Roseanne’s ratings may have been strong, but ABC seems to have had enough of the show’s star and has canceled it instead of keeping it around.
Welcome back to the week. Our long weekend is over, and TV fans had quite the story to contend with this morning: Roseanne star Roseanne Barr wrote a racist tweet about former Obama administration senior advisor Valerie Jarrett this morning.
She then tweeted an apology … and now ABC, home of the show both in its past and present iterations, has stepped in and canceled the show.
The statement from ABC President of Entertainment Channing Dungey reads as follows:
"Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
In his own tweet, linked above, Disney CEO Robert Iger said that Dungey had done “the right thing.”
But others were not so sure about whether or not to completely praise ABC for canceling the show.
Sadly, Roseanne getting canceled comes at the expense of actors on the show who had nothing to do with her remarks, who don’t share her values, who are now back on the gig market. This is why abusive, racist views shouldn’t be tolerated in the first place, even for “ratings.”
— Derrick Clifton (@DerrickClifton) May 29, 2018
The Hollywood Reporter, in its tweet, pointed out the popularity of the show’s revival:
#Roseanne debuted its nine-episode run midseason and finished as the TV season's No. 1 scripted series on all of broadcast. The rebooted comedy was slated to return in the fall for an expanded 11th season of 13 episodes https://t.co/qiXuxzupDv
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 29, 2018
If you missed it, Wanda Sykes, who was a consulting producer on the show, had already quit (by tweet) before ABC made the cancellation official:
I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018
And yes, she was very specific about her title:
Fake News...I was never the head writer. I was a “Consulting Producer.” https://t.co/9aqb4fP3dl
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018
Journalist Mark Harris speculated about whether or not the show could exist without its main character:
So, a question: Will ABC now attempt a reboot/new series with the entire remaining cast, since Goodman and Metcalf could obv. anchor a series? At first I thought, nah, because that would still mean paying her. But (remarkably) Roseanne is not a creator of Roseanne. So...
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) May 29, 2018
And other suggestions also arrived about what to do:
The show’s official Twitter account has not made or sent out any statements. A significant portion of the cast isn’t on Twitter, but here’s what Sara Gilbert had to say:
Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.
— sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018
This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love— one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.
— sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018
Mikel Jollett replied to Gilbert’s first tweet with the following:
Then quit.
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) May 29, 2018
Emma Kenney, however, did speak out:
And, summing it all up, here are Shonda Rhimes and Matthew Cherry:
But honestly she got what she deserved. As I tell my 4 year old, one makes a choice with one’s actions. Roseanne made a choice. A racist one. ABC made a choice. A human one.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) May 29, 2018
And now Bye Felicia is trending. pic.twitter.com/lxTwM2z1tf
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) May 29, 2018
Interestingly, ABC now has an open spot on its schedule for at least part of the next television season. Will it try another revival, as some have already speculated?