Axed sitcom Roseanne could be revived – without its disgraced title character.
According to reports, ABC is in talks to bring back the show, which was axed following star Roseanne Barr’s racism scandal.
The 65-year-old actress found herself in hot water over a tweet which referred to former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett as a product of the “Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet Of The Apes”.
Reports in the US claim ABC has opened talks with the production company behind the show, Carsey-Werner.
It is hoped any re-reboot – the show originally aired in the 1990s before its modern iteration – would save the jobs of hundreds of workers.
TMZ claim producers are looking into making the show centre around the character of Darlene, who is played by Sara Gilbert.
Earlier this week, Gilbert labelled Barr’s offending tweet “abhorrent”.
But any potential deal is complicated by Barr’s business relationship with Casey Warner, CNN say, and depending on the terms of her contract producers may have to buy out her stake in the show.
On Friday, Barr’s planned appearance on comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast was cancelled, with Rogan saying she was “not doing well”.
Earlier, Barr, 65, revealed she begged ABC executives not to cancel her show after the race row.
In since deleted tweets, she said she pleaded with Ben Sherwood, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, for a reprieve.