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‘Roseanne’ spinoff among possible shows to reappear on small screen
Is there life after “Roseanne”?
Weeks after ABC canceled its No. 1 show in the wake of star Roseanne Barr's racist tweeting, the network is seriously considering a pitch for a spinoff centered on middle Conner child Darlene, played by Sara Gilbert.
The network could decide any day.
One big catch:
The network is adamant that Barr cannot profit from the new show. That might be a problem given that Barr gets a creator credit on the original and might be entitled to some of the profits of any offshoot.
But Barr may have herself cleared the way for the spinoff to move forward.
The New York Post's Page Six reported yesterday that Barr is “seriously considering” giving up any potential paydays so that the cast and crew she loved can go back to work.
Barr tweeted last week, “I'm making restitution for the pain I have caused.”
ABC has plenty of financial incentive to move forward. Since it had already renewed “Roseanne” for a second season in March, it is contractually bound to pay stars Gilbert, John Goodman and recent Tony winner Laurie Metcalf approximately $3 million each anyway. The network might as well get something for that money. The curiosity factor alone would justify the attempt to continue the adventures of the Conners.
One easy scenario: Building off last season's stories, Roseanne Conner dies on the operating table during knee surgery due to complications from her opioid use.
“Darlene” jumps ahead several months, with the Conners moving on with their lives and Darlene more committed to living up to her and her mother's dream of becoming a writer.
“Roseanne” — or some remnant of it — is not the only show getting another shot.
Amazon picked up cosmos-hopping “The Expanse” after Syfy canceled it. But in what just might be a heavenly pass, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke told Deadline last week that the streaming service is particularly interested in Fox's “Lucifer,” canceled from Fox after its third season.
The hitch seems to revolve around distribution rights for the show's first two seasons, currently held by Hulu. But given her enthusiasm, it seems the #SaveLucifer social media campaign could be reaping rewards. We might just see a resolution to that mind-blowing cliffhanger in which Chloe (Lauren German) realized her partner really is the devil.
Many “Fear the Walking Dead” fans were outraged when the AMC series killed off its lead character, Madison, on Sunday. Fear no more for star Kim Dickens — she's set to reprise her role as Joanie in HBO's “Deadwood.” The premium cable channel prematurely canceled the curse-happy 1880 western in 2006, but is gathering the cast for a reunion film from creator David Milch to start filming in the fall.
Now that's something to swear about.
Now if HBO would only resurrect “Rome,” all would be right with the world — at least on television, anyway.