Family comes first, say stars of Roseanne as the Conners go on without her

THE remaining stars of the Roseanne show – Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman – have given their first group interview since the show was cancelled after Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet.

The cast of The Conners – which debuts on US TV on October 16 – told People they are glad they have each other.

‘We’re leaning on each other when we do this show,’ said Goodman, 66, who returns as Dan Conner. ‘And supporting each other – that’s a very strong feeling among us.’

‘Any sadness that we feel over what we’ve lost we’re hopefully channelling in an honest way into the show,’ said Gilbert, above right with Metcalfe. ‘And our show has always been able to deal with heavy topics, particularly for a sitcom. It’s been kind of built into the mix.’

‘There was the feeling of not wanting it to go away until we were ready,’ added Goodman, right. ‘There was a debt owed to this fictional family. We want to finish telling this story.’

The Roseanne revival was a huge hit for ABC, and it was already renewed for a second season when Barr sent out a tweet on May 29, comparing former Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape.

Goodman said he was in his kitchen when either his daughter or wife told him about Barr’s tweet, adding, ‘It just didn’t seem true’ and he was ‘trying to accept it’. Gilbert, 43, added that she doesn’t remember much about her reaction to Barr’s tweet: ‘It was more just, “Okay, what are we dealing with today?”’

Laurie Metcalf, 63, was performing on Broadway, revealing her first thought was: ‘Oh, I wonder if we still have a show?’ She added that, coming off of ‘such a high’ with the new season, it was ‘hard to wrap our heads around’ the show’s sudden cancellation. Shortly after the Roseanne revival was cancelled, rumours started flying about a spin-off show that brings back the entire family, except Roseanne Conner. ABC issued a series order for The Conners in late June, less than a month after Barr’s tweet, and it was later revealed that Barr will not have any, ‘creative or financial ties’ to the show.

‘That was a very big deal,’ Goodman said. ‘To give us a chance.’

The Roseanne Conner character will be reportedly killed off in some way in the October 16 premiere.

ABC also announced a new cast member last month, Maya Lynne Robinson, who comes aboard as Geena Williams-Conner, the wife of DJ (Michael Fishman) who returns home after serving in Afghanistan.

‘It’s different, but we can create something new from it,’ said Goodman. ‘Let us finish the story on our own terms. Come along with us and see how we do.’