ABC is allegedly worried about their decision to cancel the Roseanne revival, and fire the show’s star, Roseanne Barr, from the network.
According to an October 11 report by Daily Mail , network execs at ABC are worried that the show’s spin-off series, The Conners, isn’t going to do well without Roseanne Barr’s character.
Sources inside the network claim that The Conners may not be well received by fans who were angered by Roseanne’s firing, and that some execs believe that Barr was terminated too quickly as a knee-jerk reaction following her racist Twitter comments about former Obama staffer, Valerie Jarrett.
“We didn’t think it through properly. What Roseanne did was wrong but we shouldn’t have rushed to fire her. It was almost a knee-jerk reaction by Ben [Sherwood] and Channing [Dungey] who should have launched an investigation. This would have given them more time to listen to the public, advertisers and cast members to determine the best decision,” the source revealed.
The insider went on to reveal that other options could have been exhausted to save Roseanne and Barr’s job after the scandal.
“They could’ve suspended her from the first few episodes without pay and had her return later on in the season. I mean the season finale saw Roseanne going to the hospital for knee surgery. While they worked out her fate, her character could have faced serious complications and fought for her life, while simultaneously making Roseanne fight for her career with a national apology tour,” the source dished.
Roseanne Barr’s Twitter controversy blew up quickly, with many celebrities speaking out on her racially insensitive tweets. Even multiple members of the Roseanne cast, as well as other ABC shows, spoke out about the comments and applauded the network’s decision to terminate their affiliation with Barr almost immediately.
Say cheese! #TheConners pic.twitter.com/Fp9ZI0sCtt
— The Conners (@TheConnersABC) October 11, 2018
Soon after Barr’s firing, it was announced that the Roseanne cast had banded together to create the show’s spin-off series, The Conners, which will feature the entire cast minus Barr. It’s thought that the character of Roseanne Conner will be revealed as dead in the premiere episode.
Meanwhile, the show’s original stars, John Goodman (Dan Conner), Sara Gilbert (Darlene Conner), Lecy Goranson (Becky Conner), Michael Fishman (DJ Conner), and Laurie Metcalf (Jackie Harris), will return to pick up the slack and continue the stories of the fictional family, who will likely be dealing with the loss of their matriarch.
The Conners is set to premiere on ABC on October 16.
