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Roseanne (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC
from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr
, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois
working class family. The series reached #1 in the Nielsen ratings
becoming the most watched television show in the United States from 1989 to 1990, and remained in the top four for six of its nine seasons, and in the top twenty for eight.
In 1997, the episode "A Stash from the Past" was ranked #21 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. In 2002, Roseanne was ranked #35 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time
.
family struggling to get by on a limited household income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. Lanford was nominally located in Fulton County
, but other on-air references over the years suggest the town is in the vicinity of Aurora
, Elgin
, and DeKalb
, which are much closer to Chicago. The family was led by outspoken matriarch Roseanne, married to husband Dan, with three children Becky, Darlene, D.J. In Season 8, Roseanne and Dan have a fourth child, Jerry Garcia.
Many critics considered the show notable as one of the first sitcoms to portray a blue-collar
American family with two parents working outside the home, as well as lead characters who were noticeably overweight without such being the target of jokes. For many years, Roseanne tackled taboo
subjects or joked about issues that most other popular shows at the time avoided, such as poverty
, alcoholism
, flatulence
, drug abuse
, sex
, menstruation
, birth control
, teenage pregnancy
, masturbation
, obesity
, abortion
, race, social class
, domestic violence
, infidelity
, and gay rights. The show was also significant for its portrayal of feminist
ideals including a female-dominated household, a female lead whose likability did not rely on her appearance, relationships between female characters that were cooperative rather than competitive, and females openly expressing themselves without negative consequences.
Roseanne was successful from its beginning, ranking #1 in the Nielsen ratings
its second season, becoming the most watched television program in the United States from 1989 to 1990, and spending its first six seasons among the Nielsen ratings' top five highest-rated shows; the finale attracted 16 million viewers. With the success of Roseanne, television networks began offering sitcom deals to stand-up comedians
, a practice that continued for years afterward.
Establishing shot
s were photographed in Evansville, Indiana
, the hometown of first-season producer Matt Williams
.
Barr's real-life brother and sister are gay, which is what inspired her to push for introducing gay characters and issues into the show and was part of the reason for her fallout with former executive producer Matt Williams, who protested making the character Nancy a lesbian. "My show seeks to portray various slices of real life, and homosexuals are a reality," said Barr.
) is a line worker at Wellman Plastics, along with her sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf
) and friend Crystal (Natalie West
). Jackie has a brief relationship with Booker (George Clooney
), the foreman at Wellman. Dan (John Goodman
) finds sporadic work as a construction contractor and faces a strained relationship with his irresponsible father (Ned Beatty
). Roseanne's parents, Beverly (Estelle Parsons
) and Al (John Randolph
), consider moving to Lanford, but eventually decide against it. Tomboy Darlene (Sara Gilbert
) struggles with her femininity as she enters puberty and gets her first period. Becky (Lecy Goranson) faces dating problems with her first boyfriend Chip, who is introduced in the "Lover's Lane" episode. Season one also finds the Conners experiencing, and surviving, a tornado. In the "Death and Stuff" episode a door-to-door salesman dies in the Conners' kitchen, and in the season finale, Roseanne stands up to a new foreman (Fred Thompson), when she leads Jackie, Crystal, and other coworkers as they quit Wellman Plastics. DJ is played by Sal Barone in the pilot episode and by Michael Fishman
for the remainder of the series. There is a running gag in this season where they use the word "corn" in every episode.
) makes a startling debut when he plants a passionate kiss on Roseanne. The Conners celebrate an outrageous Halloween that becomes an annual feature of the series. Roseanne wants 10 minutes to herself in the bathroom; this turns into a bizarre dream sequence. Later, at Thanksgiving
dinner, Dan takes wary notice of a growing romance between his father and Crystal. Jackie gets serious with new boyfriend Gary (Brian Kerwin
). Becky repeatedly rebels against Roseanne and Dan's parental authority. The reappearance of old biker buddy Ziggy (Jay O. Sanders
) reminds Roseanne and Dan of their own rebellious past. Darlene first proves her talent for writing when she wins recognition for her poetry. Roseanne's own writing talents are given a boost when her family fixes up a basement room to serve as a writer's den. This is the first season where we hear Roseanne thinking out loud.
Other notable guest stars during the season include Stephen Dorff
as Becky's boyfriend Jimmy, Jenny Lewis
as Becky's friend Diane, Stephen Root
as Roseanne's lawyer Peter, and Bert Parks
as a judge. Ann Wedgeworth
played Dan Conner's mother in the Thanksgiving episode.
) and Bonnie (Bonnie Bramlett
). Jackie gets injured on the job, which results in her breaking up with her boyfriend Gary. Becky begins dating Mark Healy (Glenn Quinn
); when her parents forbid her to see him, she temporarily moves in with Jackie. Dan is floored to learn his father Ed and Crystal plan to marry. Crystal is pregnant with Ed's baby. Roseanne locks horns with snooty new neighbor Kathy (Meagen Fay
). Nana Mary (Shelley Winters
) makes her first appearance at a family barbecue. In the season finale, Ziggy reappears, proposing to open a motorcycle repair shop with Dan and Roseanne. While they are in the process of getting the business off the ground, Ziggy decides to leave because he doesn't want to feel responsible if the business fails. However, he leaves enough money for Dan to open it by himself. We never hear about him again.
Other notable guest stars during the season include Leonardo DiCaprio
as Darlene's classmate, Brad Garrett
as Doug, Judy Gold
as Amy, Alyson Hannigan
as Becky's friend Jan, and Tobey Maguire
as Jeff.
The season starts with Becky surprising Roseanne by asking for birth-control pills. Dan and Roseanne begin their new motorcycle repair shop business, Lanford Custom Cycle, while Roseanne continues to work at Rodbell's Department Store. Darlene meets David Healy (Johnny Galecki
). (In his first appearance, the character was known as Kevin Healy.) After a brief stint working at a perfume counter, Jackie decides to become a truck driver. Nancy (Sandra Bernhard
) is introduced as Arnie's fiancee. After a night of heavy drinking, Jackie discovers she slept with the newly engaged Arnie. Darlene undergoes a personality shift into a sullen goth
teen. Booker makes a surprise appearance at a Halloween party. Roseanne's neighbor Kathy moves back to Chicago. Roseanne gets breast reduction surgery. Roseanne and Dan accompany Arnie and Nancy to their wedding in Las Vegas. At the end of the season, Lanford Custom Cycle fails, Rodbell's Luncheonette closes. Nancy is left alone after Arnie is "abducted by aliens".
Notable guest stars during the season include Bob Hope
as himself, Jena Malone
as little girl on Santa's lap, Wayne Newton
as himself, David Crosby
as Duke, Bonnie Bramlett
as Roseanne's coworker Bonnie, Neil Patrick Harris
as Dr. Doogie Howser
, and Rick Dees
as Ken.
. Becky decides to go with him, and they elope. Jackie and Roseanne each get a check for $10,000 from their mother after she and their father divorce. They, along with Nancy, decide to open a diner but can only get the money they need after Bev agrees to become a partner as well. Nancy comes out as a lesbian. The Tildens, a single father and his two daughters around Becky and Darlene's ages, move in next door. Jackie dates Fisher, a much younger man. When Roseanne discovers he is physically abusive, Dan confronts him, beats him up, and is arrested. Roseanne and Jackie's father dies. and Roseanne confronts his longtime secret mistress. Roseanne's rich, estranged cousin Ronnie (Joan Collins
) visits and persuades Darlene to get her GED
and apply to art school. David applies as well. Darlene asks her parents if David can move in, because his mother is moving away and they want to stay together. Roseanne and Dan initially refuse, but when Roseanne sees David's mother being verbally abusive, she decides to let him stay. Roger offers Dan a deal to renovate and sell a house, then runs off before the deal is complete; Jackie decides to buy the house, saving Dan from financial ruin. David gets a rejection letter from art school, while Darlene gets an acceptance. At the end of the season, Roseanne is scared Darlene will run away to school, although Darlene has already decided not to go. Realizing she was wrong, Roseanne persuades Darlene to not give up on her goals just to stay with David.
During this season, there is a running gag in which each of the Conners (except for Becky) appears in a different scene in the same long-sleeved, egg-printed shirt with a large chick on the front.
Notable guest stars during the season include Wings Hauser
as Ty Tilden, Danielle Harris
as Molly Tilden, Mara Hobel
as Charlotte Tilden, Loretta Lynn
as herself, Morgan Fairchild
as Nancy's girlfriend Marla, Bill Maher
as Bob, Ed Begley, Jr.
as Principal Alexander, Blake Clark
as Vic, Red Buttons as Bev's lover Jake, Sally Kirkland
as Mark and David's mother Barbara, Tim Curry
as Nancy's lover Roger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
as DJ's friend George, Joan Collins
as Roseanne and Jackie's cousin Ronnie, Matt Roth
as Jackie's boyfriend Fisher, Steve Jones
as a threatening diner patron, and in a very brief cameo, Chris Farley
as a customer trying on a too-small leather jacket.
from Nancy's girlfriend. Jackie gives birth to a son, Andy. Dan confronts his mother's history of mental illness. The season concludes with Fred and Jackie's wedding.
Notable guest stars during the season include Michael O'Keefe
as Fred, the father of Jackie's baby, Mariel Hemingway
as Nancy's girlfriend Sharon, Sandra Bernhard
as Jackie's co-worker Nancy, Vicki Lawrence
as Dan's old flame Phyllis, Florence Henderson
as neighbor Flo, Genie Francis
and Anthony Geary
as General Hospitals Luke and Laura Spencer, Ahmet Zappa
as Mark's roommate Roy, and Fabio
as himself.
Season seven begins with Roseanne's unexpected pregnancy and goes on to tackle such issues as abortion, alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual dysfunction and racial prejudice. Darlene and David break up after briefly maintaining an open relationship. They both date other people, but eventually, they reunite. Due to tension in the household, Mark and Becky move into a trailer. DJ plays a bigger role this season, most notably in an episode where he refuses to kiss a black girl in his school play.
Notable guest stars during the season include Sharon Stone
as a trailer-park resident, Ellen DeGeneres
as Jackie and Fred's psychologist, Danny Masterson
as Darlene's boyfriend Jimmy, and Traci Lords
as Lanford Lunch Box busperson Stacy. In the season finale, a tribute is made to Sherwood Schwartz
. In uncredited appearances the end of the episode has Gilligan's Island cast members playing Roseanne characters. These include Dawn Wells, Bob Denver, Tina Louise and Russell Johnson, as well as Sherwood Schwartz.
Notable guest stars during the season include Fred Willard
as Leon's husband Scott, Ed McMahon
as himself, John Popper
(with Blues Traveler
) as an old friend of Dan's, Pat Harrington Jr. as himself, Jenna Elfman
as hitchhiker Garland, Shecky Greene
as Bar Mitzvah guest Uncle Saul, Norm Crosby
as Reverend Crosley, June Lockhart
as TV mom Ruth Martin
, the cast of Stomp
as Lanford Lunch Box patrons, Eric Dane
as a Disney World bellhop, and Tony Curtis
as ballroom-dance instructor Hal.
, accompanied by drums and other instruments. For this final season, the theme was remixed and performed by Blues Traveler
with a distorted harmonica—one of the band's staples—playing in place of the saxophone. Lyrics were also added and sung into the theme by John Popper
. The Conners win the state lottery
jackpot of $108 million. Throughout the season Dan ponders the meaning of life. Jackie meets her prince. DJ finds love. Darlene, after some trouble, gives birth.
In the season's final episode, Roseanne reveals the show is actually a story written by Roseanne Conner about her life. To cope, Roseanne twisted major elements of her life for the story, which the audience does not find out until the final moments of the series. In reality, Dan's heart attack was fatal and the Conner family did not win the lottery. In real life, Roseanne's sister is a lesbian and her mom is straight. Another difference is that David and Becky were a couple all along, as were Mark and Darlene, rather than the opposite.
Notable guest stars during the season include Ed Asner
as Lou Grant
, Jim Varney
as Jackie's boyfriend Prince Carlos, Tammy Faye Bakker as Roseanne's makeup consultant, Dina Merrill
as Doris, Joanna Lumley
as Patsy Stone
, Jennifer Saunders
as Edina Monsoon
, Arianna Huffington
as Estree, Marlo Thomas
as Tina, James Brolin
as Roseanne's business partner/love interest Edgar Wellman, Jr., and Debbie Reynolds
as Dan's mother Audrey, as well as Rainer Hahn, Hugh Hefner
, Milton Berle
, Robin Leach
, Todd Oldham
, Tony Robbins
, Kathleen Sullivan
, Steven Seagal
, George Clooney
, and Jerry Springer
as themselves.
The 9th season of Roseanne was ranked #18 on the TV Guide Network special, 25 Biggest TV Blunders.
and ABC executives on continuing to play Roseanne Conner in a spinoff. However, ABC withdrew from negotiations with Carsey-Werner and Barr after failed discussions with CBS and Fox
. Barr and Carsey-Werner agreed to discontinue the negotiations.
In the Fall of 2008, Barr commented on what the Conners would be up to now. "I've always said now that if they were on TV, DJ would have been killed in Iraq and [the Conners] would have lost their house". When asked for more details on where the rest of the Conners (Dan, Jackie, Becky, Darlene, David, and Mark) would be, Barr said "Your question is intellectual property
that may be developed later, so I don't want to get into that". She added, "No preview, absolutely not". On December 20, 2009, Barr posted an entry on her website regarding what a possible Roseanne reunion would be like, which includes: DJ being published, Mark dying in Iraq; David leaving Darlene for a woman half his age; Darlene meeting a woman and having a test tube baby
; Becky working at Walmart; Roseanne and Jackie opening the first medical marijuana
dispensary in Lanford; Arnie becoming the best friend of the Governor of Illinois
and remarrying Nancy; Bev selling a painting for $10,000, Jerry and the grandsons forming a music group similar to the Jonas Brothers
; Dan reappearing alive after faking his death; and Bonnie being arrested for selling crack
.
top 20 shows listing for eight of its nine seasons. The series reached #1 in its second season, becoming the most watched television show in the United States.
The following table lists the ranking for each season.
TBS
aired rerun
s of Roseanne from 1996 through 2004. Cable channel Nick at Nite
aired reruns of the show from the fall of 2003 until 2009; it has since moved to TV Land
's TV Land Prime schedule. Oxygen
has aired reruns since 2005. The show returned to Nick@Nite's lineup on October 5, 2009, replacing Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
in its late night timeslot. As of January 2010, Nick at Nite has once again taken Roseanne from its time slot. In January 2011, all nine seasons of the show were made available on Netflix
Instant streaming. In Australia
, the show is seen on the channel 111 Hits
, and Eleven
. In Canada, it airs on TVTropolis
.
and Laurie Metcalf
both won Emmy Awards for their performances in the series, Barr for Outstanding Lead Actress and Metcalf for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Metcalf also won in 1992 and 1994. In 1992, Roseanne Barr
and John Goodman
both won Golden Globe Awards, Barr for Best Actress and Goodman for Best Actor. The series won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
The series won a Peabody Award in 1992 and a People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy Program in 1989. Barr won five additional People's Choice Awards
for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Program (1989), Favorite Female All Around Entertainer (1990), and Favorite Female TV Performer (1990, 1994, and 1995).
In 2008, the entire cast (except for Laurie Metcalfe) reunited at the TV Land Awards
to receive the Innovator Award. In their acceptance speech, they honored the late cast member Glen Quinn.
Emmy Award
The show also received several nominations in Editing, Art Direction, Music, Lighting Direction, Writing and Hairstyling.
Golden Globe Award
American Comedy Awards
(briefly named Starz Home Entertainment resulting in some DVD packaging bearing this name) released all nine seasons on DVD in Region 1 (2005–2007) and Region 2. The first season was issued with shorter, syndicated versions of the episodes because Anchor Bay was unable to obtain permission to release the original broadcasts. In the company's eighth and ninth season DVDs, some scenes have been altered to avoid disputes over music rights, including substituting some closing credit scenes with a black screen. As of 2010, the region 1 releases have been discontinued and are out of print.
On May 4, 2011, Mill Creek Entertainment
announced that they had acquire the rights to re-release the series on DVD in Region 1. Season 1 and 2 are scheduled to be re-released on September 13, 2011.
In Germany, Universum Film has released the entire series on DVD, and released a complete series box set on July 3, 2009. Unlike the Anchor Bay releases, these were fully unedited.
In Australia and New Zealand, Magna Pacific
has released all nine seasons on DVD in Region 4. Unlike the Anchor Bay releases, Magna Pacific's first season DVDs include the full-length original broadcast episodes.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
working class family. The series reached #1 in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
becoming the most watched television show in the United States from 1989 to 1990, and remained in the top four for six of its nine seasons, and in the top twenty for eight.
In 1997, the episode "A Stash from the Past" was ranked #21 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. In 2002, Roseanne was ranked #35 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time
TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time
TV Guides 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time is TV Guides list of the 50 most entertaining and influential television series in American pop culture...
.
Premise
The show centered on the Conners, an American working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
family struggling to get by on a limited household income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. Lanford was nominally located in Fulton County
Fulton County, Illinois
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 37,069, which is a decrease of 3.1% from 38,250 in 2000. Its county seat is Lewistown. Canton is the largest city. Both cities are southwest of Peoria, and the county is considered...
, but other on-air references over the years suggest the town is in the vicinity of Aurora
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, Elgin
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
, and DeKalb
DeKalb, Illinois
DeKalb is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 at the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated German war hero Johann De Kalb, who died during the American Revolutionary War....
, which are much closer to Chicago. The family was led by outspoken matriarch Roseanne, married to husband Dan, with three children Becky, Darlene, D.J. In Season 8, Roseanne and Dan have a fourth child, Jerry Garcia.
Many critics considered the show notable as one of the first sitcoms to portray a blue-collar
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
American family with two parents working outside the home, as well as lead characters who were noticeably overweight without such being the target of jokes. For many years, Roseanne tackled taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
subjects or joked about issues that most other popular shows at the time avoided, such as poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, flatulence
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
, drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, menstruation
Menstruation
Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining . It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age females of certain mammal species. This article focuses on human menstruation.-Overview:...
, birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
, teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy of a female under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. It generally refers to a female who is unmarried and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy...
, masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, race, social class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
, domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, infidelity
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
, and gay rights. The show was also significant for its portrayal of feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
ideals including a female-dominated household, a female lead whose likability did not rely on her appearance, relationships between female characters that were cooperative rather than competitive, and females openly expressing themselves without negative consequences.
Roseanne was successful from its beginning, ranking #1 in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
its second season, becoming the most watched television program in the United States from 1989 to 1990, and spending its first six seasons among the Nielsen ratings' top five highest-rated shows; the finale attracted 16 million viewers. With the success of Roseanne, television networks began offering sitcom deals to stand-up comedians
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, a practice that continued for years afterward.
Establishing shot
Establishing shot
An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects...
s were photographed in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, the hometown of first-season producer Matt Williams
Matt Williams (producer)
Matt Williams is a television writer, creator and producer. He was the producer of the TV series Roseanne and Home Improvement and films such as What Women Want, and has written for The Cosby Show and A Different World as well as writing the screenplay for Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken...
.
Barr's real-life brother and sister are gay, which is what inspired her to push for introducing gay characters and issues into the show and was part of the reason for her fallout with former executive producer Matt Williams, who protested making the character Nancy a lesbian. "My show seeks to portray various slices of real life, and homosexuals are a reality," said Barr.
Season synopses
Story arcs occasionally spanned several episodes or an entire season.Season 1
Roseanne (Roseanne BarrRoseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
) is a line worker at Wellman Plastics, along with her sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf
Laurie Metcalf
Lauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf is an American actress. She is widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story film series and as Debbie Salt in Scream 2...
) and friend Crystal (Natalie West
Natalie West
Natalie Marla West is an American actress.West is best known for her role as Crystal Anderson Conner, Roseanne's friend and Dan's stepmother, on the 1988-1997 ABC sitcom Roseanne...
). Jackie has a brief relationship with Booker (George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
), the foreman at Wellman. Dan (John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
) finds sporadic work as a construction contractor and faces a strained relationship with his irresponsible father (Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
). Roseanne's parents, Beverly (Estelle Parsons
Estelle Parsons
Estelle Margaret Parsons is an American theatre, film and television actress and occasional theatrical director.After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program Today and made her stage debut in 1961...
) and Al (John Randolph
John Randolph (actor)
John Randolph was an American film, television and stage actor.-Early life:Randolph was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants Dorothy , an insurance agent, and Louis Cohen, a hat manufacturer...
), consider moving to Lanford, but eventually decide against it. Tomboy Darlene (Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner from 1988–1997 in the U.S. sitcom Roseanne.-Early life:Gilbert was born Sara Rebecca Abeles in Santa Monica, California. Her parents are Barbara Crane and Harold Abeles. Her two older siblings, Melissa Gilbert and...
) struggles with her femininity as she enters puberty and gets her first period. Becky (Lecy Goranson) faces dating problems with her first boyfriend Chip, who is introduced in the "Lover's Lane" episode. Season one also finds the Conners experiencing, and surviving, a tornado. In the "Death and Stuff" episode a door-to-door salesman dies in the Conners' kitchen, and in the season finale, Roseanne stands up to a new foreman (Fred Thompson), when she leads Jackie, Crystal, and other coworkers as they quit Wellman Plastics. DJ is played by Sal Barone in the pilot episode and by Michael Fishman
Michael Fishman
Michael Aaron Fishman is an American actor best known for playing D.J. Conner on the long-running series Roseanne. -Personal life:...
for the remainder of the series. There is a running gag in this season where they use the word "corn" in every episode.
Season 2
Now that they've quit Wellman Plastics, Roseanne and Jackie must find new jobs. Jackie decides to become a police officer. Roseanne cycles through a variety of menial jobs including telemarketer, secretary for Dan's boss, bartender, cashier at a fast-food restaurant, and, finally, sweeping floors at a beauty parlor. At home, Dan's poker buddy Arnie (Tom ArnoldTom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
) makes a startling debut when he plants a passionate kiss on Roseanne. The Conners celebrate an outrageous Halloween that becomes an annual feature of the series. Roseanne wants 10 minutes to herself in the bathroom; this turns into a bizarre dream sequence. Later, at Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
dinner, Dan takes wary notice of a growing romance between his father and Crystal. Jackie gets serious with new boyfriend Gary (Brian Kerwin
Brian Kerwin
Brian Kerwin is an American actor.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kerwin won the Theatre World Award in 1988 for the off-Broadway play Emily. His Broadway theatre credits include the 1997 revival of The Little Foxes and the Elaine May comedy After the Night and the Music in 2005...
). Becky repeatedly rebels against Roseanne and Dan's parental authority. The reappearance of old biker buddy Ziggy (Jay O. Sanders
Jay O. Sanders
Jay Olcutt Sanders is an American character actor.Sanders was born in Austin, Texas, to Phyllis Rae and James Olcutt Sanders. He is noted for playing Mob lawyer character Steven Kordo in the 1986–88 NBC detective series Crime Story...
) reminds Roseanne and Dan of their own rebellious past. Darlene first proves her talent for writing when she wins recognition for her poetry. Roseanne's own writing talents are given a boost when her family fixes up a basement room to serve as a writer's den. This is the first season where we hear Roseanne thinking out loud.
Other notable guest stars during the season include Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
as Becky's boyfriend Jimmy, Jenny Lewis
Jenny Lewis
Jennifer Diane Lewis , is an American singer-songwriter musician and actress. She was the primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums. She currently performs as part of the duo Jenny & Johnny with boyfriend Johnathan Rice...
as Becky's friend Diane, Stephen Root
Stephen Root
Stephen Root is an American actor. He is best known for his comedic work on the TV sitcom NewsRadio, in the film Office Space and as the voice of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in the animated series King of the Hill...
as Roseanne's lawyer Peter, and Bert Parks
Bert Parks
Bert Parks, born Bertram Jacobson , was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979....
as a judge. Ann Wedgeworth
Ann Wedgeworth
Ann Wedgeworth is a Tony award winning American actress, best known for her role as Lahoma Vane Lucas on the daytime dramas Another World and Somerset .-Early life:...
played Dan Conner's mother in the Thanksgiving episode.
Season 3
The season opens with the Conner women confronting the issue of pregnancy: Roseanne takes a pregnancy test that turns up negative. Roseanne takes on a job as waitress in the restaurant at Rodbell's Department Store, where she meets Leon (Martin MullMartin Mull
Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
) and Bonnie (Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
). Jackie gets injured on the job, which results in her breaking up with her boyfriend Gary. Becky begins dating Mark Healy (Glenn Quinn
Glenn Quinn
Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was an Irish actor in television and film, known for playing Mark Healy in the American sitcom Roseanne, and Doyle, a half-demon, on the 1999–2004 television series Angel, a spin-off series of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:Quinn...
); when her parents forbid her to see him, she temporarily moves in with Jackie. Dan is floored to learn his father Ed and Crystal plan to marry. Crystal is pregnant with Ed's baby. Roseanne locks horns with snooty new neighbor Kathy (Meagen Fay
Meagen Fay
Meagen Fay is an American actress.A native of Chicago, in the early 1980s Fay was a featured cast member at The Second City. Her first television role was in the 1987 television series Ohara....
). Nana Mary (Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
) makes her first appearance at a family barbecue. In the season finale, Ziggy reappears, proposing to open a motorcycle repair shop with Dan and Roseanne. While they are in the process of getting the business off the ground, Ziggy decides to leave because he doesn't want to feel responsible if the business fails. However, he leaves enough money for Dan to open it by himself. We never hear about him again.
Other notable guest stars during the season include Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
as Darlene's classmate, Brad Garrett
Brad Garrett
Bradley "Brad" Garrett is an American actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, and professional poker player. Throughout he has appeared in numerous television and film roles....
as Doug, Judy Gold
Judy Gold
Judy Gold is an American stand-up comic and actor. She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show...
as Amy, Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
as Becky's friend Jan, and Tobey Maguire
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
as Jeff.
Season 4
The opening credits of Season 4 change from Season 3 in that the show now stars "Roseanne Arnold" instead of "Roseanne Barr".The season starts with Becky surprising Roseanne by asking for birth-control pills. Dan and Roseanne begin their new motorcycle repair shop business, Lanford Custom Cycle, while Roseanne continues to work at Rodbell's Department Store. Darlene meets David Healy (Johnny Galecki
Johnny Galecki
John Mark "Johnny" Galecki is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as David Healy in the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and as Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.-Early life:Galecki was born in Bree, Belgium, of...
). (In his first appearance, the character was known as Kevin Healy.) After a brief stint working at a perfume counter, Jackie decides to become a truck driver. Nancy (Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of...
) is introduced as Arnie's fiancee. After a night of heavy drinking, Jackie discovers she slept with the newly engaged Arnie. Darlene undergoes a personality shift into a sullen goth
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
teen. Booker makes a surprise appearance at a Halloween party. Roseanne's neighbor Kathy moves back to Chicago. Roseanne gets breast reduction surgery. Roseanne and Dan accompany Arnie and Nancy to their wedding in Las Vegas. At the end of the season, Lanford Custom Cycle fails, Rodbell's Luncheonette closes. Nancy is left alone after Arnie is "abducted by aliens".
Notable guest stars during the season include Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
as himself, Jena Malone
Jena Malone
Jena Malone is an American actress and musician who has appeared on television, in films, and on Broadway. She made her movie debut with the film Bastard Out of Carolina , and has appeared in films including Contact , Stepmom , Donnie Darko , Saved! , Into the Wild , and Sucker Punch .Malone is...
as little girl on Santa's lap, Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
as himself, David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
as Duke, Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
as Roseanne's coworker Bonnie, Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
as Dr. Doogie Howser
Doogie Howser, M.D.
Doogie Howser, M.D. is an American television comedy-drama starring Neil Patrick Harris as a 16-year-old doctor who also faces the problems of being a normal teenager. Created by Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley, ABC aired the show from 1989 to 1993 for four seasons totaling 97 episodes.-Plot:Dr....
, and Rick Dees
Rick Dees
Rigdon Osmond "Rick" Dees III is an American comedic performer, entertainer, and radio personality, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the novelty song "Disco Duck." He is a People's Choice Award recipient, a Grammy-nominated...
as Ken.
Season 5
After the bike shop closes, Mark decides to move to MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Becky decides to go with him, and they elope. Jackie and Roseanne each get a check for $10,000 from their mother after she and their father divorce. They, along with Nancy, decide to open a diner but can only get the money they need after Bev agrees to become a partner as well. Nancy comes out as a lesbian. The Tildens, a single father and his two daughters around Becky and Darlene's ages, move in next door. Jackie dates Fisher, a much younger man. When Roseanne discovers he is physically abusive, Dan confronts him, beats him up, and is arrested. Roseanne and Jackie's father dies. and Roseanne confronts his longtime secret mistress. Roseanne's rich, estranged cousin Ronnie (Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
) visits and persuades Darlene to get her GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
and apply to art school. David applies as well. Darlene asks her parents if David can move in, because his mother is moving away and they want to stay together. Roseanne and Dan initially refuse, but when Roseanne sees David's mother being verbally abusive, she decides to let him stay. Roger offers Dan a deal to renovate and sell a house, then runs off before the deal is complete; Jackie decides to buy the house, saving Dan from financial ruin. David gets a rejection letter from art school, while Darlene gets an acceptance. At the end of the season, Roseanne is scared Darlene will run away to school, although Darlene has already decided not to go. Realizing she was wrong, Roseanne persuades Darlene to not give up on her goals just to stay with David.
During this season, there is a running gag in which each of the Conners (except for Becky) appears in a different scene in the same long-sleeved, egg-printed shirt with a large chick on the front.
Notable guest stars during the season include Wings Hauser
Wings Hauser
Wings Hauser is an American actor, director and film writer.-Life and career:Hauser was born Gerald Dwight Hauser in Hollywood, California, the son of Geraldine and Academy Award-winning director and producer Dwight Hauser...
as Ty Tilden, Danielle Harris
Danielle Harris
Danielle Andrea Harris is an American film and television actress, best known as a scream queen for her roles in several horror films, four of them in the Halloween series: in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Jamie Lloyd and in Halloween and...
as Molly Tilden, Mara Hobel
Mara Hobel
Mara Hobel is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of young Christina Crawford in the film Mommie Dearest...
as Charlotte Tilden, Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
as herself, Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
as Nancy's girlfriend Marla, Bill Maher
Bill Maher
William "Bill" Maher, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and...
as Bob, Ed Begley, Jr.
Ed Begley, Jr.
Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor and environmentalist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, on the television series St...
as Principal Alexander, Blake Clark
Blake Clark
Blake Clark is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, and veteran of the Vietnam War, having served as a Captain with the 101st Airborne Division....
as Vic, Red Buttons as Bev's lover Jake, Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Kirkland was named after her mother, fashion editor Sally Kirkland, who was a fashion editor at Vogue and LIFE magazines, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father, Frederic McMichael Kirkland, worked in the scrap...
as Mark and David's mother Barbara, Tim Curry
Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
as Nancy's lover Roger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
as DJ's friend George, Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
as Roseanne and Jackie's cousin Ronnie, Matt Roth
Matt Roth (actor)
Matthew Roth is an American actor. He had a recurring role on Roseanne as Jackie's abusive boyfriend, Fisher from 1992-1993.He joined the cast of Desperate Housewives in fall 2006 as new neighbor Art Shephard....
as Jackie's boyfriend Fisher, Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
as a threatening diner patron, and in a very brief cameo, Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
as a customer trying on a too-small leather jacket.
Season 6
Under pressure from Roseanne to leave the Lanford Lunch Box, Bev sells her share in the restaurant to Leon. David proposes marriage to Darlene, but she refuses. Dan and Roseanne discover an old stash of marijuana and smoke it in their bathroom. Roseanne's past as an abuse victim arises when she reacts violently to DJ after he steals and wrecks her car. Becky and Mark return home and move into the Conners' house. (Becky is now played by Sarah Chalke) Mark goes to trade school but drops out. Jackie gets pregnant as a result of a one-night stand and later develops a relationship with the baby's father, Fred. Roseanne and Dan discover David has secretly moved in with Darlene at school. Roseanne visits a gay bar with Nancy, where she receives a surprise kissDon't Ask, Don't Tell (Roseanne)
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is an episode of the American situation comedy series Roseanne. Written by James Berg and Stan Zimmerman and directed by Philip Charles MacKenzie, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the 18th episode of season 6. It follows lead character Roseanne Conner on her visit to a gay bar...
from Nancy's girlfriend. Jackie gives birth to a son, Andy. Dan confronts his mother's history of mental illness. The season concludes with Fred and Jackie's wedding.
Notable guest stars during the season include Michael O'Keefe
Michael O'Keefe
Michael Raymond O'Keefe is an American film and television actor.- Early life :O'Keefe was born Raymond Peter O'Keefe, Jr. in Mount Vernon, New York, the oldest of seven children in a devoutly Roman Catholic Irish American family. His father was a law professor at Fordham University, as well as...
as Fred, the father of Jackie's baby, Mariel Hemingway
Mariel Hemingway
- Early life :Hemingway was born in Mill Valley, California, the third daughter of Byra Louise Hemingway and Jack Hemingway, a writer. Her sisters are Joan Hemingway and Margaux Hemingway...
as Nancy's girlfriend Sharon, Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of...
as Jackie's co-worker Nancy, Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedienne, and Billboard Hot 100 #1 singer, who was frequently a game show panelist in the 1970s and 1980s...
as Dan's old flame Phyllis, Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
as neighbor Flo, Genie Francis
Genie Francis
Eugenie "Genie" Francis Frakes is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. She is currently playing Genevieve Atkinson on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless...
and Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...
as General Hospitals Luke and Laura Spencer, Ahmet Zappa
Ahmet Zappa
Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa is an American musician, actor and novelist.-Early life:Ahmet was born in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children born to businesswoman Adelaide Gail Sloatman and musician Frank Zappa. Ahmet's father was of Sicilian, Greek-Arab and French descent and his...
as Mark's roommate Roy, and Fabio
Fabio Lanzoni
Fabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s....
as himself.
Season 7
The opening credits of Season 7 change from previous seasons in that the show now stars "Roseanne" instead of "Roseanne Arnold".Season seven begins with Roseanne's unexpected pregnancy and goes on to tackle such issues as abortion, alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual dysfunction and racial prejudice. Darlene and David break up after briefly maintaining an open relationship. They both date other people, but eventually, they reunite. Due to tension in the household, Mark and Becky move into a trailer. DJ plays a bigger role this season, most notably in an episode where he refuses to kiss a black girl in his school play.
Notable guest stars during the season include Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
as a trailer-park resident, Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
as Jackie and Fred's psychologist, Danny Masterson
Danny Masterson
Daniel Peter "Danny" Masterson is an American actor and DJ best known for his role as Steven Hyde in That '70s Show.-Early life:...
as Darlene's boyfriend Jimmy, and Traci Lords
Traci Lords
Traci Lords , also known as Traci Elizabeth Lords and Tracy Lords, is an American film actress, producer, film director, writer and singer...
as Lanford Lunch Box busperson Stacy. In the season finale, a tribute is made to Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Charles Schwartz was an American television producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, and created the television series Gilligan's Island on CBS and The Brady Bunch on ABC...
. In uncredited appearances the end of the episode has Gilligan's Island cast members playing Roseanne characters. These include Dawn Wells, Bob Denver, Tina Louise and Russell Johnson, as well as Sherwood Schwartz.
Season 8
Season eight addresses Roseanne's baby shower and the subsequent arrival of her son, Jerry Garcia Conner. (In a continuity error, the baby had been revealed to be a girl in season seven.) The season starts when Dan decides to leave the security of his city job to help build the new prison being constructed outside of Lanford. With the pension, final check and retirement money he receives for leaving his job he decides to give his family the vacation they never had taking everyone, including Mark, David, and Roseanne's mother along to Disney World. It is later revealed that one of the nights the clan was at Disney, was also the night Darlene got pregnant. Darlene quickly decides she and David want to have the baby. The season climaxes with a very rushed wedding for Darlene where immediately after the ceremony, realizing how much has been changing, Dan falls to the ground in the middle of nowhere of a heart attack. It is immediately shown in the next episode he will be all right. DJ ultimately saved his life in the middle of the woods. The season concludes with Dan and Roseanne having their biggest fight yet after Dan refuses to stick to his heart healthy diet and exercise plan. The fight lasts nearly the entire episode and the living room is wrecked in the process. The credits fade as Roseanne walks out on Dan. Other subjects are DJ's Thanksgiving pageant, Darlene's wedding, and Dan's heart attack.Notable guest stars during the season include Fred Willard
Fred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
as Leon's husband Scott, Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon
Edward Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. was an American comedian, game show host and announcer. He is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. He also hosted the original version of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995...
as himself, John Popper
John Popper
John Popper is an American musician and songwriter.He is most famous for his role as frontman of rock band Blues Traveler performing harmonica, guitar and vocals...
(with Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
) as an old friend of Dan's, Pat Harrington Jr. as himself, Jenna Elfman
Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary "Jenna" Elfman is an American television and film actress. She is known for her role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg and as Billie on the short-lived CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose....
as hitchhiker Garland, Shecky Greene
Shecky Greene
Shecky Greene is a comedian known for his nightclub performances in Las Vegas, where he has been a headliner for more than thirty years...
as Bar Mitzvah guest Uncle Saul, Norm Crosby
Norm Crosby
Norm Crosby is an American comedian sometimes associated with the Borscht Belt who often appeared on television in the 1970s. He is best known for his use of malapropisms and is often called The Master of Malaprop. He was born in Boston.-Career:Crosby went solo as a standup comedian, adopting a...
as Reverend Crosley, June Lockhart
June Lockhart
June Lockhart is an American actress, primarily in 1950s and 1960s television, but with memorable performances on stage and in film too. She is remembered as the mother in two TV series, Lassie and Lost in Space. She also portrayed Dr...
as TV mom Ruth Martin
Ruth Martin (television character)
Ruth Martin is a fictional character on the long running television series, Lassie . She was briefly played by Cloris Leachman before June Lockhart stepped into the role...
, the cast of Stomp
Stomp (dance troupe)
Stomp is a percussion group that uses the body and ordinary objects to create a physical theatre performance.-History and performances:...
as Lanford Lunch Box patrons, Eric Dane
Eric Dane
Eric Dane is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he became known for playing Dr...
as a Disney World bellhop, and Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
as ballroom-dance instructor Hal.
Season 9
The ninth and final season features many changes. In previous seasons, the original tune of the theme song was played on saxophoneSaxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, accompanied by drums and other instruments. For this final season, the theme was remixed and performed by Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
with a distorted harmonica—one of the band's staples—playing in place of the saxophone. Lyrics were also added and sung into the theme by John Popper
John Popper
John Popper is an American musician and songwriter.He is most famous for his role as frontman of rock band Blues Traveler performing harmonica, guitar and vocals...
. The Conners win the state lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
jackpot of $108 million. Throughout the season Dan ponders the meaning of life. Jackie meets her prince. DJ finds love. Darlene, after some trouble, gives birth.
In the season's final episode, Roseanne reveals the show is actually a story written by Roseanne Conner about her life. To cope, Roseanne twisted major elements of her life for the story, which the audience does not find out until the final moments of the series. In reality, Dan's heart attack was fatal and the Conner family did not win the lottery. In real life, Roseanne's sister is a lesbian and her mom is straight. Another difference is that David and Becky were a couple all along, as were Mark and Darlene, rather than the opposite.
Notable guest stars during the season include Ed Asner
Ed Asner
Edward Asner , commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
as Lou Grant
Lou Grant (fictional character)
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
, Jim Varney
Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
as Jackie's boyfriend Prince Carlos, Tammy Faye Bakker as Roseanne's makeup consultant, Dina Merrill
Dina Merrill
-Early life:Merrill was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton in New York City, New York, the only child of Post Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and her second husband, Wall Street stockbroker Edward Francis Hutton...
as Doris, Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
as Patsy Stone
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
, Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
as Edina Monsoon
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
, Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted more liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s...
as Estree, Marlo Thomas
Marlo Thomas
Margaret Julia “Marlo” Thomas is an American actress, producer, and social activist known for her starring role on the TV series That Girl . She also serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
as Tina, James Brolin
James Brolin
James Brolin is an American actor, producer and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of singer/actress Barbra Streisand.-Early life:...
as Roseanne's business partner/love interest Edgar Wellman, Jr., and Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
as Dan's mother Audrey, as well as Rainer Hahn, Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
, Milton Berle
Milton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
, Robin Leach
Robin Leach
Robin Douglas Leach is an English celebrity writer famous for hosting his first show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, in the mid-1980s and into the mid-1990s, which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic endeavors...
, Todd Oldham
Todd Oldham
Todd Oldham is an American-born designer and president of L-7 Designs Inc. His fun, lighthearted approach to fashion and style has become known to millions through his fashion lines, interior designs, books and by appearing in television shows...
, Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins
Anthony "Tony" Robbins is an American self-help author and motivational speaker. He became well known through his infomercials and self-help books, Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement and Awaken The Giant Within...
, Kathleen Sullivan
Kathleen Sullivan
Kathleen Marie Sullivan is a professor at the Stanford Law School and name partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a litigation-only law firm with offices in California, New York, Silicon Valley, Chicago, San Francisco, Germany, London, and Tokyo where she chairs their national appellate...
, Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
, George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, and Jerry Springer
Jerry Springer
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
as themselves.
The 9th season of Roseanne was ranked #18 on the TV Guide Network special, 25 Biggest TV Blunders.
Spinoff
During the show's final season, Barr was in negotiations between Carsey-Werner ProductionsCarsey-Werner Productions
Carsey-Werner Productions is an independent production company founded in 1981 by former ABC writer/producer duo Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner...
and ABC executives on continuing to play Roseanne Conner in a spinoff. However, ABC withdrew from negotiations with Carsey-Werner and Barr after failed discussions with CBS and Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. Barr and Carsey-Werner agreed to discontinue the negotiations.
In the Fall of 2008, Barr commented on what the Conners would be up to now. "I've always said now that if they were on TV, DJ would have been killed in Iraq and [the Conners] would have lost their house". When asked for more details on where the rest of the Conners (Dan, Jackie, Becky, Darlene, David, and Mark) would be, Barr said "Your question is intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
that may be developed later, so I don't want to get into that". She added, "No preview, absolutely not". On December 20, 2009, Barr posted an entry on her website regarding what a possible Roseanne reunion would be like, which includes: DJ being published, Mark dying in Iraq; David leaving Darlene for a woman half his age; Darlene meeting a woman and having a test tube baby
In vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the body: in vitro. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed...
; Becky working at Walmart; Roseanne and Jackie opening the first medical marijuana
Medical cannabis
Medical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
dispensary in Lanford; Arnie becoming the best friend of the Governor of Illinois
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
and remarrying Nancy; Bev selling a painting for $10,000, Jerry and the grandsons forming a music group similar to the Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
; Dan reappearing alive after faking his death; and Bonnie being arrested for selling crack
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
.
Ratings
Roseanne consistently ranked in the NielsenNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
top 20 shows listing for eight of its nine seasons. The series reached #1 in its second season, becoming the most watched television show in the United States.
The following table lists the ranking for each season.
| Season | Ep # | Years | Rank (Rating) | Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 23 | 1988–1989 | #2 (23.8) | 21,515,200 |
| Season 2 | 24 | 1989–1990 | #1 (23.1) | 21,275,100 (10/3/89 airing drew 43.5 million viewers) |
| Season 3 | 25 | 1990–1991 | #3 (18.1) | 16,851,100 |
| Season 4 | 25 | 1991–1992 | #2 (19.9) | 18,327,900 |
| Season 5 | 25 | 1992–1993 | #2 (20.7) | 19,271,700 |
| Season 6 | 25 | 1993–1994 | #4 (19.3) | 17,992,200 (3/1/94 airing drew 37.9 million viewers) |
| Season 7 | 26 | 1994–1995 | #9 (15.5) | 14,787,000 |
| Season 8 | 25 | 1995–1996 | #16 (12.5) (tie) | 11,987,400 |
| Season 9 | 24 | 1996–1997 | N/A | |
Syndication
Roseanne was put into off-network syndication beginning in September 1992.TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
aired rerun
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
s of Roseanne from 1996 through 2004. Cable channel Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite is the nighttime Cable network that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon on Sundays from 8.p.m.-7.am., Monday through Fridays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. . Though it shares channel space with Nickelodeon, A.C. Nielsen Co...
aired reruns of the show from the fall of 2003 until 2009; it has since moved to TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
's TV Land Prime schedule. Oxygen
Oxygen (TV channel)
Oxygen is an American cable television specialty channel with television programming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.- History :...
has aired reruns since 2005. The show returned to Nick@Nite's lineup on October 5, 2009, replacing Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
in its late night timeslot. As of January 2010, Nick at Nite has once again taken Roseanne from its time slot. In January 2011, all nine seasons of the show were made available on Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
Instant streaming. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the show is seen on the channel 111 Hits
111 Hits
111 Hits is an Australian cable and satellite general entertainment television channel which plays popular shows from the 70s onward. It is currently available on the Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television subscription platforms....
, and Eleven
Eleven (TV channel)
Eleven is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel, which was launched by ElevenCo, on 11 January 2011.-Joint venture:...
. In Canada, it airs on TVTropolis
TVtropolis
TVtropolis is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media and Rogers Media.The channel operates two time shifted feeds: East and West .-Programming:...
.
Programming history
| Season | Broadcast time (ET Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time... ) |
|---|---|
| 1988-1989 | Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. |
| 1989-1990 | Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. |
| 1990-1991 | |
| 1991-1992 | |
| 1992-1993 | |
| 1993-1994 | |
| 1994-1995 | Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. |
| 1995-1996 | Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. |
| 1996-1997 |
Awards and nominations
In 1993, Roseanne BarrRoseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
and Laurie Metcalf
Laurie Metcalf
Lauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf is an American actress. She is widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story film series and as Debbie Salt in Scream 2...
both won Emmy Awards for their performances in the series, Barr for Outstanding Lead Actress and Metcalf for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Metcalf also won in 1992 and 1994. In 1992, Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
and John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
both won Golden Globe Awards, Barr for Best Actress and Goodman for Best Actor. The series won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
The series won a Peabody Award in 1992 and a People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy Program in 1989. Barr won five additional People's Choice Awards
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett...
for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Program (1989), Favorite Female All Around Entertainer (1990), and Favorite Female TV Performer (1990, 1994, and 1995).
In 2008, the entire cast (except for Laurie Metcalfe) reunited at the TV Land Awards
TV Land Awards
The TV Land Awards is an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with awards such as the Emmys. It is presented in a manner that spoofs other entertainment award ceremonies...
to receive the Innovator Award. In their acceptance speech, they honored the late cast member Glen Quinn.
Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s
- 1989 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (John Goodman)
- 1990 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (John Goodman)
- 1991 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (John Goodman)
- 1992 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (John Goodman)
- 1992 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Roseanne Barr)
- 1992 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Laurie Metcalf, won)
- 1993 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (John Goodman)
- 1993 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1993 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Sara Gilbert)
- 1993 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Laurie Metcalf, won)
- 1994 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (John Goodman)
- 1994 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Roseanne Barr)
- 1994 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Sara Gilbert)
- 1994 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Laurie Metcalf, won)
- 1995 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (John Goodman)
- 1995 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Roseanne Barr)
- 1995 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Laurie Metcalf)
The show also received several nominations in Editing, Art Direction, Music, Lighting Direction, Writing and Hairstyling.
Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
s
- 1989 Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
- 1989 Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (John Goodman)
- 1989 Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Roseanne Barr)
- 1990 Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (John Goodman)
- 1991 Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (John Goodman)
- 1991 Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Roseanne Barr)
- 1992 Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Roseanne Barr)
- 1993 Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy (won)
- 1993 Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (John Goodman, won)
- 1993 Best Actress Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1993 Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Laurie Metcalf)
- 1994 Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
- 1994 Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Roseanne Barr)
- 1995 Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Laurie Metcalf)
Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 1994 Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (John Goodman)
- 1994 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Roseanne Barr)
People's Choice Award
- 1989 Favorite New Television Comedy Program (won)
- 1989 Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Program (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1990 Favorite All-Around Female Entertainer (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1990 Favorite Female TV Performer (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1994 Favorite Female TV Performer (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1995 Favorite Female TV Performer (Roseanne Barr, won)
American Comedy AwardsAmerican Comedy AwardsThe American Comedy Awards were a group of awards presented annually in the United States from 1987 to 2001 recognizing performances and performers in the field of comedy, with an emphasis on television comedy and comedy films...
- 1989 Funniest Male Leading Performer in a Television Series (John Goodman, won)
- 1989 Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1990 Funniest Male Leading Performer in a Television Series (John Goodman, won)
- 1993 Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1996 Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series (Roseanne Barr)
Kid's Choice Awards
- 1992 Favorite Television Actress (Roseanne Barr, won)
- 1995 Favorite Television Actress (Roseanne Barr)
- 1996 Favorite Television Actress (Roseanne Barr)
- 1997 Favorite Television Actress (Roseanne Barr)
DVD releases
Anchor Bay EntertainmentAnchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
(briefly named Starz Home Entertainment resulting in some DVD packaging bearing this name) released all nine seasons on DVD in Region 1 (2005–2007) and Region 2. The first season was issued with shorter, syndicated versions of the episodes because Anchor Bay was unable to obtain permission to release the original broadcasts. In the company's eighth and ninth season DVDs, some scenes have been altered to avoid disputes over music rights, including substituting some closing credit scenes with a black screen. As of 2010, the region 1 releases have been discontinued and are out of print.
On May 4, 2011, Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
announced that they had acquire the rights to re-release the series on DVD in Region 1. Season 1 and 2 are scheduled to be re-released on September 13, 2011.
In Germany, Universum Film has released the entire series on DVD, and released a complete series box set on July 3, 2009. Unlike the Anchor Bay releases, these were fully unedited.
In Australia and New Zealand, Magna Pacific
Magna Pacific
Magna Pacific is a leading independent film and home entertainment distributor headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, operating within Australia and New Zealand...
has released all nine seasons on DVD in Region 4. Unlike the Anchor Bay releases, Magna Pacific's first season DVDs include the full-length original broadcast episodes.
| Season | | Ep# | | Release Dates | Special features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| 1 | 23 | August 30, 2005 September 13, 2011 (re-release) |
September 19, 2005 | June 7, 2006 | Roseanne-on-Roseanne candid interview, bloopers, Season One highlights, Interview: "John Goodman Takes a Look Back", "Wisdom from the Domestic Goddess". |
| 2 | 24 | December 6, 2005 September 13, 2011 (re-release) |
February 6, 2006 | October 4, 2006 | John Goodman: "A Candid Interview", Best of Season Two, "Wacky Jackie", "Roseanne Untied: Season 1 Launch Party", John Goodman's audition. |
| 3 | 25 | March 21, 2006 | May 15, 2006 | February 7, 2007 | Laurie Metcalf Interview: "The Sister that Never Leaves", Lecy Goranson Interview: "I Was a Teenage Becky", Best of Season Three. |
| 4 | 25 | June 27, 2006 | March 17, 2007 | June 6, 2007 | Interview with Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman, Roseanne Interview: "Life Imitating Art, Imitating Roseanne", audio commentary with Roseanne on select episodes. |
| 5 | 25 | September 12, 2006 | September 9, 2009 | November 7, 2007 | Video commentaries with Roseanne, Roseanne answers eight fan questions, an exclusive interview with Roseanne. |
| 6 | 25 | December 5, 2006 | September 9, 2009 | March 18, 2008 | No Special Features |
| 7 | 26 | April 3, 2007 | October 12, 2009 | July 9, 2008 | |
| 8 | 25 | August 7, 2007 | October 12, 2009 | January 13, 2010 | Video commentaries with Roseanne, "Roseanne: Working-Class Actress" Interview |
| 9 | 24 | October 16, 2007 | November 16, 2009 | January 13, 2010 | Two new exclusive interviews: "Legacy of Class" and "Breaking the Sitcom Mold". Video commentary with Roseanne & Michael Fishman |
External links
- Roseanne World Roseanne Barr's official web site
- Encyclopedia of Television
- Nick At Nite's Roseanne
- Roseanne on DVD
- Roseanne Conner Clan Today at EW.com