Sara Gilbert Says She's 'So Excited' Over 'Roseanne' Spinoff, 'The Conners'

Sara Gilbert said she is 'so excited' after ABC picked up the Roseanne spinoff, The Conners, for [...]

Sara Gilbert said she is "so excited" after ABC picked up the Roseanne spinoff, The Conners, for 10 episodes in the fall.

Monday's episode of The Talk started with the other co-hosts congratulating Gilbert on the news. But after big build-up from Sharon Osbourne, Gilbert did not have much to say about The Conners.

"I'm so excited, thank you all so much. I really appreciate it," Gilbert said, before Osborne then moved the show on to another topic.

The Conners will also star John Goodman, Lecy Goranson, Michael Fishman and Laurie Metcalf.

On Thursday, ABC officially greenlit The Conners, which will focus on the family without Roseanne Barr's titular character. ABC has not said how Barr will be written out or killed off on the show, but the official plot synopsis mentions a "sudden turn of events" that shakes up the Conner household.

When ABC announced the new show, Gilbert, Goodman, Metcalf, Goranson and Fishman issued a joint statement, celebrating the continuation of Roseanne.

"We have received a tremendous amount of support from fans of our show, and it's clear that these characters not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience," the quintet said. "We all came back last season because we wanted to tell stories about the challenges facing a working-class family today. We are so happy to have the opportunity to return with the cast and crew to continue to share those stories through love and laughter."

Roseanne was expected to return for an 11th season in the fall, following last season's successful revival. However, ABC cancelled the show just hours after Barr tweeted a racist message about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. In an interview with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach that was finally published this weekend, Barr said she tried to contact Jarrett to apologize and said she thought Jarrett was white.

Barr also told Boteach that ABC asked her to get off Twitter once they agreed to bring back Roseanne. However, Barr did not stay off Twitter when the episodes aired, and even live tweeted during the season. She also continued promoting conspiracy theories and would "leave" Twitter, only to return a day or two later.

"I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from Roseanne," Barr said in a statement Thursday. "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."

The Conners will air on ABC on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET, the same timeslot it planned to air Roseanne in.

2comments