ABC Picks Up ‘Roseanne’ Spinoff Straight to Series

ABC has ordered a spinoff of Roseanne straight to series for this fall.

The Conners (working title) will star John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman. 

Roseanne Barr, whose controversial Twitter comments recently prompted ABC to cancel Roseanne, will not be involved with the new series.

The Conners’ stories demonstrate that families can always find common ground through conversation, laughter and love,” ABC said in a statement. “The spinoff will continue to portray contemporary issues that are as relevant today as they were 30 years ago.”

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The series comes from Tom Werner and Werner Entertainment with Werner executive producing. Gilbert, Bruce Helford, Dave Caplan, Bruce Rasmussen and Tony Hernandez also serve as executive producers. Helford, Caplan and Rasmussen are writers on the series as well.

“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 cast members Goodman, Metcalf, Gilbert, Goranson and Fishman in a 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.”

Trouble began brewing for Roseanne in May after show matriarch Roseanne Barr compared Valerie Jarrett, a former top aide to President Obama, to an ape.

"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," said ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey.

Jessika Walsten

Jessika is an analyst for TVREV and Fabric Media. She previously served in various roles at Broadcasting + Cable, Multichannel News and NextTV, working with the brands since 2013. A graduate of USC Annenberg, Jessika has edited and reported on a variety of subjects in the media and entertainment space, including profiles on industry leaders and breaking news.