Could the Roseanne revival be canceled not long after it hits the ground? If a vocal group of critics get their way, it just might.
The revival of the popular ’80s and ’90s sitcom has generated huge attention and plenty of controversy as well. Since the original show went off the air, Roseanne Barr has gone from an attempt to run for president on the far-left Green Party (and a subsequent run on the Peace and Freedom Party) to one of Hollywood’s most vocal supporters of President Donald Trump, and that support has become a central theme of the show. It has also led to a small but quickly growing movement on social media to call for ABC to cancel the show , one that Newshub noted began months before the show even aired and has built up steam as it made its debut this week.
As Roseanne shot to the top of Twitter trends after its debut on Tuesday, many fans said they were boycotting the revival due to the actress’ (and her character’s) vocal Trump support. Roseanne Barr has defended Trump against allegations that he is racist and homophobic, earning scorn from many on the left.
It is not clear how long the calls to cancel Roseanne will last, as outlets including the Hollywood Reporter noted that Roseanne’s Trump support is not set to be one of the central themes of the show (and that the revival will not be one-dimensional in support of Trump).
Some close to the show have also tried to warn viewers not to make any snap judgments.
“You have to give the show about three episodes to see what it really is,” showrunner Bruce Helford told the Hollywood Reporter . “Don’t just go with what you hear; go with what you see.”
But a large contingent of viewers seemed to have their minds made up, with many taking to Twitter to call on ABC to cancel the show over the views of Roseanne Barr herself, not the show’s content. They noted her history of sharing conspiracy theories aimed at Hillary Clinton and her recent criticism of the student-survivors-turned-activists at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
https://twitter.com/AarSim/status/978807747675336716
. @ABCnetwork should pre-emptively cancel the Roseanne reboot. It’s a mess before it even starts. https://t.co/kHEI522T6v
— ? George #BLM (@GML07) March 28, 2018
https://twitter.com/ijustwannapost/status/978699714899177475
It is not clear how effective the efforts to get ABC to cancel Roseanne might be. As Deadline noted last year, the network had already ordered additional episodes , which was seen as a “good omen” for the series.
