‘Roseanne’ not likely to resurface elsewhere
ABC saw its most valuable entertainment property, “Roseanne,” burn to the ground this week, courtesy of star and Twitter arsonist Roseanne Barr.
After the network’s swift cancellation of the hit revival — just hours after the actress-comedian’s racist tweet — is there any way “Roseanne” can come back from the dead again?
Although “Roseanne’s” large audience and accompanying ad dollars seem appetizing, it’s difficult to envision a scenario in which the comedy is exhumed by another network or streaming service because of expected PR blowback.
Creatively, it would be almost impossible to separate the show from its namesake star, even if it killed off its central character. Barr’s singular comedic style is the show’s voice and was the main reason it became a hit when it premiered in the late 1980s. It’s not “Roseanne” without Roseanne, and viewers might not be as interested.
Barr can’t just be cut loose, either: She’s a creator and executive producer who would continue to have approval rights and profits from the show. Any network that picked it up could therefore be accused of condoning — or at least excusing — her behavior.
Besides, Barr’s tweet erodes the value of the series. It likely would lose both a sizable portion of its huge audience (23 million viewers for its nineepisode spring season) and advertisers, who typically avoid any controversy.
Fox, despite surface appearances, seems an unlikely home. The network is reviving “Last Man Standing,” canceled last year by ABC, which stars outspoken conservative Tim Allen. But unlike “Roseanne,” produced by the Carsey-Werner studio, Fox owns “Last Man,” so it has a financial stake in extending the sitcom.
Even if a network picked up “Roseanne,” what would it be getting?
Barr has lost support within the show, leaving any reconstruction project likely to be shorthanded. Executive producer Tom Werner spoke out in support of ABC’s decision. Comedian Wanda Sykes, a consulting producer, quit the series just before ABC canceled it, and co-stars Sara Gilbert, an executive producer, and Emma Kenney distanced themselves after Barr’s tweet.
ABC, which will see a significant loss in advertising dollars, will survive; “Roseanne,” it appears, won’t.