people?

I feel in art it’s our duty to hold up a mirror to the culture and to try to serve people and tell their stories. I feel that responsibility even more now, during these polarising times we live in. I think you’re always trying to thread the needle to tell people’s stories without getting them wrong or offending them, and that can be difficult to do so I’m proud of that relationship we have created with our audience.

You were instrumental in reaching out to the actors and pitching the

Roseanne TV reunion. Does this show still achieve what you wanted?

I always felt like the show wasn’t done telling stories about the working class. We represented a certain group of the population that sometimes are under-represented, and that we had this unique way of being funny but also tackling really serious subjects too, like domestic abuse and gay rights. I still feel there is a place for that and that’s why we wanted to continue.

Why did you go to Yale University while filming the original Roseanne?

I had done the Roseanne show almost my whole life. I started acting when I was six and then I started that show when I was 13, and I took a year off after high school because I had spent my whole life going to set school and then going to work and I felt jealous that the adults could just go to work and then take a break instead of going to school. My mom made me feel like college was my only option and I was grateful I went. Growing up in Hollywood was such an insulated experience, I really wanted to broaden my horizon and then try to bring that back into whatever I created later. It was definitely an adjustment, being in a little dorm alone having to write 20-page papers, but it was worthwhile.