'The Conners' Team Wins Pilot Order for New Comedy at ABC

ABC has ordered a comedy series from The Connors' co-executive producer Emily Wilson. Deadline reports the new show, named Bucktown, will serve as another spinoff in the Roseanne fictional universe and follows Amy, who runs back to her blue-collar home to stay with her mom after being dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of her apartment on the eve of a big promotion. Amy reconnects with her teenage niece living there due to her sister's latest rehab stint and resolves to stay when she realizes that her mom and niece aren't quite equipped to go it alone. According to the outlet, the series has been in the works in various capacities for almost five years.

Wilson will write and executive produce the multi-camera project. The Hollywood veteran is known for her work on The Kids Are Alright, The Muppets, and Cougar Town. The Conners stars Tom Werner and Sara Gilbert will also executive produce alongside Marc Provissiero (Pen15), principal at management firm Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, and Mandy Summers. Summers previously worked on ABC's The Greatest American Hero pilot in 2018 alongside Steven J. Cannell and Nahnatchka Khan.

The news comes just after the studio announced two of its new projects would not be moving forward: Kids Matter Now starring Lucy Liu and Work Wife. Bucktown serves as the latest addition to ABC's slate of new and upcoming shows. Other ABC comedy pilot orders for projects include the Regina Hicks' sorority comedy Black Don't Crack; the Wonder Years reboot, executive produced by Saladin Patterson; Adopted, written and executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel, Shawn Vance, and Daril Fannin; and psychic comedy Maggie, from Life in Pieces team Maggie Mull and Justin Adler.

The Conners, which is currently in its third season, recently made news for its recent inclusive episode featuring Alexandra Billings as the show's first openly trans character. Billings opened up about the experience with The Advocate. "The cast and crew are so smart and funny and kind and open, they're just great. It's a wonderful set," she said. "They were really smart about making this show a reflection of who America has turned into, but to throw in a trans character, I thought, took a lot of guts, and they did it with great aplomb, and they were smart about it."