ABC orders spinoff without Roseanne
ABC, which canceled its “Roseanne” revival over its star’s racist tweet, said Thursday it will air a Conner family sitcom minus Roseanne Barr this fall.
ABC ordered 10 episodes of the spinoff after Barr relinquished any creative or financial participation in it, which the network had said was a condition of such a series.
In a statement issued by the show’s producer, Barr said she agreed to the settlement to save the jobs of 200 cast and crew members who were idled when “Roseanne” was canceled last month.
“I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from ‘Roseanne,’ she said, adding, “I wish the best for everyone involved.”
The revival of the hit 1988-97 sitcom “Roseanne” was swiftly axed by ABC last month after Barr posted a tweet likening former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and “Planet of the Apes.”
ABC said that the new series, with “The Conners” as its working title, will star John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman.
How Barr’s character, the family matriarch, will be erased from their lives was left unexplained for now by ABC.