After being canceled by ABC following a controversial tweet from Roseanne Barr, Roseanne may be revived yet again. A Trump alum has plans to save the show by way of a new streaming service.Originally ending after its ninth season in 1997, Roseanne was a sitcom on ABC that followed a working class American family led by the titular matriarch played by Barr. The series starred John Goodman as Roseanne’s husband, recent Academy Award nominee Laurie Metcalf as her sister, and Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, and Lecy Goranson (later replaced by Sarah Chalke) as Roseanne’s three children.
Although it was initially canceled, Roseanne was given another shot after ABC decided to revive the series in early 2018, and it turned out to be a successful comeback. However, after Barr found herself at the center of a controversy, ABC promptly canceled the show yet again, creating a divisive reaction among audiences. Now, in support of Barr, and despite ABC officially stating that her actions were “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with [their] values,” according to ABC’s chief as well as Disney’s CEO, one former Trump aide is attempting to give Roseanne another shot via an online streaming service.
Michael Caputo spoke with The Daily Beast about his attempt to revive the recently canceled Roseanne series recently. As chief marketing officer on the online streaming TV startup Bond, Caputo explained that he plans on reaching out to Barr personally in an attempt to pursue a legitimate revival. Though Bond is currently in an early developmental stage and requires crowdfunding, Caputo is eager and confident in the company’s attempt. He explained that they had always planned on reaching out to Barr, but given the sudden cancellation of her show, it’s happening “sooner rather than later.”
When Bond had initially begun pitching its service to investors, Roseanne just so happened to be used as a template for the sort of shows the streaming service planned on showcasing. This was before the show had been canceled. It was included on account of certain political themes from the show fitting in with Bond’s personal political predilections.
Interestingly, this wouldn’t be the first time that a show canceled by ABC for political reasons found a home elsewhere (if it happens). When Bill Maher’s show Politically Incorrect was canceled in 2002, Maher moved to HBO to host Real Time with Bill Maher, which is currently in its 16th season and has been renewed up until 2020. However, whether or not Roseanne would find the same kind of success on a startup like Bond that Maher found on HBO, or that Roseanne found on ABC, is impossible to predict.
More: Why Cancelling Roseanne Was the Smart Thing to Do
Source: The Daily Beast
