The Conners, the Roseanne spin-off that emerged after the reboot was canceled in the wake of a racist Twitter tirade from its star, Roseanne Barr, is slated to premiere on ABC on October 16th. Little is known about how the show will move on without the woman who started it all, but, if comments from actor John Goodman are to be taken literally, it appears ABC is going the Two and a Half Men route of killing her off.
In a lovely, emotional interview with The Times, Goodman said the new series will find his character, Dan Conner, “mopey and sad because his wife’s dead.” ABC hasn’t confirmed that Roseanne will be dead when The Conners premieres, but it seems an odd choice of words if he were speaking figuratively.
It also sounds in line with ABC’s previously released synopsis for the new series, which reads:
After a sudden turn of events, the Conners are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before. This iconic family – Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky and D.J. – grapples with parenthood, dating, an unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging, and in-laws in working-class America. Through it all, the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns – with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails.
As the above description makes clear, The Conners will welcome back stars Sara Gilbert (Darlene), Laurie Metcalf(Jackie), Lecy Goranson (Becky), and Michael Fishman (D.J.).
Goodman was tight-lipped when asked about Roseanne‘s cancellation—”I was surprised at the response,” he said—but did assert that he knows “for a fact that [Barr] is not a racist.”
He added, “She had to sign a paper saying that she relinquished all her rights to the show so that we could go on. I sent her an email and thanked her for that. I did not hear anything back, but she was going through hell at the time. And she’s still going through hell.”
The QAnon crowd’s gonna go wild with this, aren’t they?