Several weeks after the network's decision to cancel Roseanne, ABC has today confirmed that it is moving forward with a spinoff titled The Conners - without controversial star Roseanne Barr. The first season will include 10 episodes and take over the Tuesdays at 8/7c. time slot this fall.
The Conners 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.
Furthermore, it has been confirmed today that Rosanne Barr will not receive any further creative or financial participation in the spinoff. Talks for the new series were made complicated by the original show being based on a character created by Barr. As such, that entitled her to compensation for any spinoffs that came out of that universe. That meant that Werner Entertainment had to negotiate with Barr to get her to walk away from the series completely.
Returning stars include John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman.
Bruce Helford will return as showrunner of the new episodes. He will executive produce with Tom Werner, Sara Gilbert, Dave Caplan, Bruce Rasmussen and Tony Hernandez.
"I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from Roseanne," said Barr. "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."
"We are grateful to have reached this agreement to keep our team working as we continue to explore stories of the Conner family," added Werner.
"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," said Goodman, Metcalf, Gilbert, Goranson and Fishman 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."
