Roseanne spinoff picks up steam at ABC with star Roseanne Barr now probably out of the picture
The blue-collared world of Roseanne exploded back on May 29 when sitcom star Roseanne Barr sent out a tweet - deemed racist by a vast majority - kickstarting a series of unfortunate events for her cast members and the show. In fact, within hours of the social media post going public, ABC condemned the post (about Valerie Jarrett, the senior adviser to Barack Obama) and even went on to cancel the series.
The step was taken despite the enormous rating the show had garnered since it's revival back in March. A little less than a month since the abrupt cancellation of 'Roseanne', however, a spinoff series based on the character played by Sara Gilbert is believed to be in the works at ABC.
According to reports, development on the spinoff is underway minus any involvement from Barr, as was the condition proposed by both the network and producer Carsey-Werner. Apparently, ABC was insistent that the comedian waives off any rights, creative or financial, to the new series that already has support from other cast and crew members including Gilbert, John Goodman, and Laurie Metcalf.
Sources now claim that Barr has agreed to relinquish any part in the spinoff, the discussion persists over a one-time payment that the comedian would receive as "go-away money", reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Of course, until the deal is finalized and until a formal word from ABC, the news should be consumed with a pinch of salt. In addition to getting Barr to waive off her rights, it also depends on the Disney-owned network to officially pick up the show - possibly for the slot left vacant by 'Roseanne' after its May cancellation, which ABC is yet to fill up with a replacement?
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values,” Channing Dungey, ABC’s entertainment president said in a statement confirming the news. While the stringent step has received a mixed response from fans and critics of the show, Hollywood has more or less condemned the racist message shared by Barr.
In fact, the recent MTV Movie & TV Awards provided the perfect platform for stars to voice their stand on the entire issue. And Marvel star Michael B. Jordan, who picked the Best Villain award on Monday night for playing Erik Killmonger in 'Black Panther', was hardly hesitant while airing his opinion.
“I’m shocked that I won this award for Best Villain,” Jordan joked adding, “I thought for sure Roseanne had that in the bag.”