Gone, but not forgotten: ‘The Conners’ producers on why show’s final season seeks justice for Roseanne

When ABC canceled a reboot of its 1988-97 Emmy-winning comedy Roseanne in May 2017, after its titular star posted a “repugnant” and racist tweet, it seemed like the Conners of (fictional) Lanford, Ill., might be relegated to the TV land graveyard.

Then, just a month later, the network ordered a spin-off series that would bring the family at the center of one of the all-time great working-class sitcoms back to primetime, but without one key player: Roseanne, the character and the actress...