‘Roseanne’ Spinoff May Be Titled ‘The Conners’

ABC is reportedly close to a deal to bring back Roseanne in the form of a spinoff, and we now have a possible title for it: The Conners.

On Friday, Deadline published a wide-ranging update on the proposed spinoff, with title details being one of the latest tidbits.

Many had assumed that the show would be titled Darlene with Sara Gilbert stepping up to fill the void left in Roseanne Barr’s absence. However, ABC may choose to push the ensemble nature of the series by titling it after the entire family as opposed to one member.

“I hear another name that is under consideration is The Conners, which would keep the strong ties to the original series without any Roseanne references while also underscoring the show’s family and ensemble nature,” reporter Nellie Andreeva wrote.

While nothing is set in stone, The Conners title would work well for fans. Viewers who are less enthusiastic about it being Darlene-centered would be able to rejoice in knowing that the show will be centered around the whole family.

If The Conners is chosen, it would follow similar past shows as the late ’80s NBC sitcom Valerie. The title character was played by Valerie Harper, who left the show after two seasons due to a dispute with producers. The show then was re-branded as The Hogan Family and centered around Valerie’s family members.

Elsewhere in Deadline‘s report, Andreeva’s sources mirror the other leaked aspects of the spinoff’s production.

Barr, who was fired after posting a racist tweet in May, is expected to sign away her rights to the spinoff’s profits in exchange for a lump-sum. After that agreement is finalized, ABC is expected to reveal its official plans within the week.

All the Roseanne cast members, minus Barr, are expected to return. This includes John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Gilbert. Most of the behind-the scenes staff are expected to return, as well, with producers allegedly offering similar agreements as to the ones in place for Roseanne‘s 11th season, which was stopped on the first day of writing.

There is no word on when the spinoff will air on ABC. The network has yet to announce a replacement for Roseanne‘s time slot, leading to believe that this spinoff could fill that space. However, production may not be fired up and ready in time to make the start of the fall TV season.

No others details on the spinoff are available at this time.

Seasons 1-9 of Roseanne are still streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Season 10 has been taken out of syndication by ABC and is no longer available on Hulu.