Dan 'Definitely Still Alive' in Roseanne Remake

The Roseanne revival is set to air on ABC this fall, and one character in particular will make a surprising comeback. Dan Conner, the family patriarch played by John Goodman, was revealed in the series finale to have died of a heart attack—but in the ABC reboot, "Dan is definitely still alive," ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey informed reporters Sunday, per EW.com. How the show plans on pulling this off isn't being unmasked yet, but Dungey added that "I wouldn't say we'll ignore the events of the finale."

The Los Angeles Times reports that ABC won a bidding war for the show with Netflix by agreeing to give star Roseanne Barr almost complete creative control, which puts the network "back in the business of dealing with the unpredictable real-life Roseanne." Among concerns noted by some are the comedian's Twitter feed, which often promotes her strongly held political positions (described by one reporter as "wacky conspiracy stuff"). Dungey shrugged that particular issue off, noting Roseanne's son will be taking over her Twitter feed and that "I try to just worry about the things that I can control." (More Roseanne (sitcom) stories.)