Roseanne burst onto the screen in 1988, when top-rated sitcom The Cosby Show exuded a smug Father Knows Best glossiness. In contrast, the blue-collar Conner family bickered with the offhand nastiness of real families, which didn't mean they loved each other any less. Front and center was Roseanne Barr (now known by the single name Roseanne), a former stand-up comedian who wasn't afraid to rock the boat (her fights with producers were legendary). When even the fat guys on sitcoms have svelte, hottie wives, it's hard to believe that this woman--overweight, abrasive, with a voice like a wood chipper--became top of the television heap.
Roseanne spoke up for a kind of lower-class feminism; she didn't concern herself much with politics, but within the family she just as much in charge as her husband Dan (the ever-dependable John Goodman, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski)--though in the final episode of the first season, she took a stand at her factory job that was half Norma Rae, half Cool Hand Luke. But most often the show turned the ordinary rituals of domestic life (putting the kids to bed, coping with visiting parents) into sharp comic scenarios. The stories were smartly hidden in a series of scenes that felt organic and unforced. The entire cast--one of the best ensembles ever, including theater veteran Laurie Metcalf (Scream 2) as Roseanne's sister Jackie; Lecy Goranson as eldest daughter Becky; Michael Fishman as youngest child D.J.; and especially Sara Gilbert (Poison Ivy, ER) as middle daughter Darlene--swiftly cultivated the mixture of comfort and tension that marks most family relationships. The result was a portrait of American family life that rang achingly, hilariously true.
Cast and Characters
Roseanne Arnold as Roseanne Conner
John Goodman as Dan Conner
Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner (1988-1992)
Sarah Chalke as Becky Conner (1993-1997)
Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner
Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner
Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris
Natalie West as Crystal Anderson
Tom Arnold as Arnie Merchant (1989-1994)
Ned Beatty as Ed Conner (1989-1997)
Estelle Parsons as Bev Harris (1989-1997)
Michael O'Keefe as Fred (1993-1997)
Sandra Bernhard as Nacy (1993-1997)
Broadcast History First Telecast: October 18, 1988 Last Telecast: November 14, 1997 Number of Episodes: 222
Number of Seasons: 9
Original Network: ABC
October 1988- February 1989, ABC, Tuesday 8:30-9:00pm
February 1989- September 1994, ABC, Tuesday 9:00-9:30pm
September 1994- Mrach 1995, ABC, Wednesday 9:00-9:30pm
March 1995- May 1995, ABC, Wednesday 8:00-8:30pm
May 1995- November 1997, ABC, Wednesday 9:30-10:00pm
Roseanne burst onto the screen in 1988, when top-rated sitcom The Cosby Show exuded a smug Father Knows Best glossiness. In contrast, the blue-collar Conner family bickered with the offhand nastiness of real families, which didn't mean they loved each other any less. Front and center was Roseanne Barr (now known by the single name Roseanne), a former stand-up comedian who wasn't afraid to rock the boat (her fights with producers were legendary). When even the fat guys on sitcoms have svelte, hottie wives, it's hard to believe that this woman--overweight, abrasive, with a voice like a wood chipper--became top of the television heap.
