Roseanne | |
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Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Matt Williams |
Based on | A character created by Roseanne Barr |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 9 |
No. of episodes | 222 (list of episodes) |
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Running time | 21-22 minutes |
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Original network | ABC |
Picture format | (1080p) 2018 |
Audio format | Stereo |
Original release | October 18, 1988 | – May 20, 1997
Roseanne is an American sitcom that was broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997. Lauded for its realistic portrayal of the average American family, the series stars Roseanne Barr, and revolves 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. The show 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. In 2002, Roseanne was ranked #35 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 2013, it was ranked #32 on TV Guide's 60 Best Series of All Time.
On May 16, 2017, it was announced ABC would produce an eight-episode 10th season revival of the series, set to air as a mid-season replacement in 2018, with the original cast returning.
In coming up with ideas for new shows, Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner of Carsey-Werner Productions decided to look into the concept of the working mother as a central voice. Up until that point, there had been shows with working mothers, but only as an adjunct to the father in the family. Werner had suggested that they take a chance on Barr whom they had seen on The Tonight Show. This was because he saw the unique "in your face" voice that they were looking for, and he contacted her agent and offered her the role. Barr's act at the time was the persona of the "domestic goddess", but as Carsey and Werner explains, she had the distinctive voice and attitude for the character and she was able to transform her into the working class heroine they envisioned.
The show is 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, and their three children: Becky, Darlene, and DJ. Later in the series, Roseanne becomes pregnant again and gives birth to a boy named Jerry Garcia Conner.