It's official: On June 21, ABC ordered a Roseanne spinoff called The Conners to air this fall. In the announcement for the series, ABC made clear that former star Roseanne Barr will not be financially or creatively involved in the spinoff series. Roseanne Barr responded to the Roseanne spinoff in a statement to Bustle, in which she confirmed she will not be involved in the new series:
“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."
Barr also 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.
Werner will remain an executive producer on The Conners and he said in a 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 officially announced a 10-episode order for The Conners (the spinoff's working title) on June 21. The network said the following in a statement within the announcement: “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."
The spinoff series will take over the Roseanne reboot's former timeslot, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. The Conners will center around Dan (John Goodman), Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), Darlene (Sara Gilbert), Becky (Lecy Goranson), and D.J. (Michael Fishman) who are all returning for 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.”
It's unclear how The Conners will explain the absence of Barr's character, but the spinoff's official description from ABC did acknowledge the series may be going in a slightly different direction:
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.
On May 29, the Roseanne reboot was canceled by ABC after Barr made a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. Barr apologized for the tweet. ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey issued the following statement to Bustle regarding Roseanne's cancellation at the time:
"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
Since Roseanne's cancellation, some fans hoped and lobbied for the series to return without its namesake involved. For the past month, rumors circulated that a Roseanne spinoff could be in the works at ABC, but fans did not receive confirmation of the spinoff until now. So now, The Conners will debut on ABC this fall.
