The Conners Are Back: ABC Confirms Roseanne Spinoff, Sans Roseanne

ABC has confirmed that a Roseanne spinoff—operating under the working title The Conners—is officially in the works, minus Roseanne Barr, according to THR.

Following a damning racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, ABC canceled the rebooted Roseanne. ABC President Channing Dungey called Barr’s tweet “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values” as Barr flailed to blame the tweets on Ambien, then later claimed they were about anti-semitism, convincing precisely no one.

Many applauded the network for canceling the show, especially given that Roseanne dominated the ratings during last year’s broadcast season. Now, after lengthy talks with executive producer Tom Werner, the Conners are coming back. The spinoff will follow the Conner family after a sudden turn of events as they navigate issues like “parenthood, an unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging and in-laws in working-class America,” ABC says.

The spinoff will fill Roseanne’s 8 p.m. time slot on Tuesday nights, allowing the latter’s cast and crew to continue working minus the toxic publicity of the show’s controversial star. Barr signed an agreement with Werner Entertainment, in which she gave up all creative and financial participation in the new series, though she will maintain rights to her Roseanne Conner character.

Roseanne stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman are returning for The Conners, as are the reboot’s showrunners and creative team. The new series has been green-lit for a ten-episode run and will follow its predecessor’s multi-camera format.

Read our take on why Roseanne never should have been rebooted in the first place here and stay tuned for further updates on The Conners.