Twitter Users Suggest Ways to Write Roseanne Barr out of ‘The Conners’

Now that the Roseanne spinoff The Conners has officially been given the green light at ABC, fans are theorizing how exactly the show will deal with the glaring absence of Roseanne Barr, who starred as the show’s title character throughout its original run and in its revival.

The exit will have to happen off screen, as Barr settled with the network so as to not be involved with the spinoff in any way after her firing in May. Some fans are wondering if Roseanne will be killed off, or perhaps just a figment of husband Dan’s (John Goodman) imagination, much like how the reboot dealt with Dan’s death from the series finale in the ’90s.

“What if in the 1st episode of The Conners we find out Roseanne (2018) was Dan’s nightmare,” one person wrote.

Another fan suggested that the show employ irony while dealing with the situation.

“I hope episode one of THE CONNERS starts with a Fox News satellite falling out of orbit and taking out Roseanne. Dan turns to the camera and says, “See? That s—’ll kill ya!” FART NOISE. CUT TO BLACK,” the fan wrote.

Another wondered if the show would use details from Barr’s infamous Twitter rants.

“First episode of The Conners: Darlene comes out of the closet, Dan marries Jackie, and a picture of Roseanne on the fridge door in a straitjacket, held up by a magnet which advertises Ambien,” the person said.

Film producer Adam Best suggested Valerie Jarrett, the subject of Barr’s racial tweet that led to Roseanne‘s cancellation, be in the pilot episode.

“Valerie Jarrett should guest star in the pilot of the [Roseanne] spinoff The Conners. She could be Dan’s first date after Roseanne runs off to Europe to have a fling with Steve Bannon,” Best wrote.

Another person suggested the show could throw a bone to The Simpsons.

Others suggest that the show doesn’t get rid of Roseanne at all, but instead uses a different actor to portray her during every episode.

“They should have a different person play Roseanne in every episode of The Conners without anyone around her reacting to the difference. Viola Davis. Lea Michele. Rosie O’Donnell. Alyssa Edwards. Like I’m Not There, but weekly and in Lanford,” someone said.

ABC announced the go-ahead with The Conners Thursday night, which makes it the second time Roseanne has risen from TV death — but this time without Barr. The 10-episode straight-to-series order, whose title could change at a later date, will also be a multi-camera comedy and premiere in fall 2018.

The spinoff will follow the Conner family, who after “a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.”

ABC announced the news in a statement, making it clear that Barr will have no financial or creative involvement in the spinoff.

“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,” Barr said in a statement.

Producer Tom Werner added that “We are grateful to have reached this agreement to keep our team working as we continue to explore stories of the Conner family.”

Producers and network executives had been scrambling to come up with a way to keep the show alive without its star and head writer. Because she was fired, producers had to figure out a way to deal with Barr’s financial stakes on a potential spinoff, given that as an executive producer and co-creator, she had ownership on the creative side of the series.

After the first season of the Roseanne reboot premiered to monster ratings, Roseanne was abruptly canceled on May 29 after Barr compared Jarrett, a former Barack Obama aide, to an ape.

With an average of 17.8 million viewers a week, Roseanne was the third most-watched show of the 2017-2018 season and was estimated to make around $60 million in ad revenue in its second season.