Roseanne Barr is making another push back into television with a new comedy she quietly filmed in Austin, Texas.
Barr, 73, revealed that she has completed an eight-episode series titled “Meemaw,” which she co-wrote and helped finance through private investors. The project still lacks a distributor.
According to Page Six Hollywood, the series centers on Barr as the matriarch of a mixed-race family of preppers in Texas who sets out to take down a criminal empire while also planning her granddaughter’s bat mitzvah.
“It’s every bit as revolutionary as The Roseanne Show, if not more, and my work has improved with time,” Barr said.
Who Is Starring in Roseanne Barr’s ‘Meemaw’?
Barr has assembled a familiar cast for the series. “The Sopranos” alum Drea de Matteo, Randy Quaid, “What We Do in the Shadows” actor Doug Jones and “Family Time” star Omar Gooding all appear in the show.
Guest appearances are also expected from Jon Lovitz, Tony Hinchcliffe and Kim Congdon.
The series also features viral young performer Indy Bugg as Barr’s granddaughter. Barr said Oscar winner Mo’Nique helped connect her with the young actress.
“Mo’Nique calls up, ‘Check this girl out. She not only looks like you, but she acts just like you, too,’” Barr recalled, as reported by TV Insider. “She was only 12, and I about fell over that I was able to get her. She’s such a star. You’ll see it in the first episode, in her first scene.”
What Is ‘Meemaw’ About?
Barr co-wrote the comedy with “Roseanne” alum Allan Stephan and longtime Adam Sandler collaborator Allen Covert.
The show is described as semi-autobiographical and follows a woman from a liberal East Coast Jewish family who is disinherited and forced to start over in Texas.
Barr said she wants the comedy to appeal to viewers across the political spectrum.
“My daughters are super woke and of course I love them, so I put in jokes for them, too, like I did on Roseanne,” she said, as per Page Six Hollywood.
What Did Roseanne Barr Say About the Show’s Politics?
Barr insisted “Meemaw” will not be aimed at just one side. “I make fun of everybody because everybody deserves to be made fun of who’s in power,” she said. “So, I’ve got some great jokes about Republicans that the lefties are gonna love. I’m an equal opportunity destroyer.”
She also said she hopes the show can bring people with different views into the same room.
“I want everybody who disagrees in a family to sit in the same room and just laugh and go, ‘Yeah, maybe I was an [Expletive] that time. Well, you were an [Expletive] this time. Oh, we’re all [Expletive]s. Let’s get a beer.”
Where Does Roseanne Barr’s TV Comeback Stand?
Barr’s return comes eight years after ABC canceled the “Roseanne” revival in 2018 following a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
The network later continued the franchise as “The Conners,” killing off Barr’s character off-screen.
For now, “Meemaw” has finished filming but has not announced a distributor or release date. Barr, however, is clearly positioning the project as her next major television chapter.
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’90s Sitcom Icon Makes Surprise TV Comeback After 8 Years Away