‘Roseanne’ Cancellation: All the Possible Spinoff Shows

ABC shocked the entertainment world Tuesday after canceling No.1 comedy Roseanne hours after star Roseanne Barr tweeted a racist comment about Valerie Jarret.

Along with resounding praise from big names in Hollywood, lauding the network for not standing by the comedian’s offensive rhetoric, many also felt sorry for cast and crew members who found themselves on broadcast television’s success story of the year one day, and unemployed the next.

All could not be lost however, as television shows have bounced back from the sudden departure of their stars before and, just because Roseanne is dead in the water, it does not mean its characters can’t live on in other ways.

Scroll through for some ideas on how to keep the Roseanne universe going, without Roseanne.

Conner House

After Roseanne does not survive her knee surgery, the Conner family works to rebuild their lives in Lanford, Illinois… with barely any mention of the lost matriarch and maybe a new Golden Retriever.

Darlene

After moving out of her parents’ home — finally sick of their ignorant rhetoric — Darlene moves into her own place in Lanford and explores life as a single mother… at least until David (Johnny Galecki) comes back into her life.

Roseanne-less

Nothing has to change on the series plot-wise from what it is now, they don’t even have to bring up Roseanne leaving the show. They can simply add a “-less” to the series intro when the title card comes in, and Dan can laugh at the end of the theme song. 

Geena with a Plan

Geena (Xosha Roquemore) returns home from the army following Roseanne’s death. The series follows the female, African-American veteran raising her daughter, while in a biracial relationship in Middle America.

Chuck and Anne-Marie

Following Roseanne’s death, focus shifts from the Conner family to their best friends Anne-Marie (Adilah Barnes) and Chuck’s (James Pickens Jr.) lives. All action can take place at their family home, with the occasional appearance from best friend Dan (John Goodman), who is now the silent partner in Chuck’s new construction company. 

Laurie

It’s about time somebody gave Laurie Metcalf her own show.

Set in an entirely different fictional American town, the series follows matriarch Laurie (Metcalf) as she helps her children Marlene (Sara Gilbert), CJ (Lecy Goranson) and Ricky (Michael Fishman) navigate adulthood. Her husband would be played by John Goodman and would also die a couple times during the show’s run. 

What Happened to Andy?

Roseanne fans asked what happened to Aunt Jackie’s son throughout the entire reboot season. The spinoff series would center on Andy becoming a secret agent and fighting crime around the world. In the pilot, it’s revealed he had to erase his family’s memories of him before going undercover, therefore explaining why they never talked about him. 

The Beckys

Becky #1 (Lecy Goranson) and Becky #2/Andrea (Sarah Chalke) run into each other at the Mexican restaurant and fall madly in love. Following Roseanne’s death, Becky is no longer afraid to accept her true feelings for Andrea and the two get married and spend five-to-ten seasons raising six adoptive children of different cultural backgrounds.

Last Dan Standing

After the death of his wife, Dan is left broken but determined to learn from his wife’s mistakes. The series follows Dan’s journey from not hesitating to call undocumented workers “illegals” to the day he recognizes his White Privilege for the first time. Then the show ends in an abrupt cut to black, Sopranos-style.

On the Boat

The series follows Roseanne’s fourth child Jerry Garcia Conner as he works and thrives on “that stupid fishing boat” he was explained to be living in during the reboot’s premiere episode.

No need to mention his family more than in the pilot where he reveals his mother is dead.