Daily Mail: ABC reportedly regrets firing ‘Roseanne,’ fears ‘The Conners’ will fail without Barr

On Tuesday, the “Roseanne” spin-off, “The Conners” had its premiere. The show aired with the same “Roseanne” cast minus the creator and main star Roseanne Barr.

Now the ABC executives are worried that firing Barr may have been a hasty decision. They’re concerned that the spin-off might not make it without her.

Two senior executives at ABC have said firing Roseanne Barr, 65, might not have been the smartest idea. Temporarily suspending Barr might have been a wiser decision.

An insider said:

“We didn't think it through properly. What Roseanne did was wrong but we shouldn't have rushed to fire her. It was almost a knee-jerk reaction by Ben [Sherwood] and Channing [Dungey] who should have launched an investigation.”

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. The person added:

“This would have given them more time to listen to the public, advertisers and cast members to determine the best decision.”

“Roseanne” was canceled in May, three months after its return. Barr caused the cancelation after she posted a racist tweet about former Barack Obama aide Valerie Jarrett.

The actress had tweeted “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby= vj.” “VJ” stood for Valerie Jarrett in the tweet.

ABC reacted by canceling the show and firing the actress within hours. They also released a statement calling her comments “abhorrent” and “repugnant.”

The source further explained:

“They could've suspended her from the first few episodes without pay and had her return later on in the season. I mean the season finale saw Roseanne going to the hospital for knee surgery.”

The network is worried that their viewership for “The Conners” might not be good because loyal Barr fans insist they won’t watch it. ABC has screened two episodes for TV critics: Tuesday's premiere and a later episode.

The spin-off focuses more on two characters played by John Goodman and Sara Gilbert. The premiere was said to have acquired three out of four stars so far.