‘Roseanne’ spinoff reportedly making progress without Roseanne Barr

ABC cancelled the rebooted sitcom Roseanne following a controversial tweet by Roseanne Barr about former Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett in May, but the network is in talks to create a spinoff series.

The network is currently pursuing options to create a spinoff series that would not include Barr at all.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Barr has now agreed to give up control of the characters that she helped create, for the rest of the cast and crew to make a spinoff.

READ MORE: ‘Roseanne’ cancelled as ABC axes comedy after comedian’s tweet

For the network to move forward with the spinoff, Barr needed to waive her rights to the show and she has now reportedly agreed to do so.

The spinoff is rumoured to centre around Sarah Gilbert’s character Darlene. Some of the show’s other cast members have already tentatively signed on, including John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf.

In June, Barr tweeted that she “begged” the network to not cancel the top-rated rebooted comedy.

“I begged Ben Sherwood at ABC 2 let me apologize & make amends,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet captured by CNN. “I begged them not to cancel the show. I told them I was willing to do anything & asked 4 help in making things right. I’d worked doing publicity 4 them 4 free for weeks, traveling, thru bronchitis. I begged 4 ppls jobs.”

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Executive producer Dave Caplan recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the possibility of writing a new show without Roseanne’s character, saying, “I know that [producer Tom Werner] really regretted the fact that we had such a wonderful writing staff together — a real rare collection of talent — and I know he’d like to continue using it in some fashion if that were possible.”

In May, Barr tweeted a comment (now deleted) about former president Obama aide Jarrett. (It can be seen in a screengrab, below.)

The tweet was widely considered racist, since Jarrett is an African-American woman and Barr made a comparison to an ape. The assertion that she has a connection to the Muslim Brotherhood, which she does not, also sparked intense anger on social media and calls to boycott or cancel the show.

In Canada, CTV pulled Roseanne from its television and streaming platforms.

The Roseanne reboot was the top-performing show on network TV, and was set to air its 11th season this fall.

— With files from Chris Jancelewicz