ABC swiftly canceled "Roseanne" after its main star sent out a tweet comparing President Barack Obama's former advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
While Roseanne won't return to TV this fall, the network is reportedly considering ways to continue the show without its lead in a spin-off centered around the rest of the Conner family. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a hit show has carried on after its lead has been fired.
INSIDER rounded up shows that have tried to continue without its main actor. Some have continued on successfully for years while others floundered for a season or two before getting the ax. Let's face it: Sometimes, it's just not the same without a show's original star.
Many of the show changes involved the firing of lead actresses after they asked for pay raises equal to their male counterparts. This was long before actresses like Jessica Chastain and former E! News host Catt Sadler were speaking out about pay equity.
Others are because of spats on and off set and allegations of sexual misconduct. And still other times, stars just felt they had told the story they had set out to tell and felt the show was, perhaps, past its prime.
"8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" tried to continue after the sudden death of its lead star.
John Ritter's unexpected death during the production of season two left the show up in the air. After going on a brief hiatus, the show returned for two more seasons, but it was never the same.
Though the show wrote the star's death into the show and had David Spade and James Garner join, "8 Simple Rules" couldn't recover without its lead. Ritter's death overshadowed the series with the show becoming a reminder week after week about the actor's untimely death. It was a downer.
The show was canceled after its third season as ratings continued to decline. Things turned out all right for the cast.
Cuoco went over to "The Big Bang Theory" and is one of the highest-paid stars on TV and Katey Sagal was a lead on FX's hit "Sons of Anarchy."
"Once Upon a Time" tried to reinvent itself after a lot of the main cast left.
After Emma Swan and Captain Hook tied the knot at the end of season six, six original cast members announced they were departing the show.
With so many beloved characters gone, the show attempted hitting the reset button by fast-forwarding a decade and following Swan's son, Henry. Unfortunately, the result felt too much like a rehash of the original show.
Showrunners Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis also attempted bringing back the Alice in Wonderland character — a personal favorite of Kitsis' — even after a spin-off with that character had already failed.
ABC didn't seem too invested in the show any more either. The series was moved from its longstanding Sunday night slot to the Friday night death slot at 9 p.m. when its presumed younger audiences weren't tuning in. The show was canceled after bringing in lower ratings than its previous sixth season.
"The Office" continued on for two seasons too long after Steve Carell left.
Will Ferrell and James Spader both tried to keep the show afloat after Carell left the NBC comedy on its seventh season, However, Deangelo Vickers and Robert California couldn't really pack the same punch as Michael Scott.
Many agreed it just wasn't the same without Carell's charm and humor. Instead, it felt like the show dragged on as the show dipped in ratings.
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