ABC Pulls Scheduled ‘Roseanne’ Episode Without Notice

ABC did not air their planned repeat episode of Roseanne on Tuesday night.

Viewers who expected to see a rerun of the just-cancelled sitcom were shown a repeat episode of The Middle in its place.

ABC had scheduled an episode of the show at 8 p.m. ET, but that is no longer the case due to the ongoing controversy surrounding star Roseanne Barr.

The network canceled the series on Tuesday after Barr said Valerie Jarrett, a former aid to Barack Obama, was a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and The Planet of the Apes.

Barr has since apologized for the racist remark and stayed silent on social media until late Tuesday night.

“I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” Barr wrote. “I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.”

The scheduled Roseanne episode was “Darlene v. David,” one the first season’s stronger selections that also featured less of Barr’s character.

The bulk of the episode is centered around Darlene Conner (Sara Gilbert) dealing with the unexpected return of her ex, David Healy (Johnny Galecki).

ABC viewers seemed surprised the network pulled the episode so quickly, but many were supportive of the decision.

“Dang. ABC meant what they said,” one viewer wrote. “Showing The Middle in Roseanne’s time slot. Pleasantly surprised.”

Some also suggested that the network should have aired one of its more diverse comedies, such as Black-ish or Fresh off the Boat to make a larger statement against Barr’s remark.

“I loved The Middle, but ABC could have aired Black-ish in the vacant Roseanne slot tonight,” one viewer wrote.

Roseanne will presumably not air next Tuesday night, either. Season 10’s episodes have been pulled from Hulu, but past seasons are still currently on Amazon Prime Video.