ABC Plans a ‘Roseanne’ Spinoff, Without Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Barr may be finished, but the Conners are not.

Less than a month after ABC canceled the hit revival of “Roseanne” because of a racist tweet by Barr, the network has decided to go forward with a spinoff that will not include her. ABC said Barr would not receive any payment from the network for the spinoff series, which is tentatively titled “The Conners.”

The sitcom that bore her name was canceled in May after Barr used her Twitter account to liken Valerie Jarrett, a former special adviser to President Barack Obama who is African-American, to the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and “Planet of the Apes.” ABC ended the series the day after Barr posted the line on Twitter.

The spinoff, which is scheduled to return to ABC in the fall, will include the principal cast members John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert. The writing staff and top producers, including Tom Werner of Werner Entertainment, will return, as well. The Roseanne character’s daughter, Darlene, who is played by Gilbert, is expected to be the new anchor of the family.

How the writers will explain the absence of its former protagonist remains an open question.

In a statement, Barr said: “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.”

In a joint statement, Goodman, Gilbert, Metcalf and fellow cast members Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman said: “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,” the statement continued. “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.”