‘The Conners’ Spinoff Greeted by Mixed Reaction on Social Media

ABC announced a 10-episode order of The Conners, a spinoff of the hit sitcom Roseanne, to air this fall and while the cast of the show is thrilled to be returning to television, fans on social media were somewhat split.

The original Roseanne starred Roseanne Barr, who infamously caused the series’ cancellation after posting a racist tweet back in May. ABC confirmed in a statement that she would have no creative influence or financial ties to the show, and that left some fans angered.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not watching [The Conners] without [Roseanne Barr],” one fan wrote. “There’s been a flagrant double-standard for liberal actors in Hollywood.”

“No one is going to watch ‘The Conners,’” wrote another. “Where’s the conflict without Roseanne? Without Roseanne’s brash views, Dan’s garage drinking goes unexplained & half of Darlene’s stories have no foil. It’s just Middle America Will & Grace.“

Others wanted to entire show to be thrown out, regardless of Barr’s lack of involvement.

“Here’s an idea. Let’s do a show where I work as a cocktail waitress in a casino and have a family and act (loose term) snarky politically correct — We’ll call it ‘Taking up Air Time,’” one user jokingly propsed.

Meanwhile other fans were just happy to see most of the cast back.

“I’m actually for a spinoff,” a fan tweeted. “The rest of the cast is magic. It’s an unfortunate situation with what happened with [Roseanne Barr], but I think the rest of the cast should continue with [ABC Network]. I’m down with [The Conners].”

“BEST NEWS EVER. They’re bringing ‘Roseanne’ back without the racism,” another jokingly wrote.

The cast released a joint statement shortly after news of the spinoff was announced.

“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 statement read. “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.”

Barr also gave a statement, saying to The Hollywood Reporter, “I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from Roseanne. 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 premiere date for the show has not been announced, though ABC did reveal it will air at the same time on Tuesdays as the Roseanne revival.