Many people associated with Roseanne have spoken out about the revival's drama in the past couple weeks, although original producer of the sitcom Marcy Carsey has managed to stay silent... until now. Carsey, who was only involved in the original series and not the recent ABC revival, finally spoke about the drama at the ATX Television Festival and noted her disappointment with the situation as a whole:
I am very proud of the show we did originally. I thought the reboot was terrific -- great job, great work. So all I can say is it's a shame. A couple of hundred of people doing really wonderful work -- crew, cast, writers -- to have that work so well and be so creatively interesting and have it just disappear like that when everybody, 200 or 300 people, thought they had a gig? It's a shame. . . . I totally understand why [ABC] made that decision, and I'm comfortable with it. I just think it wasn't what the network wanted represented.
Marcy Carsey wasn't involved in the Roseanne revival, but that doesn't mean she didn't enjoy what it was trying to accomplish. Much like the revival's executive producer and Darlene actress Sara Gilbert, Carsey is disappointed that the actions of one person led to a ton of people who were passionate about the sitcom losing their jobs. Carsey, who also was a producer for The Cosby Show, talked about being able to appreciate art for what it is, and not necessarily connecting it to the things those responsible for it had done outside of that. Carsey, who made a comparison to iconic works of art, said she'd like to think most people will enjoy the work for what it is, but admitted that as a person it's hard for her to do.
Marcy Carsey's viewpoint on art appreciation may be why she's not so keen on talk of the potential Roseanne spinoff. Carsey told the audience (via THR) she didn't think the spinoff, which would focus on Darlene and remove Barr from the sitcom, is something she would try to move forward with:
I would have a very difficult time. I think I would not. I think I would just say, 'Ok, we had a wonderful run.' I love the show we did all those years ago and I would just move on.
ABC might still choose to do that as the discussions regarding a Roseanne spinoff haven't come to anything concrete at this point. Marcy Carsey may not like the idea of the sitcom trying to continue without its title character, even though it could potentially save the jobs of those hundreds of cast and crew members she had mentioned earlier. Of course, Carsey was not involved in the revival to begin with, which may play into her gut instinct to let sleeping dogs lie and the original series stand on its own.
Should ABC revive Roseanne with its rumored spinoff, CinemaBlend will have the news. In the meantime, be sure to check out what all is coming to television in the coming months by visiting our summer premiere guide.
