The Roseanne revival has been a big success for ABC and was renewed for Season 2, although that ride has come to a screeching halt as the network has officially announced the series cancellation. Following a controversial tweet from Roseanne Barr that many deemed racist, ABC President Channing Dungey said the show was finished on the network:
Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.
ABC's decision came not long after a tweet made earlier by Roseanne Barr that compared the Iranian born and African-American former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett to a Planet of the Apes character mixed with a member of the Muslim Brotherhood ("muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby"). Barr has since deleted the tweet and issued an apology to Jarrett and others for her remarks on her profile. Barr's apology was not enough to sway ABC into keeping the next season of Roseanne in its lineup, as Channing Dungey left nothing vague regarding the network's response to Barr's remarks. Prior to this situation Dungey publicly stated the now-canceled new season of the show would be less political, and that the series would attempt to get back to the family dynamics and storylines that appeared in the original series.
ABC was not the only party associated with Roseanne that reacted strongly to Barr's tweet, as Wanda Sykes announced she would not be returning to the series after reading the remarks. Beyond Sykes, Barr's co-star and on-screen daughter Sara Gilbert took to Twitter to address the situation and talk about her feelings regarding the show's cancellation:
The future of Roseanne is currently in limbo, as few networks may be ready to offer a home to Barr so soon after this controversy if at all. The revival dominated the airwaves in its opening weeks on television, but as the weeks dragged on the show fell from its top spot and continued to drop in viewership. Even with declining ratings, there's always a possibility the show could get saved by a network who would want the numbers, although even then with statements like Sykes showing some stars are backing out of the series it's hard to say whether or not the cast would be at full strength for another season.
Be sure to keep it here with CinemaBlend as this situation continues to develop. For a look at what show's are coming up in the near future, visit our summer premiere guide.
