'Roseanne' becomes 'Darlene'? ABC reportedly considering reboot around Sara Gilbert

Sara Gilbert and Roseanne Barr in <em>Roseanne</em>. (Photo: ABC)
Sara Gilbert and Roseanne Barr in Roseanne. (Photo: ABC)

ABC may be throwing Roseanne a lifeline — without star Roseanne Barr. The network is reportedly toying with the idea of rebooting the show around Sara Gilbert’s character, Darlene.

According to TVLine, Darlene was one of five offshoots proposed to the network in the wake of Tuesday’s drama. TMZ reports that Gilbert has been calling cast members to gauge their interest, and John Goodman seems eager. Tom Werner, whose company produced Roseanne, is also involved in the effort, according to the outlet. CNN has confirmed the reports as well.

This week, ABC swiftly canceled its top-rated show after Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet about former President Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. Gilbert, considered a driving force behind the relaunched Roseanne, was one of the first stars to weigh in.

The network’s decision has been both praised and condemned, with many pointing out the hundreds of people who suddenly lost their job. (ABC had renewed the Roseanne reboot for a second season.) The network reportedly views Darlene as a way of getting the cast and crew back to work.

Yahoo Entertainment reached out to ABC and a representative for Gilbert but did not immediately receive a response.

Barr is apparently “not doing well” in the wake of the scandal, as she canceled a planned podcast appearance on Friday. In since-deleted tweets, the actress claimed that she begged ABC not to cancel the show.

“I begged [Disney-ABC Television Group President] Ben Sherwood at ABC [to] let me apologize [and] make amends,” she wrote. “I begged them not to cancel the show. I told them I was willing to do anything [and] asked [for] help in making things right. I’d worked doing publicity [for] them [for] free for weeks, traveling, thru bronchitis. I begged [for] people’s jobs.”

She continued, tweeting, “He said: what were you thinking when you did this? I said: I thought she was white, she looks like my family! He scoffed [and] said: ‘what u have done is egregious, and unforgivable.’ I begged [for] my crews jobs. Will I ever recover from this pain? omg.”

The idea of Darlene is already getting mixed reactions on social media.

Fox News seems eager to help Roseanne out too.

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