ABC Announces ‘Roseanne’ Spinoff…Without Roseanne

Oh man. It looks like a “Roseanne” spin-off is happening. But there’s a catch: No Roseanne.

BREAKING: ABC says it will air a Conner family sitcom minus Roseanne Barr this fall.

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 22, 2018

Following aggressive talks with exec producer Tom Werner, the Disney-owned broadcaster has handed out a 10-episode, straight-to-series order for Roseanne spinoff The Conners (working title). The new take, which will also be a multicamera comedy and premiere in the fall, will follow the Conner family who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.

ABC stressed in its announcement Thursday that former star Barr will have no financial or creative involvement in the new series. Werner and Barr reached an agreement that will allow Werner Entertainment to produce the spinoff for ABC without Barr’s further creative or financial participation. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Barr will retain all rights to her Roseanne Conner character and any future spinoffs beyond The Conners or any future reboots of the original.

Roseanne seems to be OK with it.

“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 said in a statement. Added Werner: “We are grateful to have reached this agreement to keep our team working as we continue to explore stories of the Conner family.”

ABC said, “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.”

It sounds like the other main cast members feel good about the decision too.

“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,” Goodman, Metcalf, Gilbert, Goranson and Fishman said in a joint statement. “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.”

Will it be as successful without Roseanne? I have a feeling people are going to tune in just to see how they’ll handle Roseanne’s absence, but I don’t think they’ll be able to maintain the audience. People are still ticked off by the double standard.

Will YOU tune in?

h/t Hollywood Reporter