Onlookers have long tried to guess how ABC will reassemble the Conner family ever since word broke that the network had scrapped one of its most popular series, the Roseanne revival, back in May. The series was originally canceled after star Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet about a former Obama adviser drew the company’s ire. ABC has since announced a spinoff series, tentatively named The Conners, but one question remains: How will the replacement series explain the absence of the revival’s star, Roseanne Barr herself?
Apparently, the character will be killed off.
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Word of the character’s fate comes straight from one of the series’ own stars, John Goodman, who recently spoke with The Sunday Times. In an interview, Goodman revealed that the fate of his own character, Dan, is up in the air, but he probably won’t fare well if the network goes through with its plans to off Roseanne herself.
“It’s an unknown,” said Goodman. “I guess he’ll be mopey and sad because his wife’s dead.”
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ABC has not officially revealed how Roseanne will be written off the show, only that she will not appear in the spinoff The Conners. Whatever method the network decides to employ to exit her character from the larger storyline will need to be figured out soon, as the premiere date for The Conners is rapidly approaching. Last month, ABC announced that The Conners is aiming for a mid-October release date.
At the time of its cancellation, the Roseanne revival was one of the most popular shows on television. The series was canceled by Disney after Barr tweeted disparaging, racist comments about Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser to former United States President Barack Obama. ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey was quick to issue a statement condemning Barr’s tweet as “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent” with the network’s values. The series was swiftly canceled and even removed from services like TV Land and Hulu.
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Barr has come to her own defense since her firing, calling defenders of former Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn hypocrites for not siding with her. Gunn’s years-old tweets contained controversial jokes about rape and pedophilia, while Barr’s very recent tweet about Valerie Jarret made racist allusions to a “muslim brotherhood” and “planet of the apes.”
The Conners is set to premiere on ABC on Oct. 16.
(via Deadline)