Roseanne Barr is making another television push eight years after the 2018 scandal that ended her ABC comeback. The comedian has quietly completed work on a surprise project titled Meemaw. The new comedy also features several recognizable names, with Randy Quaid and Drea de Matteo among the actors joining Barr.
Roseanne Barr wraps filming on new comedy series Meemaw with Randy Quaid and Drea de Matteo
Barr secretly filmed the new comedy in Austin, Texas, according to Page Six. The outlet describes Meemaw as a family comedy that Barr helped create and finance herself.
Randy Quaid, Drea de Matteo, Omar Gooding and Doug Jones appear in the new comedy. Meanwhile, Jon Lovitz and Tony Hinchcliffe reportedly make guest appearances.
Barr plays the matriarch of a mixed-race family of preppers. Her character attempts to organize an elaborate bat mitzvah for her granddaughter. The series also draws partly from Barr’s own life and her move from a liberal East Coast Jewish background to Texas.
Barr co-wrote the project with Allan Stephan and Allen Covert. Page Six reports that she privately financed the production, which operated as a fully unionized shoot.
The project comes eight years after ABC canceled the 2018 revival of Roseanne. The network took action after Barr posted a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. The fallout eventually led to The Conners, which continued without Barr.
That controversy still follows the comedian. Former co-star Michael Fishman recently revisited the 2018 cancellation, defending ABC’s decision to end the revival. Barr later fired back at him publicly.
Still, Meemaw gives Barr another opportunity to lead a scripted comedy. She has described the material as intentionally unsanitized and willing to joke about different political viewpoints.
For now, however, the new sitcom does not have a publicly announced network or streaming home. Viewers may therefore have to wait to learn where the surprise project will ultimately land.
