‘The Conners’ Executives Give Insight Into Conversations With Cast Following ‘Roseanne’ Cancellation

ABC’s decision to move forward on a Roseanne spinout without Roseanne Barr was not one made in haste, executive producers of The Conners told Variety on Wednesday. In fact, the network relied on the supporting actors to even entertain the idea of a spinoff.

“It was a huge vote of confidence to get all these actors back. These actors are in tremendous demand and they didn’t have to come back and do this,” executive producer Dave Caplan said. “The fact that they wanted to and they knew they were going to be challenged by the scripts that we’re writing and they knew they wanted the legacy of the show to be what it deserves to be. It was a real blessing for us and I think it says a lot about what they think of the show.”

Fellow executive producer Bruce Rasmussen agreed, adding that the cast and crew also communicated on what kind of tone the show would take when it came to dealing with Barr’s absence.

“Very few shows have gone on after the lead character has left, so part of it was how do we make a show that works without that central character?” Rasmussen said. “It was a little surprising to me that it was as easy as it was to move forward without that character, but the other characters came to the forefront more. We’re going to get more involved in the characters’ personal lives this year. It really is where are they at in their lives now and what does that mean and what are they going to be dealing with?”

The two producers refused to reveal if Barr’s prediction — that her character would be killed off by an opioid overdose — is correct, partly because they want viewers to experience it for themselves, but also because they want to treat the character’s departure with respect.

“We want people to watch the show and see what happens and how we [wrote Roseanne off],” Rasmussen explained. “You don’t want to be flip about how you do this. A lot of people cared about that character and it’s separate from whatever feelings they had about the person and her political views and the things she said. We wanted to honor that character. People can have their opinions after that.”

Those opinions range all over the spectrum, but many agreed that Roseanne was political. When asked if The Conners would be equally as political, Rasmussen said that while it could be perceived that way, that wasn’t the producers’ or the writers’ intention.

“We are living in a time where people are very anxious and can’t afford to go to the doctor and all that other stuff,” Rasmussen said. “So we’re writing in the same way we wrote last year about the economic things. If some of those feel political, they’re political, but we’re not doing any more of the Trump stuff. It’s more about working-class people and how they live their lives. If that comes off as political in spots then that’s how people will perceive it.”

Those worried about the longevity of the show without Barr’s character shouldn’t be, Caplan said, as it forces other characters to “step up and fill a void.”

“What’s interesting about the absence of the Roseanne character is that these other characters have to step up and fill a void. It puts them through changes that are interesting for people that know these characters,” Caplan explained. “And even if they’ve never watched the show before it’s still going to be fascinating to see how people adapt when something happens in their lives. Everyone has tragedies in their lives, or has someone they love leave them. And you have to adapt and you have to grow, and that’s what these characters are going to be going through in an interesting way.”

They even said it wasn’t all sunshine and roses once Barr was booted from the network for her racist tweet sent in May. The producers explained that the “history” many of Barr’s co-stars had with her made it difficult to get back to work right away.

“It was cathartic for everybody. There were a lot of people on the stage that were close to Roseanne Barr. And while nobody condoned what she said, there was history there of people that worked together for a long time,” Caplan said. “Doing these new episodes were a little bittersweet to begin with and now they’re morphing into a new normal that feels really good and positive.”

Caplan offered a teaser about the opening line that will surely have fans waiting on the edge of their seats before the show’s premiere. “The opening line will be reflective of the new dynamic of the characters and we hope will still give people the same feeling of family and joy they have from the previous one,” he said.

The Conners premieres Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.