Roseanne reboot will resurrect John Goodman's deceased character

The comeback of popular 90s sitcom Roseanne will also purportedly resurrect John Goodman's character Dan Conner – despite the shocking reveal in the Season 9 finale that he had died.

Fans of the show were stunned to hear through Roseanne Conner's narration that her husband had not survived a heart attack he suffered in Season 8. Now in a Dallas-like reversal, it appears that everything which occurred after that moment had in fact not happened.

"Dan is very much alive," a source close to the production told TVLine. "They're going to pretend like it never even happened." Famously, the 1980s sitcom Dallas brought Bobby Ewing (played by Patrick Duffy) back to life in a shower scene – and earned huge ridicule as result.

Roseanne, which started in 1988 and ran for almost a decade until 1997, told the story of the Conner family and their daily struggles in life. It was a highly rated comedy treasured by a group of loyal fans, who were delighted upon hearing the news that it was set for a revival.

However, instead of proceeding with the twist that unfolded in what was the show's last ever episode, producers have decided to tear up that particular page and start a brand new chapter as if it was never written in the first place – allowing John Goodman to return to the fold unscathed.

Roseanne will show an eight-episode season, which will air in 2018, with ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey believing the characters to still be the perfect figures to make jokes about today's society.

Dungey said: "The Conners' joys and struggles are as relevant and hilarious today as they were then, and there's really no one better to comment on our modern America than Roseanne."

ABC describes Roseanne as "a comedy about ordinary people who faced day-to-day survival with a sense of the absurdity of it all,"

It continued: "Lauded for its humor, relevance, warmth and honesty, the Conner family will continue to deal with the economic challenges of living pay check to pay check in 2018."

Roseanne was the most watched show in the US between 1989 and 1990 with the finale drawing an audience of 16 million viewers.

It was confirmed earlier in May that it will feature original cast members, including Roseanne Barr, her on-screen husband Dan played by Goodman, and on-screen daughter Sara Gilbert (Darlene).

Barr – who played the titular character – retweeted several messages from excited fans online including links to articles about the revival.