After the cancellation of its second reboot, prompted by a racist Tweet sent by the show’s star, Roseanne Barr, the brand new and third reboot of Roseanne called The Conners premiered on ABC Tuesday, Oct. 16.
The infamous laugh of Roseanne Conner will never be heard again all because of one tweet.
Barr tweeted on May 29, “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby= vj.”
The tweet was directed at then-President Barack Obama’s former White House advisor, Valerie Jarrett (“vj”).
Barr’s tweet was condemned by many because she compared Jarrett to an ape.
Later that day, Barr tweeted out an apology with, “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks.”
Barr’s tweet continued with, “I should have known better. Forgive me- my joke was in bad taste.”
Shortly after her apology, Barr went on a bizarre Twitter spree where she threw coworkers, ABC executives, and drugs under the bus.
Barr’s activity went so far that she blamed her Twitter spree on the sedative that she was taking.
The actress tweeted, “It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting.”
Barr further explained in the tweet, “I went 2 far & do not want it defended-it was egregious Indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn’t but…don’t defend it please.”
After Barr sent out this tweet, the drug company of Sanofi, who creates and sells Ambien, fired back, tweeting, “While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.”
Yes, Barr went out in a glorious Twitter blaze, where even a big drug company came out to be the more reasonable party.
After the Twitter storm, Entertainment Tonight reported that the entire cast and crew were disappointed because the show was supposed to return for a second season.
Over a single tweet, 200 people lost their jobs and the hope of future employment.
Could it be that the reboot just wasn’t meant to be?
Kim Fleming, a professor of communication, spoke on the situation saying, “I watched the show growing up. Roseanne was something different in the traditional, sitcom family paradigm”
Fleming added, “I believe for most, it was easier to see their family dynamic in the Conners than another sitcom family like the Tanners on Full House.”
Fleming also said, “People hear the word “reboot” now and to think, ‘how boring, no original content’ when that’s not necessarily the case.”
“TV is thriving off nostalgia when it comes to the reboot,” said Fleming.
ABC announced The Conners without Barr on June 21.
The network’s chairwoman, Channing Dungey, stated that it would stay “away from politics and more towards family.”
Since the premiere of the show, it has stayed true to Dungey’s statement.
In The Conners, the writers have killed off Roseanne.
In the beginning of the first episode, Roseanne supposedly died of a heart attack until the coroner’s office calls her sister to inform the family that the actual cause of her death was a drug overdose.
This leaves her husband, Dan, played by John Goodman, in absolute heartbreak.
In response to her character being unexpectedly killed off, Barr released a statement on Twitter saying, “That it was done through an opioid overdose lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an otherwise happy family show.”
Barr went on to say, “This was a choice the network did not have to make.”
The Conner’s are going to continue living their lives with their dry humor and original characters.
This time around, the show isn’t taking any specific political direction.
A big part of the episode was the introduction of Roseanne and Dan’s grandson being gay and the support Dan shows him.
Fleming also said, “I’m not surprised the network wanted to continue the show without its titular character. At the end of the day it’s about making money.”
She continued with, “Her actions and the networks reactions might not sit well with viewers.”
“Only time and ratings will tell. As far as the tweet itself is concerned, I think we are in a moment of accountability,” stated Fleming.
Fleming concluded with, “We’re past the age of the apology.”
The Conners had 10.56 million viewers in its debut, which is 55 percent less than the Roseanne reboot that aired last March.
In Barr’s return to TV back in March, Roseanne had 18.2 million viewers. The numbers leave fans and spectators weary of a successful run.
The Conners will air in its original time slot of Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.
PHOTO TAKEN from The Hollywood Reporter
