Just before the Labor Day holiday weekend kicked off, ABC released a first promotional image for its upcoming Roseanne spinoff series, The Conners. Much like the new show, Roseanne Barr was absent from the image, which instead featured John Goodman, Sara Gilbert and the rest of the returning cast members sitting at the Conner family table. That same day, the network also released a first teaser for the new comedy show, which focused on the original series’ iconic living room couch while Carly Simon’s “Anticipation” plays in the background.
Neither Goodman, Gilbert nor anyone else is present in the short 15-second teaser — only the couch and its recognizable surroundings are featured. Even so, between Simon’s repeatedly singing “Anticipation” and the title card’s question (“What’s next?”), it’s quite obvious that everyone at ABC and the show are trying to keep their heads held high. In May, the Roseanne revival was canceled following a series of controversial, racist tweets Barr had posted about Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to President Barack Obama.
Even though Barr has continued to defend herself and her tweets, ABC has distanced itself from the comedian while attempting to capitalize on the renewed success of her show. Hence The Conners, which is set to premiere Tuesday, October 16th at 8 pm ET. Barr is obviously not going to be a part of the program, though the fate of her character remains a mystery. In a recent interview, however, Goodman hinted that she may be killed off.
