- This article is about the television series, for the titular character, see Roseanne Conner.
Roseanne is an American sitcom that was broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997.[1] 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 seasons. In 1993, the episode "A Stash from the Past" was ranked #21 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time.[2] In 2002, Roseanne was ranked #35 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[3]
Premise
The show was centered on the Conners, an American working-class 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 consisted of outspoken Roseanne, married to husband Dan, with three children; Becky, Darlene, and D.J.
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 their weight being the target of jokes. For many years, Roseanne tackled provocative subjects and issues such as poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, menstruation, birth control, teenage pregnancy, masturbation, obesity, abortion, race, social class, domestic violence, infidelity, and gay rights.[citation needed] 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. Establishing shots were photographed in Evansville, Indiana, the hometown of first-season producer Matt Williams. Exterior shots of the Conner household were based on a real home located in Evansville, located at 619 Runnymeade Ave.[citation needed] Barr's real-life brother and sister are gay, which 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.
Characters
- Main article: List of Roseanne characters
| Actor | Role | Years | Seasons | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roseanne Barr | Roseanne Conner | 1988–1997 | 1–9 | 221 |
| Laurie Metcalf | Jackie Harris | 221[4] | ||
| Michael Fishman | D.J. Conner | 214 | ||
| John Goodman | Dan Conner | 210 | ||
| Sara Gilbert | Darlene Conner-Healy | 180 | ||
| Lecy Goranson | Becky Conner-Healy | 1988–1992, 1995–19961 | 1–5, 81 | 146 |
| Sarah Chalke | 1993–19971 | 6–91 | 70 | |
| Johnny Galecki | David Healy | 1992–1997 | 4–9 | 92 |
| Natalie West | Crystal Anderson-Conner | 1988–1995 | 3–4 (starring), 1-2, 5–8 (recurring) | 84 |
| Glenn Quinn | Mark Healy | 1990–1997 | 3–9 | 76 |
| Estelle Parsons | Beverly Harris | 1989–1997 | 1–9 | 59 |
| Martin Mull | Leon Carp | 1991–1997 | 3–9 | 46 |
| Michael O'Keefe | Fred | 1993–1995 | 6–8 | 35 |
| Sandra Bernhard | Nancy Bartlett | 1991–1997 | 4–9 | 33 |
| Sal Barone (pilot only) | D.J. Conner | 1988 | 1 | 1 |
1Lecy Goranson only appeared in four episodes of the fifth season, and Sarah Chalke took over the role a third of the way through the sixth season until the end of the show. Both actresses shared the role in Season 8.
DVD Releases
Anchor Bay Entertainment (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 acquired the rights to re-release the series uncut on DVD in Region 1. They have subsequently re-released all nine seasons and a complete series set. 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.
Roseanne episodes/DVD release dates
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD release dates | Features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | |||||
| 1 | 23 | October 18, 1988 | May 2, 1989 | August 30, 2005 (Region 1) September 19, 2005 (Region 2) June 7, 2006 (Region 4)v |
Roseanne-on-Roseanne candid interview, bloopers, Season One highlights, Interview: "John Goodman Takes a Look Back", "Wisdom from the Domestic Goddess". | |
| 2 | 24 | September 12, 1989 | May 8, 1990 | December 6, 2005 (Region 1) February 6, 2006 (Region 2) October 4, 2006 (Region 4) |
John Goodman: "A Candid Interview", Best of Season Two, "Wacky Jackie", "Roseanne Untied: Season 1 Launch Party", John Goodman's audition. | |
| 3 | 24 | September 18, 1990 | May 14, 1991 | March 21, 2006 (Region 1) May 15, 2006 (Region 2) February 7, 2007 (Region 4) |
Laurie Metcalf Interview: "The Sister that Never Leaves", Lecy Goranson Interview: "I Was a Teenage Becky", Best of Season Three. | |
| 4 | 25 | September 17, 1991 | May 12, 1992 | June 27, 2006 (Region 1) March 17, 2007 (Region 2) June 6, 2007 (Region 4) |
Interview with Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman, Roseanne Interview: "Life Imitating Art, Imitating Roseanne", audio commentary with Roseanne on select episodes. | |
| 5 | 25 | September 15, 1992 | May 18, 1993 | September 12, 2006 (Region 1) September 9, 2009 (Region 2) November 7, 2007 (Region 3) |
Video commentaries with Roseanne, Roseanne answers eight fan questions, an exclusive interview with Roseanne. | |
| 6 | 25 | September 14, 1993 | May 24, 1994 | December 5, 2006 (Region 1) September 9, 2009 (Region 2) March 18, 2008 (Region 3) |
No Special Features | |
| 7 | 26 | September 21, 1994 | May 24, 1995 | April 3, 2007 (Region 1) October 12, 2009 (Region 2) July 9, 2008 (Region 3) |
No Special Features | |
| 8 | 25 | September 19, 1995 | May 21, 1996 | August 7, 2007 (Region 1) October 12, 2009 (Region 2) January 13, 2010 (Region 3) |
Video Commentaries with "Roseanne: Working Class Actress" interview. | |
| 9 | 25 | September 17, 1996 | May 20, 1997 | October 16 2007 (Region 1) November 16, 2009 (Region 2) January 13, 2010 (Region 3) |
Two new execlusive interviews: "Legacy of Class" and "Breaking the Sitcom Mold". Video commentary with Roseanne Barr & Michael Fishman. | |
Spinoff
During the show's final season, Barr was in negotiations with Carsey-Werner Productions and ABC executives to continue playing 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 current whereabouts of Conners would consist of. "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 responded: "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's being published, Mark's dying in Iraq; David's leaving Darlene for a woman half his age, Darlene's meeting a woman and having a test tube baby, Becky's working at Walmart, Roseanne and Jackie's opening the first medical marijuana dispensary in Lanford, Arnie's becoming the best friend of the Governor of Illinois and remarrying Nancy, Bev's selling a painting for $10,000, Jerry and the grandsons' forming a music group similar to the Jonas Brothers, Dan's reappearing alive after faking his death, and Bonnie's being arrested for selling crack.
Ratings
Roseanne consistently ranked in the Nielsen 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.[5][6][7][8] The following table lists the ranking for each season.
| Season | Ep # | Years | Rank (Rating) | Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 23 | 1988–1989 | #2 (23.8)[9] | 21,515,200 |
| Season 2 | 24 | 1989–1990 | #1 (23.1) (tie) [9] | 21,275,100 |
| Season 3 | 25 | 1990–1991 | #3 (18.1)[9] | 16,851,100 |
| Season 4 | 25 | 1991–1992 | #2 (19.9)[9] | 18,327,900 |
| Season 5 | 25 | 1992–1993 | #2 (20.7)[9] | 19,271,700 |
| Season 6 | 25 | 1993–1994 | #4 (19.3)[9] | 17,992,200 |
| Season 7 | 26 | 1994–1995 | #9 (15.5)[9] | 14,787,000 |
| Season 8 | 25 | 1995–1996 | #16 (12.5) (tie)[9] | 11,987,400 |
| Season 9 | 24 | 1996–1997 | #35 (10.1)[10] | N/A |
Broadcast history
Tuesday at 8:30-9:00 PM on ABC: October 18, 1988—February 21, 1989 Tuesday at 9:00-9:30 PM on ABC: February 28, 1989—May 24, 1994 (Most frequent time slot) Wednesday at 9:00-9:30 PM on ABC: September 21, 1994—March 29, 1995 Wednesday at 8:00-8:30 PM on ABC: May 3, 1995—May 24, 1995 Tuesday at 8:00-8:30 PM on ABC: September 19, 1995—May 20, 1997
Awards and nominations
In 1993, Roseanne Barr 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 Metcalf) reunited at the TV Land Awards to receive the Innovator Award. In their acceptance speech, they honored the late cast member Glenn Quinn.
Peabody Award
- 1992 Excellence in Television Broadcasting (won)
Emmy Awards
- 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 Awards[edit]
- 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[edit]
- 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 Awards[edit]
- 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)
TV Land Award
2008 Innovator Award (won)
American Comedy Awards
- 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)
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards[edit]
- 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[edit]
Anchor Bay Entertainment (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 acquired the rights to re-release the series uncut on DVD in Region 1. They have subsequently re-released all nine seasons and a complete series set. In Germany, Universum Film has released the entire series on DVD, and released a complete series box set on July 3, 2009.[33] 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.
References
- ↑ Jeffreys, Daniel. "Roseanne Barr the lottery loser of all time", The Independent, February 17, 1997. Retrieved on May 22, 2010.
- ↑ Template:Cite journal
- ↑ TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0582418/filmoseries#tt0094540
- ↑ [1]Template:Dead link
- ↑ Template:Cite book
- ↑ "'Roseanne' Tops 'Cosby' In the Nielsen Ratings", March 15, 1989.
- ↑ Simon Cowell (August 12, 2003). Roseanne Gets Reality Check. E! Online. Retrieved on 2011-02-18.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Brooks, Earle and Marsh, Tim (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine, pp. 1692–1703. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4
- ↑ http://fbibler.chez.com/tvstats/recent_data/1996-97.html