Roseanne Spinoff: Actually Confirmed by ABC!

Roseanne is about to die.

Not Roseanne Barr.

Roseanne Conner.

Allow us to explain…

On Thursday evening, ABC announced that it has ordered The Conners to series, confirming that 10 episodes of this spinoff will start airing this fall on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

The sitcom will be a spinoff of Roseanne, the wildly popular show from the 1990s that was revived by the network earlier this year and earned tremendous ratings during its resurrection.

Roseanne had been renewed for what would have been its eleventh season overall… only for its lead star to finally be too racist on Twitter for the network, prompting cancelation in late May after she wrote some abhorrent stuff about a former White House advisor.

Got all that?

Original cast members John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman will all reprise their beloved roles on The Conners.

Barr, however, will have no association with the program at all.

“I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from Roseanne,” Barr said in a statement yesterday, adding:

“I agreed to the settlement in order that 200 jobs of beloved cast and crew could be saved, and I wish the best for everyone involved.”

Barr, of course, has not typically been this reasonable and restrained in the wake of her firing.

She said on social media at one point that she’s only been receiving backlash because she’s Jewish.

But anyway. Back to that whole death thing that we mentioned up top, right?

ABC has not revealed how Roseanne (the character) will be written out of the spinoff, but it seems impossible to imagine any way this show will make sense unless the family matriarch is killed off.

The network also said in a press release that “a sudden turn of events” will force the Conners “to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.

This statement also read as follows:

“The Conners’ stories demonstrate that families can always find common ground through conversation, laughter and love. The spinoff will continue to portray contemporary issues that are as relevant today as they were 30 years ago.”

As for Goodman, Metcalf, Gilbert, Goranson and Fishman, many of whom have spoken out against Barr?

This is what they had to say about the spinoff:

We have received a tremendous amount of support from fans of our show, and it’s clear that these characters not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience.

We all came back last season because we wanted to tell stories about the challenges facing a working-class family today.

We are so happy to have the opportunity to return with the cast and crew to continue to share those stories through love and laughter.

Additional cast members for the series, along with a premiere date, will be announced at a later date.

Finally, to be clear, Barr will have no financial or creative involvement in the spinoff whatsoever.

View Slideshow: TV Cancelation Scorecard: Which Shows Have Gotten the Axe?

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Roseanne Spinoff: Might It Actually Happen?!?

If at first you succeed, try again.

Such was the thinking behind the Roseanne reboot, which took a classic sitcom and revived it for the year 2018… to surprisingly strong ratings.

But then Roseanne Barr opened her often-racist mouth, ABC canceled the series and now a source alleges that executives are contemplating a second line of thinking:

If at first you succeed, and then you try again successfully until your star proves herself to be an irredeemable dirtbag… well… try again. Again.

In other, less complicated:

A Roseanne spinoff is in the works at ABC.

Insiders close to the situation say that network higher-ups are thinking of re-branding Roseanne and centering it on Sara Gilbert’s character of Darlene.

The thinking is that:

1. The Roseanne brand still resonates with millions of viewers.


2. Gilbert is far, far, far less of a terrible person than Barr.

Gilbert has supposedly been calling co-stars to gauge their interest in such a show, with John Goodman described by TMZ as “very interested.”

These same television sources say Tom Werner, who produced Roseanne through his company Carsey-Werner, is involved in the effort to reboot the show around Sara.

Just three days ago, Roseanne quipped about former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, saying she was a mixture of an “ape” and the “Muslim Brotherhood.”

In a statement mere hours later, Channing Dungey, president of ABC, did not hedge in the any way, shape or form when she said the following:

Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.

So that was that… until Roseanne blamed the use of Ambien for her racist remark.

She also went after any colleague who dared to call out her awful viewpoints on life, one of whom was Gilbert hereslf.

Here is what Gilbert said the day Roseanne’s Tweet went viral:

Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show.

I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.

Elsewhere, showrunner Bruce Helford said he was “horrified and saddened” by the insult.

Barr was later dropped by her talent agency ICM Partners; while TV Land, Paramount Network, CMT and Hulu all announced that Roseanne reruns were being yanked.

But would there be interest nationwide in a Darlene-centric sitcom?

It would not lack for publicity, that’s for sure.

“Don’t feel sorry for me, guys!!,” Roseanne Tweeted at one point this week, adding:

“I just want to apologize to the hundreds of people and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet.”

Well, not at least one of those talented actors may end up with an even better job.

But why do we doubt Roseanne will be happy for her?

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Lena Dunham Says She Wasn"t Serious About Writing a "Roseanne" Spin-off

Lena Dunham was apparently yanking our chain when she said she’d be down to write a new show for the remaining characters on “Roseanne.” Joke’s on us. We got the “Girls” creator — who acted in and wrote for the HBO show — at LAX Thursday,…

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Lena Dunham Says She Wasn"t Serious About Writing a "Roseanne" Spin-off

Lena Dunham was apparently yanking our chain when she said she’d be down to write a new show for the remaining characters on “Roseanne.” Joke’s on us. We got the “Girls” creator — who acted in and wrote for the HBO show — at LAX Thursday,…

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Jenelle Evans & Briana DeJesus: Starring In Their Own Teen Mom 2 Spinoff?!

A recently-released trailer for the current season of Teen Mom 2 promised some major drama and plenty of surprises.

We tend to think the cast has a pretty good idea of what"s in store long before the rest of us, but it seems two of the show"s stars learned about a major storyline for the first time Monday night.

Briana DeJesus and Jenelle Evans say they were stunned to learn that their fellow castmates held a meeting with producers in which they basically asked that Jenelle and Briana be fired.

Not surprisingly, DeJesus and Evans were less than thrilled, and not only did they make their feelings known on social media, they also proposed a solution that might make everyone happy …

1. The Antagonists

What’s a reality show without a good villain, right? Well, love ‘em or hate ‘em villains don’t get much more compelling than Teen Mom 2’s resident bad girls, Jenelle Evans and Briana DeJesus.

2. The Infamous Meeting

In a trailer that aired after Monday night’s Teen Mom 2 season premiere, Kailyn Lowry, Leah Messer, and Chelsea Houska were seen meeting with TM2 producers and claiming that they don’t feel safe co-starring with Jenelle and Briana.

3. Um…What?

It was a bit of an odd claim to make, as aside from the annual reunion show, the ladies of Teen Mom 2 are never forced to interact with each other. In fact, they all live in totally different regions of the country.

4. Briana Reacts

DeJesus took to Twitter to express her shock after seeing the trailer, stating that she had no idea such a meeting took place, and adding “holy f–king sh-t lmao” for emphasis.

5. Unhappy Hurricane

Jenelle was equally displeased, but rather than getting angry, she decided to view her castmates’ mutiny as an opportunity.

6. The Pitch

Yes, Jenelle has an idea that will make everyone happy – especially her castmates who clearly want her and Briana banished from TM2.

View Slideshow
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Tyrese Gibson to The Rock: "Fast & Furious" Spin-off is "F****d Up,"You"re Selfish and Self-Promotional

Tyrese says he’s not mad at The Rock for doing a spin-off of ‘Fast & Furious,’ but then Tyrese goes after him with a vengeance, essentially saying he’s a selfish actor who screwed his loyal fan base just to get ahead. We got the ‘Fast’ actor…

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Brielle Biermann & Michael Kopech: We Might Do Spin-off Show, IF We Get Married

There might be another party to be tardy for very soon, because Brielle Biermann and her baseball playing BF aren’t ruling out a spin-off show … if the couple were to tie the knot. We got Brielle and her beau, Michael Kopech — a…

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Peter Kraus: Making His Bachelor Comeback on New Spinoff!

Sometimes spinoffs are based upon natural, logical progressions. The Bachelorette absolutely makes sense as a spinoff of The Bachelor, for example.

Other times, spinoffs involve a familiar concept — like the Bachelor franchise — combined with something seemingly unrelated. Like the Olympics. Because that’s what we’re getting with The Bachelor Winter Games.

But we’re not complaining. No one is. Because this new spinoff will feature the Bachelor comback of fan favorite Peter Kraus.

In a shocking move, showrunners chose Arie Luyendyk Jr. over Peter Kraus to be the next leading man on The Bachelor.

It’s been a month since that news broke but it’s only just now starting to feel real, you know? 

But ABC wasn’t done with making Bachelor franchise decisions based upon random whims, because they’re coming out with The Bachelor Winter Games, which premieres in February.

This spinoff will be a reality competition following a winter sports motif, as you might have guessed from the name.

It will feature returning stars from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, including some from other countries where Bachelor shows are filmed.

(The Bachelor Nation actually transcends national borders, folks)

These contestants will be filmed living in a winter resort … where they will, and we’re not making this up, compete in an array of winter sport challenges.

Why did they decide to do this?

Our best guess is that they wanted another all stars series like Bachelor in Paradise, but they wanted it to run during the winter.

if it turns out to be successful, this would be good for the network, since it’s a popular franchise.

It would also be good for some of the stars, as The Bachelor Winter Games could help them to “tread water” between seasons (like if someone was on The Bachelorette and is scheduled to appear on Bachelor in Paradise, but fans want more and the person doesn’t want to just return to their hometown in the interim)

We can imagine producers discussing this and someone saying: “Well, we just need a winter version of Bachelor in Paradise” and suddenly a proverbial lightbulb goes off in someone’s mind and they’re like “Like the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics!”

See, it works to have Bachelor in Paradise in the summer and in Mexico because, even though the temperatures there make your average person want to die, it’s very conducive to people not wearing a lot of clothing and feeling like they’re so removed from their regular lives that anything could happen.

If their winter equivalent were just a bunch of beautiful reality stars hanging out in parkas and looking for love … that just wouldn’t make for great television.

So we suppose that their solution was to make it competitive. We’re hoping that it won’t be athletically demanding, because not everyone is cut out for that.

And we don’t want to see the cast limited at all.

Peter Kraus, of course, is extremely fit, and he could do well.

More importantly, he’s just a popular and beloved figure by fans of the franchise, which is why the news that he’ll be one of the stars of this spinoff really warmed the cockles of our hearts.

Yesterday evening, Michael Fleiss tweeted out the news:

“Yes, Peter will be looking for love– and going for the gold– on #TheBachelor Winter Games!!!!”

Fans haven’t quite forgiven Fleiss for casting Arie Luyendyk Jr. when there was a perfectly good Peter Kraus sitting right there, but this is a step in the right direction.

“Plus, sexy international Bachelors and Bachelorettes from the dozens of countries that also produce #TheBachelor… “

The use of the word “sexy” isn’t necessary, since we’re all familiar with the franchise, but it does seem to imply that there will be matchmaking involved.

“In celebration of #TheBachelor being the world’s No. 1 show, at least 12 different nations will be represented at The Winter Games!!!”

Was anyone else a little surprised to learn that so many countries are involved with the show?

We don’t know how much of an emphasis this show will place on romance.

The games themselves may end up having as much to do with matchmaking as they do with athletic competitions.

(Let’s face it — we’re not expecting this to appeal to people for the sports element)

We’ll all find out what sort of show it is together when The Bachelor Winter Games premieres in February of 2018!

View Slideshow: Arie Luyendyk Jr. Named The Bachelor. And Twitter Cannot Believe It.

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Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo: Spin-Off Series in the Works?!

Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo already seem out of love … or, at least, seem to be playing up their affections for the camera.

But that doesn"t mean that they"re canceling their plans to marry, even if they haven"t quite set a date yet.

They are making some plans, though — which leads people to wonder if Rachel and Bryan have a spin-off reality series in the works.

Rachel Lindsay shocked fans to their cores when she dumped Peter Kraus in the season finale of The Bachelorette.

She looked massively torn up about it, and left Peter in a sobbing heap.

It was hard to watch, even for those of us who knew that it was coming.

The fact that she ignored good sense and her own family and choose Bryan Abasolo was hard for a lot of people to process.

Since then, Rachel"s choice has been overshadowed by the injustice of Peter Kraus not being the next Bachelor.

Because, ultimately, it"s Rachel"s life to live and she gets to choose her fiance. She chose Bryan Abasolo.

We don"t have to understand, we just need to realize that it"s her life and that maybe she"s looking for different traits than most viewers.

And you know, Rachel seems happy enough.

At least, Rachel and Bryan are still together. That"s more than we can say for a lot of Bachelor couples.

In this clip below, in which Wendy Williams doesn"t appear to be able to keep things straight between Peter Kraus and Bryan Abasolo and mixes up their professions, Rachel has some news.

It"s not, like, her big announcement. This is a detail that she slips in, almost as if it"s incidental or an afterthought.

Wendy asks Bryan Abasolo (after he joins them on the couch) whether he"s going to continue being a chiropractor.

(This is after she jokes about his job, but … that"s Wendy Williams, for you)

Bryan mentions that he"s taking a break from it at the moment but will get his chiropractor"s license to practice in California, which is where they"re going next.

Rachel Lindsay mentions that she plans to get her law license in California.

Wendy Williams casts a little doubt on that.

Wendy points out that many people go on reality television for the purpose of finding out if they can be successful television personalities.

Rachel clearly has what it takes, so now that she and Bryan have tested the waters, they might go on reality television again.

Like, say, in a spin-off.

Wendy then asks them, point-blank, if they plan to have their wedding on camera.

They both admit that it"s a possibility, that they haven"t ruled it out.

(We told you ages ago that Rachel Lindsay is already planning her wedding, right down to who isn"t invited, and that cameras might be there)

Other couples from the Bachelor franchise haven"t had the most success when cameras follow them around for every moment of their new relationship.

But while Lauren Bushnell and Ben Higgins broke up because they couldn"t communicate honestly with each other and be on camera at the same time … maybe that won"t be the case for Rachel and Bryan.

Not because true love conquers all, but … kind of the opposite.

If their engagement is, at this point, a business arrangement so that they can both seek fame and fortune as a reality couple … cameras wouldn"t hurt that relationship one bit.

We don"t know that this is the case, but since the two were described as acting like business partners except when the cameras are rolling … you have to wonder.

A reality spin-off really does sound like the only explanation for why they"d willingly move to California. 

And they didn"t exactly deny it in this video:

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Jax Taylor: DUMPED By Brittany Cartwright Ahead of Spinoff Premiere?!

After a months-long promotional campaign that kicked off during the Vanderpump Rules reunion show, the premiere of Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s spinoff series is almost here.

But it looks like the troubled couple won’t be watching it together.

For months, we’ve been hearing rumors that Jax and Brittany have broken up. 

Now, a source close to the couple is claiming that Taylor and Cartwright are no longer a couple, and the breakup was far from mutual.

The insider tells Radar Online that Brittany dumped Jax during a recent blow-out fight.

“Brittany was fed up,” the tipster tells Radar. “Jax wasn’t boyfriend material.”

Asked what drove Cartwright to finally call it quits, the source says simply, “He didn’t treat her right.”

If you watch Vanderpump Rules online, you know that Jax being a less-than-ideal boyfriend is nothing new.

But apparently, when she was caught up with life in West Hollywood, Brittany was unable to decide whether Jax was a jerk or simply a product of a culture that’s very different from the one she grew up with.

It wasn’t long into the couple’s latest trip to her hometown in Kentucky that Brittany was able to put things in perspective and realize that Jax is not the guy for her.

“Jax and Brittany had issues for months with her parents,” the insider says.

“Her parents didn’t like Jax and the way he treated her or anyone for that matter.”

Brittany apparently took some time to get reacquainted with her roots and left Kentucky last week having decided to break things off with Jax.

It seems the fight that took place not long after the couple’s return to LA afforded her the opportunity to end the relationship.

“Her family is her life, so she went back home to get clarity and spend time with her mom,” the insider added. 

“Her family stress was too much and with the spinoff there was so much pressure.” 

So we’re guessing you won’t be seeing Jax and Brittany promoting their new show together.

(Unless, of course, Bravo is encouraging them to keep their breakup under wraps.)

But hey, at least Jax won’t be returning to the singles scene alone.

View Slideshow: 37 Classic Vanderpump Rules Moments in GIFs

As we reported last week, Jax’s ex Stassi Schroeder was dumped by Patrick Meagher on what would have been the couple’s fourth anniversary.

Could an ill-advised reconciliation be on the horizon?

For the sake of our own amusement, we kind of hope so.

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Kim Kardashian: Plotting Her Own Spin-off to Make Her Kids Stars?

Remember when Kim Kardashian and Beyonce were on friendly terms?

Those were simpler times.

Well it looks like Kim is determined to upstage Beyonce. This time, her weapon of choice will be … her own unborn child. And Kim’s surrogate is already several months along.

So, as you know, Kim Kardashian and Kanye want to have another baby.

Some suggest that this Kimye baby is a play to repair their fractured relationship.

(But if two young children aren’t enough to keep them together, a third sure isn’t going to do the job)

Beyonce’s famous photo with her twins is one of the most iconic images of 2017.

Both before and since then, however, Beyonce and Jay-Z have mostly kept Sir and Rumi out of the spotlight.

It looks like Kim’s next step in her feud with the musical power couple is to do … sort of the opposite.

RadarOnline reports that Kim Kardashian has designs to push her child into the spotlight from the moment of their birth.

(Actually, RadarOnline also reports that Kim’s surrogate is pregnant with Kim and Kanye’s twins, but we absolutely cannot confirm that — though, if true, that is tremendously exciting)

Apparently, Kim Kardashian has been unhappy watching Beyonce enjoy the spotlight with her twins.

Her alleged plan to counter this?

By putting children and their entire life on television.

The claim is that Kim Kardashian is in talks with multiple networks to create a series titled: Meet The Wests that would follow her family around, including her children but also her future newborn.

Kim would then act as a momager, managing the careers of North, Saint, and her unborn child (RadarOnline reports that Kim has already decided on the names of the twins).

There are allegedly multiple reasons behind this:

First of all, Kim and Kanye have reportedly been having problems and there’s a hope that the “project” of creating a show as a family could bring them all together.

This would apparently allow them to maximize the star potential of all of their children.

And, of course, the merchandising and branding that goes with it.

(It sounds like Kim is once again cutting into Kylie’s business, right? Because Kylie has Life of Kylie, now)

And, of course, it might give Kim the opportunity to edge out whatever competition she might see in Beyonce’s children and Beyonce’s family.

Gosh, we hope that this isn’t true.

Sure, it would be all kinds of entertaining, and we love North to pieces.

It’s because of that love, actually, that we don’t want to see her and her siblings pushed into the spotlight any more than they already have been at their tender young ages.

Kim shouldn’t want it, either.

Despite claims tot he contrary, Kim Kardashian doesn’t endanger her children or whatever. She’s actually a pretty good mom.

Kylie became mega-famous when she was, what, a tween?

Look how she’s turned out — whining on reality television about how her dating life makes her depressed or something.

Can you honestly say that Kim should want her children to be reality stars on this level at such a young age? That her unborn child should enter this world on camera and never know privacy?

No.

View Slideshow: Saint West Photos: See Kimye’s Kute Son!

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"RHOA" Star Peter Thomas Has a Spin-off Show in the Works with Bravo

Peter Thomas — the guy who brought a knife to a … well … fight – could be getting his own spin-off show after splitting from Cynthia Bailey on ‘RHOA.’ Production sources tell us Peter and Bravo started filming a pilot focusing on his club…

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June Shannon Weight Loss Spinoff: Who Will It Star?

June Shannon has lost A LOT of weight over the past several months.

But she has not lost her desire to make money off reality television.

The former Here Comes Honey Boo Boo mother disappeared from the spotlight for many years after TLC canceled the series that made her and her family into D-List stars back in the day.

But she popped up again in early 2017 as the anchor of Mama June: From Not to Hot on WEtv.

Although, to be fair, “anchor” may be an unfair word to use here.

The program centered on how Shannon went from weighing over 400 pounds (i.e. NOT) to weighing under 200 pounds (i.e. HOT).

She did so by going on a very strict diet and also by going under the knife on multiple occasions.

In April, Shannon showed off her svelte figure on an episode of her new reality show, blowing away ex-husband Sugar Bear and every viewer who had followed Mama June since her days as… well…

… as an extremely fat person.

We’re not trying to be mean. Shannon was simply overweight and unhealthy by any objective measurement.

Over the course of about six months, however, underwent surgeries that includes:

– The insertion of a gastric sleeve.

– A breast augmentation.

– Skin removal on her “turkey neck,” “bat wings,” and stomach, the latter being area where doctors removed about nine pounds of loose skin.

Shannon now weighs approximately 160 pounds.

It’s a pretty amazing transformation, but it has also created a problem for the star: What does she do now?

Having already gone from “Not” to “Hot,” how does Shannon ride this momentum to another season of reality television?

Easy, according to OK! Weekly: she brings children Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon into the weight loss picture.

“The girls are up for it, because the show will be all about them, and they’ll have their own big paydays,” a source tells the tabloid, adding that filming is already underway on the untitled spinoff.

Like their mother, Alana and Lauryn both share an enjoyment of junk food, along with “sketti,” a pasta-covered-in-butter-and-ketchup concoction that became famous back during the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo days.

Thankfully, neither young woman will undergo any surgery on this upcoming show.

They will instead stick to a healthy diet and be made to exercise on a frequent basis.

Is there something creepy and seemingly inappropriate about a TV show that focuses on the unflattering bodies of two children? Yes.

But it’s hard to find too much fault helping kids eat well and work out often. 

“I don’t want them to end up like I did at 460 pounds,” June has previously said of her daughters’ health. “Who would want that?”

And if this series rates well, we really may never stop seeing June Shannon on television.

The same tabloid claims a dating show starring the mother of two could be on tap, depending upon the success of this spinoff.

“Mama June loves fame, and audiences love her,” says the insider.

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Jenelle Evans Spinoff Series: Actually Happening?!

If you watch Teen Mom 2 online, you might think you’ve pretty much had your fill of Jenelle Evans.

Jenelle consistently dominates the series in terms of drama (and often in terms of screen time, as well), and she’s been testing fans’ patience from day one.

But it seems MTV execs are betting that the same frustration that leads fans to fire off angry tweets at Jenelle will also prompt them to tune into a series that focuses primarily on the Carolina Hurricane and her antics.

Yes, it’s looking like a Jenelle Evans spinoff series may already be in the works.

Evans was asked point blank if she has such a project in her future, and while she technically played it coy, she basically confirmed that The Jenelle Show is coming soon.

“Maybeeeeeee,” Jenelle tweeted, along with a winking smiley face emoji.

“Organizing takes a while.”

No one uses that many “E’s” in the word “maybe” unless they actually mean yes.

Of course, this is far from the first time that there have been rumors of a Teen Mom spinoff series.

Farrah Abraham, Kailyn Lowry, and Amber Portwood have all teased the possibility of a spinoff series in the past, but insiders believe Jenelle has the best chance of making it happen.

While it’s possible that Farrah is the franchise’s most outlandish personality, no one has consistently brought the drama quite like Jenelle.

Jenelle’s custody battles with her mother and Nathan Griffith are the stuff of soap operas.

Her ongoing feud with David Eason’s sister has taken place entirely on social media, but it still has us riveted.

Normally, we’re skeptical about reality spinoffs, as few TV personalities have enough drama in their lives to sustain one show for very long, much less two.

But with Jenelle, we’re pretty sure you could keep her on camera around the clock, a la The Truman Show, and it would never get old.

Maybe we’re wrong, and a Jenelle spinoff will make us realize that even the most bonkers of reality stars have their boring moments.

But we’re certainly looking forward to finding out.

View Slideshow: 13 Shocking Jenelle Evans Facts Even We Didn’t Know!

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Grey"s Anatomy Spinoff: Coming to ABC!

ABC confirmed some bad news and shocked fans with some amazing news on Tuesday afternoon. 

First, the bad news:

Scandal really is coming to an end after next year’s seventh season.

Said creator Shonda Rhimes in a statement regarding the conclusion of this beloved drama:

“Deciding how to end a show is easy. Deciding when to finish is quite simple when the end date is years away. But actually going through with it? Actually standing up to say: ‘This is it?’ Not so much.

“So, next year we are going all out. Leaving nothing on the table. Creating this world in celebration.

“We are going to handle the end the way we like to handle the important things in our Scandal family: all together, white hats on, gladiators running full speed over a cliff.”

This sucks, as know.

But ABC has at least softened the blow by also announcing the following:

Rhimes will executive produce an upcoming Grey’s Anatomy spinoff!

There may not be enough exclamation points there; allow us to rectify the mistake: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

The series will be written by longtime Grey’s Anatomy Executive Producer Stacy McKee and will premiere some time in early 2017, presumably after How to Get Away With Murder ends its season.

As for what the spinoff will center on?

Red. Hot. Firefighters!

No casting decisions have been made and few details are available at this time.

But the unnamed show will focus on a number of firemen and firewomen in Seattle.

“No one can interweave the jeopardy firefighters face in the line of duty with the drama in their personal lives quite like Shonda, and Grey’s signature Seattle setting is the perfect backdrop for this exciting spinoff,” said ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey in a statement today.

Added the network itself:

“From the captain to the newest recruit, we follow these brave men and women as they risk their lives and their hearts both in the line of duty and off the clock.”

Sounds like your basic, let’s-mix-serious-work-with-suspenseful-and-romantic-play Rhimes fare, doesn’t it?

Grey’s Anatomy will conclude Season 13 this Thursday night.

According to the official synopsis for Grey’s Anatomy Season 13 Episode 24, there will be a massive explosion at the hospital, leaving many lives in jeopardy and resulting in a major cliffhanger.

Sounds like the sort of thing that will require a handful of firefighters to show up on the scene, either this week or to kick off Season 14.

And then… BOOM! You’ve got the beginning of your spinoff.

Well played, ABC.

View Slideshow: ABC Scoop: Spinoffs, Revivals, Farewells and More!

Cycle through the photos above to delve into ALL the scoop doled out by ABC today.

It includes a hilarious spinoff, an unexpected revival and so much more!

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Jax Taylor-Brittany Cartwright Spinoff: Bad Idea, or the Worst Idea?

For many fans, Vanderpump Rules Season 5 had something of a shark-jumpy air about it.

Critics feel the show focused too much on the wedding of the show’s least-lovable couple (the seemingly mismatched Tom and Katie Schwartz), while ignoring far more compelling storylines such as Scheana Marie’s divorce from Mike Shay.

The capper to what was arguably already an over-long season is a three-part series of Vanderpump reunion shows (which brings the season’s total episode count to an astonishing 24, possibly another reason for the drop-off in quality.)

Watch Vanderpump Rules Season 5 Episode 23 Online

The reunion shows are padded to within an inch of their lives (He seems like a cool kid, but did Stassi Schroeder’s 12-year-old brother really have to dole out life advice to every member of the cast?), but they contain the occasional big reveal.

Or at least they confirm rumors that have already been out there for months.

On last night’s episode, we learned that the Jax Taylor-Brittany Cartwright spinoff series (previously known as the worst-kept secret in Bravo history) is officially a go.

Jax and Brittany take Kentucky will premiere sometime this summer, and while the show is a spinoff of a spinoff, it’s not surprising that Andy Cohen and company have decided to go this route.

Vanderpump remains immensely popular and Jax is still the show’s biggest personality.

Watching Jax put in work on a Kentucky farm in an effort to convince his future in-laws that he’s the right man for Brittany could make for an amusing fish-out-of-water tale.

The fear among some fans was that the show would spend have too much of a lighthearted Green Acres tone and get too much mileage out of Taylor fumbling with simple farming tasks.

However, last night’s sneak peek put some of those fears to bed.

Jax is entertaining, but he’s no cartoon character, and the new series clearly won’t be turning a blind eye to his short temper and other darker qualities.

The extreme conservatism of the Cartwright family was put on display this past season, when Brittany’s mother made homophobic comments after watching Jax get roasted by his friends.

(Despite what Cohen and the cast claim, the fact that the elder Cartwright has a bigger problem with Jax possibly having hooked up with a guy than with his long history of violence, cheating, drugs and arrests is deeply problematic.)

So the show could provide the dramatic fireworks that fans have come to expect from Vanderpump.

Or it could amount to overkill at a time when the main series can least afford to further alienate fans.

View Slideshow: 37 Classic Vanderpump Rules Moments in GIFs

Either way, the sight of Jax trying to figure out which end of a pitchfork to use should be entertaining.

Watch Vanderpump Rules online to relive the rocky road that brought Jax and Brittany to where they are today.

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