After all the controversy surrounding Roseanne Barr's exit from the show, the subsequent cancellation and then the eventual reboot of the series, the fear was that 'The Conners' was going to be unable to live up to the expectations without Barr and with all the baggage attached.
However, going by reviews from US outlets so far, it looks like 'The Conners' is a hit and has recovered from Barr's absence quickly and ably. EW described the show as "an above-average family comedy with a strong cast and sharply-drawn characters that could very well exist for several seasons on their own — if, of course, the audience is able to let go of the past."
Variety, meanwhile, added that 'The Conners' "has a fighting chance of becoming great on its own terms — but for that, the Roseanne audience will have to actually care enough beyond their basic curiosity to stay tuned and find out."
Interestingly, all reviews so far have neglected to discuss exactly how Roseanne Barr's character was written out of the show as part of the pre-conditions for getting to see the premiere episode for review. Roseanne Barr herself spoiled the reveal last month, claiming that her on-screen character was killed off in an opioid overdose.
Not only that, studio audiences for 'The Conners' have, according to IndieWire's review, been ordered to sign non-disclosure agreements and social media embargoes about the episodes they saw, clearly wanting to keep the story under wraps for the moment.
So far, there's been no word on when 'The Conners' will air over on this side of the Atlantic. As the revival of 'Roseanne' never got an airing here in Ireland, it's not yet known if RTE, Virgin Media, Channel 4, ITV or any of the other stations have picked up 'The Conners' for its upcoming season.
The series kicks on US television on October 16th.
