You can’t keep the Conner family down. After the Roseanne revival was derailed by the remarks of its namesake, The rest of the Conner family soldiered on without her on The Conners and now ABC has renewed the series for a second season, although all cast members haven’t signed new deals as of yet.
President of ABC Entertainment had this to say about the renewal:
“We are proud to be continuing the story of the iconic Conners family. This team is fearless in their willingness to tackle contemporary issues with humor and heart, and I have no doubt they will continue to outdo themselves.”
The Conners was conceived following the implosion of Roseanne. The revived series was a huge hit out of the gate, hitting ratings highs for ABC and was renewed for a second season. The shine came off of the series when Roseanne Barr sent a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett and Roseanne was swiftly canceled. ABC quickly went into crisis and salvage mode and worked out new deals with all involved, including Barr, who has no financial or creative ties to The Conners. The character of Roseanne Conner was killed off and John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, and Michael Fishman, all original stars of Roseanne, signed on for the new show.
The second season renewal came after new deals with the main cast. Various reports say that Metcalf, Goodman, and Gilbert are all making $375,000 an episode. ABC noted the cast for season two right now includes Goodman, Metcalf, Gilbert Goranson and Ames McNamara with additional cast to be announced at a later date. Series regulars in the first season are still working out potential deals and these cast members include Michael Fishman, Emma Kenney, Jayden Rey, and Maya Lynne Robinson.
At the end of its first season, The Conners performed admirably without Roseanne. It was the No.1 new comedy, according to ABC, with 9.5 million viewers and a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
