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ABC Executives Regret Firing Roseanne, Fear ‘Connors’ Spin-Off Series will Flop
That same source added that some figures within the company believe the show will attract less than a quarter of the viewership of Roseanne, a scenario that would leave Dungey with “many questions to answer.”
“In the end, the ratings are all that matter – and there are many people at Disney and ABC who are worried that firing Roseanne will see their Tuesday night ratings drop substantially,” they continued. “And should The Conners flop, Channing and her team will have many questions to answer. The whisper across ABC is that they will not even be a quarter of what Roseanne achieved last season.”
In July, Barr accused ABC of firing her because of her support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, a position she said was “not allowed in Hollywood.”
The Beginning Of The End: “The Conners” Stars Already Forced To Take Pay Cuts Due To Horrible Ratings
John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf, in particular, had a contract negotiated before Barr’s exit that had them paid $375,000 an episode. It looks like in an effort to balance the budget, the two will have to have their paycheck’s slashed as the audience has been reduced to 7 million.
“Now that the audience has disappeared along with the star, the only way to keep the show profitable is to ask both John and Laurie to take a pay cut,” a source said according to Radar Online.
However, the cut in pay may not save the show at all. Without Barr’s draw and the scandal of her being forced out haunting the show, it looks like The Conners may see it’s final days not long after its first according to Radar Online:
According to the source, ABC Opens a New Window. has ordered only one extra episode to be added to the 10 it already contracted for this season — well below the 22 episodes that would been needed for The Conners to make it through the end of the current TV season.
“The writing is already on the wall,” said a TV insider.
“The writing is already on the wall,” said a TV insider.