Since being fired from the revival of her eponymous show several years ago, Roseanne Barr has been keeping quite busy. Her son, Jake Pentland, previously revealed that Barr has been doing a weekly podcast and has been living with him, his wife, and their two daughters. Now she’s also eyeing a return to acting after eight years, but she’s facing a problem.
Barr has been working on a brand-new sitcom, which would mark her first role since Roseanne’s 10th season in 2018, before it was reworked into The Conners. Despite the fact that she’s a very well-known name, her politics and reputation have reportedly made it hard for her to nail down any buyers. An industry insider told Naughty But Nice substack that Barr apparently wound up financing her silly and "very offensive" new show by herself, but no one is willing to give it a try:
Roseanne couldn’t get a network to finance her comeback, so she went ahead and made the show herself. Now she’s got eight episodes and no buyer. That’s a very expensive gamble.
In the comedy, which was apparently filmed in Austin, Texas, Barr stars as the matriarch of a survivalist family organizing an extravagant bat mitzvah. Randy Quaid, Tony Hinchcliffe, Drea de Matteo, and Jon Lovitz are also in it. On paper, the project includes an interesting premise, and some notable names are involved. Nevertheless, it would appear execs aren't keen on picking up the series.
After Barr made racist comments about Valerie Jarrett, ABC canceled the Roseanne revival and turned it into The Conners, which ran for seven seasons. Barr’s character was killed off at the start of the series, but that didn't mark the end of the controversy. Over the years, Barr has gone off on ABC and some of her fellow co-stars, as well as other celebrities, for their views and comments about her. That being said, she still appears to have her fans. Still, that allegedly isn't helping her get her show made, according to this insider:
Roseanne still has fans. But fans aren’t television executives, and political loyalty doesn’t guarantee a sitcom deal.
Amid Barr's reported attempts to get her new show sold, she's making headlines for controversial statements. Just recently, The Conners star Michael Fishman shared his opinion on his on-screen mom after she dropped 13 F-bombs in response to his previous comments, which included him saying she had racially biased views.
It’s unknown just how much of what she’s said and done will factor into what happens with her new series. Newsmax is reportedly being explored as a potential home for the sitcom, but an agreement has not been made yet, as of this writing.
Since Barr’s new show is finished, it’s possible that it could draw in more buyers. At this point, though, it’s hard to tell which way it’s going to go. In the meantime, all ten seasons of Roseanne are streaming with a Peacock subscription.
