Austin American-Statesman

ABC plans ‘Roseanne’ spinoff — but without Roseanne Barr

- John Koblin ©2018 The New York Times

Roseanne Barr may be finished, but the Conners are not.

Less than a month after ABC canceled the hit revival of “Roseanne” because of a racist tweet by Barr, the network has decided to go forward with a spinoff that will not include her. ABC said Barr would not receive any payment from the network for the spinoff series, which is tentativel­y titled “The Conners.”

The sitcom that bore her name was canceled in May after Barr used her Twitter account to liken Valerie Jarrett, a former special adviser to President Barack Obama who is African-American, to the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhoo­d and “Planet of the Apes.” ABC ended the series the day after Barr posted the line on Twitter.

The spinoff, which is scheduled to return to ABC in the fall, will include the principal cast members John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert. The writing staff and top producers, including Tom Werner of Werner Entertainm­ent, will return as well. The Roseanne character’s daughter, Darlene, who is played by Gilbert, is expected to be the new anchor of the family.

How the writers will explain the absence of its former protagonis­t remains a question.

In a statement, Barr said: “I regret the circumstan­ces that have caused me to be removed from ‘Roseanne.’ I agreed to the settlement in order that 200 jobs of beloved cast and crew could be saved, and I wish the best for everyone involved.”

In a joint statement, Goodman, Gilbert, Metcalf and fellow cast members Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman said: “We have received a tremendous amount of support from fans of our show, and it’s clear that these characters not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience.

“We all came back last season because we wanted to tell stories about the challenges facing a working-class family today,” the statement continued. “We are so happy to have the opportunit­y to return with the cast and crew to continue to share those stories through love and laughter.”

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