ABC/Adam Rose Pictured: Roseanne Barr and John Goodman on "Roseanne"
The hit show Roseanne was abruptly canceled after a successful revival season, when star Roseanne Barr tweeted an offensive comment, comparing political figure Valerie Jarrett to an ape. Many of the show’s cast, writers, and crew members voiced their outrage to the media and online. Barr appeared to unravel and ultimately signed over her financial rights and participation in the series so her fellow cast members and others didn’t have to lose their jobs, as reported by CNN. Barr had stated that she signed over her life’s work in the wake of her destructive tweet, according to E! News. She went on to say, “I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from Roseanne. I agreed to the settlement in order that 200 jobs of beloved cast and crew could be saved, and I wish the best for everyone involved.”
Barr also issued an apology for the tweet that got her fired and caused the media storm. But, there was no going back. Roseanne was canceled and the cast has carried on to help create the spinoff The Conners without the show’s matriarch.
So, what happened to Roseanne’s character “Roseanne”? What is Roseanne’s fate on the show? If you really want to know, we have some answers for you.
According to Roseanne Barr, herself, she said on Brandon Straka’s YouTube show “Walk Away” that, “They have her die of an opioid overdose.” In addition, John Goodman, who plays Roseanne’s husband, Dan, on the show, said that on The Conners, his character will start out “mopey and sad because his wife’s dead,” as reported by ABC News.
On Good Morning America, Goodman talked about what it was like to carry on with the cast without Roseanne Barr and he said, “The first week was really weird. It was like there was a death in the family. We really missed her a whole lot … We just tried to do our best to fill in, and we are just thankful for the opportunity to be able to do it again.” He also said, “It’s really difficult and difficult in real life as well.” So, not only do the characters deal with the death of Roseanne, the cast members do as well.
But, this wouldn’t be the first time that a show’s main character was killed off of a sitcom. When actor John Ritter unexpectedly died from heart problems on September 11, 2003, he was starring on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. The exact cause of death was an aortic dissection. The show decided to continue on and have Ritter’s character die on an episode. In the heartbreaking episode, matriarch Cate rushes out of the house after a phone call about her husband, Paul. Paul, who was the star of the show, had died, and the episode showed how each of the family members dealt with his passing. It was raw and very touching, according to Seattle PI.
New cast members joined the show as family members who decided to step in after the death of the family’s patriarch. Actor James Garner moved in as Cate’s father, while David Spade joined the show as Cate and Paul’s nephew, CJ Barnes.
8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter continued to carry on as a hit show. So, for those wondering if The Conners could be a flop, there’s a very good chance it will succeed. There have been reports that some Roseanne fans are hoping the new show will fail and they are trying to boycott The Conners, as reported by E! News. Some fans have voiced on social media that they will not watch the show without Roseanne Barr on it. Others have said they’ll watch the show and some have commanded, “Don’t watch The Conners.”
When talking about fans who say they won’t watch the show, during an interview on Good Morning America, actor John Goodman’s reason to watch The Conners was, “It don’t cost nothin’.” Gilbert then chimed in and pleaded with Roseanne fans to “give it a shot”. Gilbert asked that fans see how they handle life without Roseanne, explaining that they’re trying to tell the same “honest stories” and they hope fans will “come along for the ride.”
Whatever happens, Roseanne Barr will not be on The Conners … at least not any time soon.