That's the word from the struggling talk show's syndicator, King World--despite some hefty pushback from NBC.
In April, the Peacock affiliates--which signed a two-year deal to carry the talk show--became incensed at King World when the syndicator announced it was renewing The Roseanne Show for another season.
Now 10 NBC "owned-and-operateds" in the most major of markets--Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, included--have decided to yank the program from their daytime schedules starting in early September, even though they're contracted with King World to pay up for another season.
But though the strategy seemed simple--pull The Roseanne Show forcing King World to cancel it, and be free of that hefty, guaranteed contract--it appears the ploy didn't go as planned.
"The fact is that the show is sold and owned for the next year," King World CEO Michael King told the Hollywood Reporter, adding: "This would not be the first time we have had to grow back from what appeared to be oblivion. We did it with Jeopardy!...we did it with Inside Edition. As long as you're still on the air, you have a chance."
Still, King World faces an uphill battle in seeking alternative outlets for the big markets. Most stations have already set their schedules for the coming season. And while King World has recently merged with CBS, it seems doubtful that Tiffany Network affiliates would want to make space in their schedules for such a ratings loser, either.
Roseanne has failed to establish a significant audience since it debuted last September, and the NBC affils felt King World--who's managed to make a tidy profit off the show, while the stations lose big money on it--was forcing their hand, making them cough up what is believed to be more than $12 million to carry another season of the show.
The Peacock O&Os are still on the line for that money, but they apparently feel they're cutting their losses by pulling the corpulent comedian from the air. They claim Roseanne is a ratings black hole, sucking viewers from other shows.
"We're disappointed that the audience didn't accept The Roseanne Show," NBC Television Stations President Pat Wallace said in a statement. "Roseanne is a great star. We did our part in trying to promote the show in our local markets, and we even tried different time periods in several markets without success. [The show] also hurts programs that follow it, and we cannot allow this to continue."