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Will ‘Roseanne’ fans show up for a Barr-free ‘The Conners’?

Weeks after ABC canceled "Roseanne" over its star's racist tweet, producers reach agreement for a Roseanne Barr-free spinoff.

Roseanne Barr and John Goodman in a scene from the rebooted "Roseanne" on ABC. In the wake of the show's cancellation over a racist tweet by Barr, producers are working on a spinoff that she wouldn't be involved in
Roseanne Barr and John Goodman in a scene from the rebooted "Roseanne" on ABC. In the wake of the show's cancellation over a racist tweet by Barr, producers are working on a spinoff that she wouldn't be involved inRead moreAdam Rose/ABC via AP

Roseanne is dead: Long live The Conners?

Less than a month after ABC canceled its No. 1 show, the revival of the '80s-'90s comedy Roseanne,  following a racist tweet by star Roseanne Barr, the network announced Thursday that it had ordered 10 episodes of a spinoff of the show for this fall, tentatively titled The Conners, that won't include Barr, but will bring back her TV family, including John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, and Michael Fishman.

So it sounds as if Roseanne Conner might not be making it through her knee surgery. (Thought it would be equally appropriate to have her abducted by aliens.)

>>READ MORE: I was surprised ABC canceled 'Roseanne'

The spinoff was apparently made possible by an agreement that cuts Barr out both creatively and financially.

Here's the statement from executive producer Tom Werner and Barr:

Tom Werner and Roseanne Barr have reached an agreement that will allow Werner Entertainment to produce a spinoff of the Roseanne series for ABC without Barr's further creative or financial participation. "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," said Barr.

Werner added: "We are grateful to have reached this agreement to keep our team working as we continue to explore stories of the Conner family."

No further comment or information is available at this time.

A separate statement, released by ABC and attributed to Goodman, Metcalf, Gilbert, Goranson, and Fishman, said, "We have received a tremendous amount of support from fans of our show, and it's clear that these characers not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience…We are so happy to have the opportunity to return with the cast and crew to continue to share [their] stories through love and laughter."

If there were any justice in the world — and if there is, it's probably not going to be found on TV — Valerie Harper, who more than 30 years ago was killed off from Valerie's Family over a pay dispute, would be replacing Barr.

Yeah, that's not happening.

But what is happening is that ABC's about to find out just how much of the viewership for the new Roseanne was driven by viewers who shared both the actress' and the character's enthusiasm for President Donald Trump, and how much was nostalgia for the Conners from Lanford, Ill.

Will you be watching The Conners?