After a month of rumors swirling, ABC announced a Roseanne spinoff called The Conners on June 21. The network has officially ordered 10 episodes of the spinoff series starring the rest of the Conner family. In a press release, ABC confirmed that Roseanne Barr will not have any financial or creative involvement in this TV series. Barr released the following joint statement with executive producer Tom Werner to Bustle:
Tom Werner and Roseanne Barr have reached an agreement that will allow Werner Entertainment to produce a spinoff of the Roseanne series for ABC without Barr’s further creative or financial participation.
As the title suggests, ABC's The Conners will star Dan (John Goodman), Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), Darlene (Sara Gilbert), Becky (Lecy Goranson), and D.J. (Michael Fishman) in the spinoff, as per ABC's announcement. The spinoff's returning actors release the following joint statement in ABC's announcement:
“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. 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.”
The Conners (which ABC's announcement pointed out is a working title for the show) will premiere his fall and air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. — which was Roseanne's old timeslot. "The Conners stories demonstrate that families can always find common ground through conversation, laughter and love. The spinoff will continue to portray contemporary issues that are as relevant today as they were 30 years ago,” ABC said in a statement.
The spinoff series will seem to showcase the Conner family in a new light. ABC released the following description of the show in their press release for The Conners:
After a sudden turn of events, the Conners are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before. This iconic family – Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky and D.J. – grapples with parenthood, dating, an unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging and in-laws in working-class America. Through it all, the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns – with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails.
As ABC's announcement stated, Barr will not be involved in the spinoff series and she released the following statement to Bustle
“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."
Roseanne executive producer Tom Werner issued this statement to Bustle: “We are grateful to have reached this agreement to keep our team working as we continue to explore stories of the Conner family.”
ABC canceled the Roseanne reboot on May 29 after Barr made a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. Barr apologized for the tweet. Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment issued the following statement to Bustle regarding the cancellation in May:
"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
The confirmation of the Roseanne spinoff followed nearly a month of rumors and speculation that the reboot of the beloved '90s TV series could return without its titular star. Fans even lobbied for the show to continue without its namesake star at the helm, but while there were many rumors out there, there has not been confirmation of the spinoff series until now.
