‘The Conners’ Premiere: Roseanne’s Death, Barr Speaks Out & a Ratings Update

Meaghan Darwish
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The Conners – Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf - 'Keep on Truckin'
ABC/Eric McCandless
THE CONNERS - "Keep on TruckinÕ" - In the premiere episode, "Keep on TruckinÕ," a sudden turn of events forces the Conners to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before. "The Conners" premieres TUESDAY, OCT. 16 (8:00-8:31 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Eric McCandless) SARA GILBERT, LAURIE METCALF

After months of anticipation, The Conners made a bold debut and finally revealed its former Roseanne matriarch’s demise.

It was the question on most viewers’ minds since the original series was canceled following Roseanne Barr‘s controversial tweet about former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett. How would the show explain the former star’s absence?

See 'The Conners' Back on Set & Feeling the Love in Sneak Peek Featurette (VIDEO)
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See 'The Conners' Back on Set & Feeling the Love in Sneak Peek Featurette (VIDEO)

The show opened up with the iconic TV family a few weeks after the passing of Roseanne Conner, who died of an apparent heart attack. Of course, an extra layer of drama was added to the show’s underlying comedy when they revealed she’d actually died of an opioid overdose.

Throughout the episode the family copes with that news in different ways, and so did Roseanne Barr herself, who released a statement with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach about the show’s handling of her exit.

ROSEANNE - "Netflix & Pill" - After celebrating their 45th anniversary, Roseanne reveals to Dan a bigger problem with her bad knee. Meanwhile, Crystal announces her retirement as a waitress at the casino, and Becky and Darlene compete for the job which has full-time benefits, on the eighth episode of the revival of "Roseanne," TUESDAY, MAY 15 (8:00-8:30 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Adam Rose) JOHN GOODMAN, ROSEANNE BARR

Barr and John Goodman in the Roseanne revival.

“While we wish the very best for the cast and production crew of The Conners, all of whom are deeply dedicated to their craft and were Roseanne’s cherished colleagues, we regret that ABC chose to cancel Roseanne by killing off the Roseanne Conner character,” the statement began. “This was a choice the network did not have to make,” she continued calling the decision “grim” among more things in the statement.

In a less formal approach, Barr did share a one liner via Twitter, “I AIN’T DEAD, BITCHES!!!!”

Ultimately, The Conners didn’t have the same kind of ratings as Roseanne had when it returned to TV earlier this year, but they were solid, all things considered. Although down 35 percent from the Roseanne premiere, The Conners earned 4 percent more than the revival’s finale.

With shows like This Is Us and NCIS as competition for Tuesday night ratings, The Conners wasn’t the top-rated show of the evening. Exact numbers will be announced in the coming days, but until then, ABC can work with the spinoff despite the absence of Barr, as the TV family continues to tell relevant and timely stories.

Meanwhile, there’s been plenty of fan response towards the new series. Below, find out what some people are saying about the spinoff after the premiere, including remarks about the topic of opioid addiction.

So what did you think about The Conners premiere? Let us know in the poll below.

The Conners, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC

RoseanneThe ConnersJohn GoodmanLaurie MetcalfLecy GoransonMichael FishmanRoseanne BarrSara Gilbert



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    PurplePopsicle

    I hope it sticks around. I found the way they handled the episode very good. Very realistic.I liked that we didnt have to see the immediate loss and funeral...a few weeks out when people are trying to figure their new way of life out was the perfect time to start this, in my opinoin. I lost my mom to her own addiction 8yrs ago. 3 weeks out I had come out of my fog enough to use sarcasm to cover my pain...i was angry as hell that my stepdad continued to make alcohol available to my mom...even though I knew shed find a way anyway. Nothing felt clean enough..i rearranged my house every week because nothing made sense anymore. and when Darlene said she just wanted to call her mom to see how to handle things, it stabbed my heart. I feel that way ALL the time. I loved Dans anger....but I also loved that he asked Darlene to make sure Marcy got home okay. I liked the way Dan handled Marks dilemia....Thats something Roseanne would have handled..and i felt like it was very appropriate that we were shown that Dan could pull up his boot straps and take care of his family, even though he was in pain. The last scene killed me. I cant imagine going to sleep in my room for the first time without my husband. All in all, even though it definitely made me cry, I loved the premiere. Its LIFE that families have to continue without moms and dads sometimes. In a show that has always closely mirrored my own life & my own family, Im glad it continued to be the same family I've known and loved since I was a child. Still feels like home.

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    PurpleHammer

    It wasn't bad, but I'm not sure this will have staying power. A lot of last nights ratings were rubberneckers looking to see how they'd handle Roseanne's death. I suspect a notable drop off next week and maybe it stabilizes at respectable ratings from there.