Roseanne (TV series)

Roseanne (TV Series)

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Roseanne (TV series)

Roseanne is an American

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
sitcom

Situation comedy

A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms....
broadcast on ABC from 1988

1988 in television

The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule....
to 1997

1997 in television

The year 1997 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1997.Events*January 1 - The U.S....
starring stand-up comedian Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Cherie Barr is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winning United States comedienne, actress and writer. On the opening credits of one final-season episode of her TV show, she was credited as "Roseanne Barr Pentland Arnold Thomas." By 2005, she had resumed referring to herself by her maiden name, "Roseanne Barr."...
.
show portrayed an American working class

Working class

Working class is a term used in academic sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe, depending on context and speaker, those employed in specific fields or types of work....
family struggling to get by on a limited household income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. Many critics considered the show notable as one of the first sitcoms to portray an American family in which economics necessitated two parents working jobs outside the home.

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Encyclopedia

Roseanne is an American

United States

Situation comedy

1988 in television

1997 in television

The year 1997 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1997.Events*January 1 - The U.S....
starring stand-up comedian Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Barr

Premise

The show portrayed an American working class

Working class

Taboo

A taboo is a strong social prohibition against words, objects, actions, or discussions that are considered undesirable or offensive by a group, culture, society, or community....
subjects or joked about issues that most other popular shows at the time avoided, such as poverty

Poverty

Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens....
, alcoholism

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions to describe the detrimental effects of alcohol intake.In common and historic usage, alcoholism refers to any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages despite health problems and negative social consequences....
, drug abuse

Drug abuse

Drug abuse has a huge range of definitions related to taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect....
, sex

Sex

In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetics traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into male and female types ....
, menstruation

Menstruation

See also "Mensuration", a term sometimes used to describe Measurement, particularly in the context of forestry.Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining ....
, teenage pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is defined as a teenage or underage girl becoming pregnant. The term in everyday speech usually refers to women who have not reached Age of majority, which varies across the world, who become pregnant....
, masturbation

Masturbation

Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation, especially of one's own sex organ , often to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by other types of bodily contact , by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods....
, obesity

Obesity

Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to an extent that health may be negatively affected. It is commonly defined as a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher....
, abortion

Abortion

An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death....
, race

Race

The term race or racial group usually refers to the categorization of humans into populations or Group s on the basis of various sets of heritable characteristics....
, social class

Social class

Social class refers to the hierarchy distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. Usually most societies have some notion of social class , but concretely defined social classes are not found in every known type of human societies....
, domestic violence

Domestic violence

Domestic violence occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. Domestic violence often refers to violence between spouses, or spousal abuse but can also include cohabitants and non-married intimate partners....
, and homosexuality

Homosexuality

Homosexuality refers to human sexual behavior or same-sex attraction between people of the same sex or to homosexual orientation. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "having sexual and romantic attraction primarily or exclusively to members of one?s own sex"; "it also refers to an individual?s sense of personal and social identi...
. The show was also significant for its portrayal of feminist

Feminism

Feminism is the belief that women should have equal political, social, sexual, intellectual and economic rights to men. It involves various movements, Theory, and philosophies, all concerned with issues of gender difference, that advocate equality for women and that campaign for women's rights and interests....
ideals including a female-dominated household, an overweight 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 hugely successful from its beginning, ranking at #1 in the Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement developed by the AC Nielsen Company, to determine the audience size and composition of broadcast programming....
for its second season and becoming the most watched television program in America from 1989-1990, and spending its first six seasons among the Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement developed by the AC Nielsen Company, to determine the audience size and composition of broadcast programming....
' top five highest-rated shows and the show series finale attracted 16 million viewers. The show's success inspired television networks to offer a rash of sitcom deals to stand-up comedians, a practice that continued for years afterwards.

Characters

Season synopses

Roseanne was a half-hour program that aired weekly between September and May of each year from 1988 to 1997. Each September to May run is regarded as a separate season comprising of 23 to 26 weekly episodes. Though the storylines of most episodes were self-contained, story arcs occasionally spanned several episodes or an entire season.

Season 1

As the season (and series) opens, Roseanne is a line-worker at Wellman Plastics along with her sister Jackie and friend Crystal. Jackie has a brief relationship with Booker (played by George Clooney

George Clooney

George Timothy Clooney is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning United States of America actor, Film director, film producer and screenwriter....
), the foreman at Wellman. Dan finds sporadic work as a construction contractor and faces a strained relationship with his irresponsible father Ed (played by Ned Beatty

Ned Beatty

Ned Thomas Beatty is an United States actor. He now lives in the Springville, California, area....
). Roseanne's parents, Bev (played by Estelle Parsons

Estelle Parsons

Estelle Margaret Parsons is an Academy Awards-winning United States theatre, film and television actress. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame....
) and Al, consider moving to Lanford, but eventually decide against it. Tomboy Darlene struggles with her femininity as she enters puberty and gets her first period. Becky faces dating problems with her first boyfriend Chip. In the season finale, Roseanne stands up to a new foreman (played by Fred Thompson), when she leads Jackie, Crystal, and other co-workers as they quit Wellman Plastics.

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 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. Later, at Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving may refer to:*Thanksgiving , the holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.*Thanksgiving , the holiday on the second Monday in October....
dinner, Dan takes wary notice of a growing romance between his father and Crystal. Jackie gets serious with new boyfriend Gary (played by Brian Kerwin

Brian Kerwin

Brian Kerwin is an Emmy-nominated United States actor.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kerwin won the Theatre World Award in 1988 for the off-Broadway play Emily....
). Becky repeatedly rebels against Roseanne and Dan's parental authority. Old biker buddy Ziggy (played by Jay O. Sanders

Jay O. Sanders

Jay Olcutt Sanders is an United States character actor.Sanders was born in Austin, Texas, to Phyllis Rae and James Olcutt Sanders. Brother of actor Fred Sanders and cabaret singer Marta Sanders....
) appears to remind 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.

Other notable guest stars during the season include Stephen Dorff

Stephen Dorff

'Stephen Dorff' is an United States actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B....
(as Becky's boyfriend Jimmy), Stephen Root

Stephen Root

Stephen Root is an Emmy Award- nominated United States actor. He is principally known for his comedy work, but has won acclaim for his occasional dramatic roles....
(as Roseanne's lawyer Peter), and Bert Parks

Bert Parks

Bert Parks was an United States actor, singer, and radio and television announcer and host, best known as the longtime host of the annual Miss America telecast....
(as a judge).

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 we first meet both Leon and Bonnie. Jackie gets injured while on the job as a cop, which results in a breakup with her boyfriend Gary. Becky begins dating Mark Healy (played by Glenn Quinn

Glenn Quinn

Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was an Irish people actor in television and film. As well as having a role as a major character in the television series Angel , he also had a recurring role as Mark Healy in the comedy Roseanne and the short-lived UK series Covington Cross....
), a boy her parents later forbid her to see, prompting Becky to temporarily move in with Jackie. Dan is floored to learn that his father Ed and Crystal plan to marry, and that Crystal is pregnant with Ed's baby. Roseanne locks horns with snooty new neighbor Kathy (played by Meagen Fay

Meagen Fay

Meagen Fay is an United States 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 makes her first appearance (played by Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters was an Academy Award-winning American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television....
) at a family barbecue. In the season finale, Ziggy reappears with a proposition to open a motorcycle repair shop with Dan and Roseanne, which they do, after which Ziggy decides to leave because he doesn't want to feel responsible if the business fails (though he leaves enough money for Dan to open it by himself).

Other notable guest stars during the season include Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor, film producer whose career rose with his role in the television sit-com Growing Pains and quickly moved to films....
(as Darlene's classmate), Brad Garrett

Brad Garrett

Brad Garrett is an Emmy Award-winning United States, actor, voice acting and stand-up comedian. He is well-known for his sitcom roles on Everybody Loves Raymond and Til Death....
(as Doug), Judy Gold

Judy Gold

Judy Gold is an United States stand-up comedy 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 United Statesn actress. She is best known for her role as Willow Rosenberg on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer ....
(as Becky's friend Jan), and Tobey Maguire

Tobey Maguire

Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor. He began his career in the 1990s, and has since become best known for his role as Spider-Man in the Spider-Man ....
(as Jeff).

Season 4

The season starts with Becky surprising Roseanne by asking for birth control. Dan and Roseanne get started with their new motorcycle repair shop business, Lanford Custom Cycles, while Roseanne continues to work at Rodbell's Department Store. Jackie, after a brief stint working at a perfume counter, decides to become a truck driver. Nancy (played by 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....
) is first introduced as Arnie's fiancee, but not before Jackie discovers that after a night of heavy drinking, she's slept with the newly engaged Arnie. Darlene undergoes a personality shift into a sullen gothic teen. Booker makes a surprise appearance at a Halloween costume party. Roseanne's neighbor Kathy moves away. 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 Cycles fails, Rodbell's Luncheonette closes, and Nancy is left alone after Arnie is "abducted by aliens."

Notable guest stars during the season include Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, Order of the British Empire, Order of St. Gregory the Great , was an British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway theatre, and in radio, television and movies....
(as himself), Wayne Newton

Wayne Newton

Carson Wayne Newton is an United States singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was born in Roanoke, Virginia. While Newton was still a child, his family moved to a home near Newark, Ohio....
(as himself), David Crosby

David Crosby

David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an United States guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young which is sometimes augmented with Neil Young, and CPR ....
(as Duke), Bonnie Bramlett

Bonnie Bramlett

Bonnie Bramlett , is an United states singer and sometime actor known for her distinctive human voice in rock music 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 musician....
(as Roseanne's co-worker Bonnie), Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris is an United Statesn Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated actor and magician. Prominent roles in his career include the title character of Doogie Howser, M.D., the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, Col....
(as Dr. Doogie Howser

Doogie Howser, M.D.

Doogie Howser, M.D. is a television comedy-drama starring Neil Patrick Harris as a brilliant doctor who also faces the problems of being a normal teenager....
), and Rick Dees

Rick Dees

Rick Dees is an American comedic performer, entertainer, and radio personality, best known for his #1 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 performing artist, and Broadcast Hall of Fame inductee....
(as Ken).

Season 5

After the bike shop closes, Mark decides to move to Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
. Becky decides to go with him, and they elope. Jackie and Roseanne each get a check for $10,000 from Bev. 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 -- who is much younger than she is -- until Roseanne discovers he is physically abusive. Dan confronts him, beats him up, and is arrested. Roseanne and Jackie's father dies. Roseanne's rich cousin Ronnie visits and convinces Darlene to get her GED

GED

General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which certifies that the taker has United States or Canada 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. Dan is offered a deal to rehab and sell a house by Roger, who runs off before the deal is complete -- but Jackie decides to buy the house, saving Dan from financial ruin. David gets a rejection letter from art school, 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 convinces Darlene to not give up on her goals just to stay with David.

During this episode there is a running gag in which each of the Conners (with the exception of Becky) appear in a different scene in the same long-sleeve, 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 United States actor, director and film writer.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 United States television and film actress, perhaps best known for her roles in three films in the Halloween series....
(as Molly Tilden), Mara Hobel

Mara Hobel

Mara Hobel is an United States 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 United States country music singer-songwriter; she was one of the leading country vocalists and songwriters during the 1960s and 1970s and is revered as a country icon....
(as herself), Morgan Fairchild

Morgan Fairchild

Morgan Fairchild is an Emmy Award nominated American actress. Fairchild achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image....
(as Nancy's girlfriend Marla), Bill Maher

Bill Maher

William "Bill" Maher, Jr. is an United States stand-up comedian, television host, pundit , and author. Before his present role as host of HBO Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late night television talk show called Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central and later on American Broadcasting Company....
(as Bob), Ed Begley, Jr.

Ed Begley, Jr.

Edward James Begley, Jr. is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalism. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr....
(as Principal Alexander), Blake Clark

Blake Clark

Blake Clark is an American stand-up comedy, actor and veteran of the Vietnam War. Other than his acting, he is best known for his deep, gravelly voice....
(as Vic), Red Buttons

Red Buttons

Red Buttons was an American comedy and actor....
(as Bev's lover Jake), Sally Kirkland

Sally Kirkland

Sally Kirkland is an Academy Award-nominated United States actress....
(as Mark and David's mother Barbara), Tim Curry

Tim Curry

Timothy James "Tim" Curry is an England actor, singer, composer and voice artist, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions....
(as Nancy's lover Roger), Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Leonard "Joe" Gordon-Levitt is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 20 years, during which time he has worked in at least 24 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions....
(as D.J.'s friend George), Joan Collins

Joan Collins

Joan Henrietta Collins Order of the British Empire is a Golden Globe Award-winning English actress, bestselling author and columnist....
(as Roseanne's cousin Ronnie), Matt Roth

Matt Roth (actor)

Matthew P. Roth is an American actor. He had a recurring role on Roseanne as Fisher . He is also married to Roseanne and Desperate Housewives co-star Laurie Metcalf....
(as Jackie's boyfriend Fisher), and Steve Jones

Steve Jones (musician)

Stephen Phillip Jones is an England rock music guitarist and singer, best known for his highly influential work as guitarist and founding member of punk band the Sex Pistols....
(as a threatening diner patron).

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 and smoke an old stash of marijuana. Roseanne's past as a victim of abuse arises when she reacts violently to DJ after he steals and wrecks her car. Becky and Mark return home and move in with Dan and Roseanne. Mark goes to trade school only to later drop out. Jackie gets pregnant as a result of a one-night stand. Jackie later develops a relationship with her baby's father, Fred. Roseanne and Dan discover that David has secretly moved in with Darlene at school. Roseanne visits a gay bar with Nancy where she receives a surprise kiss from Nancy's girlfriend. Jackie gives birth to a boy, which she names Andy. Dan confronts his mother's history of mental illness. The season concludes with Fred and Jackie's marriage.

Notable guest stars during the season include Mariel Hemingway

Mariel Hemingway

Mariel Hadley Hemingway is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated United States actor....
(as Nancy's girlfriend Sharon), Vicki Lawrence

Vicki Lawrence

Vicki Lawrence is an Emmy Award-winning American actress, frequent game show panelist of the 1970s and 1980s, comedian, and singer. She is best known for her co-starring role on The Carol Burnett Show, alongside Carol Burnett, from 1967 to 1978, and as the sharp-tongued matriarch, Thelma Harper ....
(as Dan's old flame Phyllis), Florence Henderson

Florence Henderson

Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for playing the role of Carol Brady in the television program The Brady Bunch, which ran from 1969 to 1974....
(as neighbor Flo),Genie Francis

Genie Francis

Genie Francis is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital, a role she played from 1976 to 2002, and then again, briefly in 2006 and 2008....
and Anthony Geary

Anthony Geary

Anthony Geary is an United States actor. He has starred on the American Broadcasting Company Soap opera General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present....
(as Luke and Laura Spencer from General Hospital) Ahmet Zappa

Ahmet Zappa

Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa is an United States musician, actor and novelist....
(as Mark's roommate Roy), and Fabio

Fabio Lanzoni

Fabio Lanzoni , widely known simply as Fabio, is an Italy male Model who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s....
(as himself).

Season 7

Season seven began with Roseanne's unexpected pregnancy and went on to tackle such issues as abortion, alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual dysfunction and racial prejudice. "The Sitcom Mom's Welcome Wagon" also aired this season.

Notable guest stars during the season include Sharon Stone

Sharon Stone

Sharon Yvonne Stone is an United Statesn actress, film producer and former Model . She first acheived international recognition for her performance in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct....
(as a trailer park resident), Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning United States Stand-up comedy, television hostess and actress. She hosts the award winning Television syndication talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show....
(as Jackie and Fred's psychologist Dr. Whitman), Danny Masterson

Danny Masterson

Daniel Peter Masterson is an United States actor, known for his role as Steven Hyde in That '70s Show....
(as Darlene's boyfriend Jimmy), and Traci Lords

Traci Lords

Traci Lords , also known as Traci Elizabeth Lords and Tracy Lords, is an United States actor, Film producer, film director, writer and singer....
(as Lanford Lunch Box waitress Stacy).

Season 8

Season eight addressed Roseanne's baby shower and the subsequent arrival of her son, Jerry Garcia Conner (in a continuity error, the baby was revealed to be a girl in season seven), DJ's Thanksgiving pageant, Darlene's wedding, and Dan's heart attack.

As ratings had begun to drop at the end of the seventh season, the show's producers wanted to end the series after the eighth season. However, the show was renewed for one final season. One of the final episodes of the eighth season (in which Dan had the heart attack) was originally intended to be the series finale, but after the show was picked up for one last season, writers introduced a plot revolving around Dan not following the hospital

Hospital

A hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
's orders after the heart attack. This led to Roseanne and Dan having their worst fight in the show's history, with a second part to the heart attack episode being the first episode of the ninth season.

Notable guest stars during the season include Fred Willard

Fred Willard

Fred Willard is an American comedian and actor known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is best known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show , and A Mighty Wind....
(as Leon's husband Scott), Ed McMahon

Ed McMahon

'Edward "Ed" Leo Peter McMahon, Jr.' is an United States comedian, game show host, announcer, and television personality most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's announcer on Who Do You Trust? from 1957 to 1962 and on the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1962 to 1992, and as the host of the talent show St...
(as himself), Pat Harrington, Jr.

Pat Harrington, Jr.

Daniel Patrick ?Pat? Harrington, Jr. is an United States actor. He is the son of Pat Harrington, Sr....
(as himself), Jenna Elfman

Jenna Elfman

Jenna Elfman is an United States television and film actress....
(as hitchhiker Garland), Shecky Greene

Shecky Greene

'Shecky Greene' , is a comedian known for his nightclub performances in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he has been a headliner for more than 30 years. He has appeared in several films, including History of the World, Part I and Splash , and has guest starred on such television shows as Mad About You, Laverne & Shirley, Love, America...
(as Bar Mitzvah guest Uncle Sol), Norm Crosby

Norm Crosby

Norm Crosby is a comedian sometimes associated with the Borscht Belt, but often seen on television in the 1970s. He is best known for his use of malapropisms, and is often called "The Master of Malaprop."...
(as minister at Leon and Scott's wedding Reverend Crosley), June Lockhart (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 non-traditional dance troupe that uses the body and ordinary objects to create a physical theatre performance.The term may also refer to a distinct sub-genre of physical theatre where the body is incorporated with other objects as a means of producing percussion and movement that has echoes of tribe dance....
(as Lanford Lunch Box patrons), Eric Dane

Eric Dane

Eric William Dane is an United Statesn actor, most recently known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan in Grey's Anatomy....
(as a Disney World bellhop), and Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis is an United States film acting. He is best known for light comic roles, especially as a musician on the run from gangsters in Some Like It Hot with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe....
(as ballroom-dance instructor Hal).

Season 9

The ninth and final season of the show marks a complete departure from the rest of the series as it takes on a more surreal tone. The Conners win the state lottery

Lottery

A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. Some governments outlaw it, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national lottery....
jackpot of $108 million, Dan ponders the meaning of life, Jackie meets her prince, D.J. finds love, and Darlene gives birth. Most surreal of all is the season's final episode, in which Roseanne reveals an alternative scenario for the series in which many of its events never actually take place and are instead part of a book she is writing. In this scenario, Dan's heart attack has killed him, the Conner family has not won the lottery, Becky has married David instead of Mark, Darlene has married Mark instead of David, and Jackie is gay instead of Roseanne's mother.

Notable guest stars during the season include Ed Asner (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 Inc. for CBS. The first was The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which the character was the producer of the fictional WJM-TV news....
), 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....
(as himself), Hugh Hefner

Hugh Hefner

File:Hefner 1973 .jpgHugh Marston Hefner , sometimes known simply as Hef, is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises....
(as himself), Jerry Springer

Jerry Springer

Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is an American television personality, a former Democratic Party mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, musician and host of the tabloid talk show bearing his name, The Jerry Springer Show, since its debut in 1991....
(as himself), Jim Varney

Jim Varney

James Albert "Jim" Varney Jr. was an United States actor and comedian. He was best known for his character Ernest P. Worrell, originally created by Nashville, Tennessee advertising agency Carden and Cherry in the 1980s....
(as Jackie's boyfriend Prince Carlos), Tammy Faye Bakker (as Roseanne's make-up consultant), Todd Oldham

Todd Oldham

Jacky Todd Oldham is the son of Jackie Ray and Linea Lee Oldham. Oldham is an United States fashion designer originally from Corpus Christi, Texas....
(as himself), Dina Merrill

Dina Merrill

Dina Merrill is an American actress and socialite....
(as Doris), Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lamond Lumley, Order of the British Empire is an England actor and former model , best known for her roles in the England television series The New Avengers, Sapphire and Steel, Absolutely Fabulous and Sensitive Skin ....
(as Patsy Stone

Absolutely Fabulous

Absolutely Fabulous is a BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning British sitcom written by and starring Jennifer Saunders and co-starring Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks....
), Jennifer Saunders

Jennifer Saunders

Jennifer Jane Saunders is a BAFTA Award and Emmy Award-winning England comedienne, screenwriter and actress.She first came into widespread attention in the 1980s and the early 1990s when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Central School of Speech and Drama....
(as Edina Monsoon

Absolutely Fabulous

Steven Seagal

Steven F. Seagal is an United States action movie actor, Film producer, writer, Film director, martial artist and singer-songwriter. He belongs to a generation of movie action hero actors who were featured in many of the Hollywood blockbuster action films of the late 1980s and 1990s....
(as himself), Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington is an Greek-American author and print syndication columnist. She is best known as founder of The Huffington Post.In 2003 she ran as an independent candidate in the California recall election, 2003....
(as Estree), Marlo Thomas

Marlo Thomas

Margaret Julia ?Marlo? Thomas Donahue is an United States actor, who first achieved fame on the TV series That Girl in the 1960s....
(as Tina), Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins

Anthony Robbins is an American self-help writer and professional speaker for over 30 years. He became well known through his infomercials and bestselling self-help books, Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement and Awaken The Giant Within....
(as himself), James Brolin

James Brolin

James Brolin is an Emmy Award-winning United States television, film, character actor, Film producer, and Film director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television....
(as Roseanne's business partner/love interest Edgar Wellman, Jr.), Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Debbie Reynolds

Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds is an Academy Award-nominated United States actor, singer, and dancer....
(as Dan's mother Audrey).

Main Crew

Spin-off
Spin-off

A spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator....

During the show's final season, Roseanne was in negotiations between Carsey-Werner Productions and ABC executives on continuing to play Roseanne Conner in a new spin-off. However, ABC had withdrawn from negotiations with Carsey-Werner and Roseanne and after failed discussions with CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
and FOX

Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
, Carsey-Werner and Roseanne agreed to not go on with the negotiations.

Ratings

Roseanne consistently ranked in the Nielsen

Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement developed by the AC Nielsen Company, to determine the audience size and composition of broadcast programming....
top shows listing for eight of its nine seasons. It reached its pinnacle in its second season becoming the #1 most watched television show in America.

By Season 9, the show was out of the top twenty, but it still managed to remain among the Nielsen Ratings' top 35 highest-rated shows with close to 10 million viewers.

The following table lists the ranking for each season.

Season	Ep #	Years	Ratings Rank	Viewers
Season 1	23	1988–1989	#2	21,515,200
Season 2	24	1989–1990	#1	21,275,100 (a 12/5/89 airing drew 36.2 million viewers)
Season 3	25	1990–1991	#3	16,851,100
Season 4	25	1991–1992	#2	18,327,900
Season 5	25	1992–1993	#2	19,271,700
Season 6	25	1993–1994	#4	17,992,200
Season 7	26	1994–1995	#10	14,787,000
Season 8	25	1995–1996	#17	11,987,400
Season 9	24	1996–1997	#35	9,951,582

Programming History

Dates	Broadcast time (ET)
October 1988-February 1989	Tuesday 8:30-9:00 pm
February 1989-September 1994	Tuesday 9:00-9:30 pm
September 1994-March 1995	Wednesday 9:00-9:30 pm
March 1995-May 1995	Wednesday 8:00-8:30 pm
May 1995-September 1995	Wednesday 9:30-10:00 pm
September 1995-May 1997	Tuesday 8:00-8:30 pm

Awards and nominations

Awards won

Emmy Award
Emmy Award

The Emmy Award, also known 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....
, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Cherie Barr is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winning United States comedienne, actress and writer. On the opening credits of one final-season episode of her TV show, she was credited as "Roseanne Barr Pentland Arnold Thomas." By 2005, she had resumed referring to herself by her maiden name, "Roseanne Barr."...
(1993)
Emmy Award, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Laurie Metcalf
Laurie Metcalf

Lauren Ophelia "Laurie" Metcalf is an United States three-time Emmy Award-winning actress. She is widely known for her performance as "Jackie Harris" on Roseanne ....
(1992, 1993, 1994)
Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award

The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in film and television program....
, Best TV Series-Comedy/Musical, Roseanne (1993)
Golden Globe Award, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy/Musical, John Goodman
John Goodman

John Stephen Goodman is a Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning United States actor. He is known for his deep, booming voice, and his large and robust size....
(1993)
Golden Globe Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series-Comedy/Musical, Roseanne Barr (1993)
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs, is an annual awards show, which always aired live and usually is held in late March or early April, that honors the year's biggest television, movie and music acts, as voted by the people who watch the Nickelodeon cable television channel....
, Best Actress in a Television Series, Roseanne Barr (1992)
Peabody Award
Peabody Award

The George Foster Peabody Awards, better known as simply the Peabody Awards, are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting....
, Excellence in television broadcasting, Roseanne (1992)
Innovator Award by TV Land
TV Land

TV Land is an United States cable television television network launched April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns MTV and Nickelodeon ....
(2008) - (see TV Land Awards
TV Land Awards

A TV Land Award is an Television in the United States award that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with awards such as the Emmy Award....
article)

Award nominations

Emmy Award, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Roseanne Barr (1992, 1994-1995)
Emmy Award, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, John Goodman (1989-1995)
Emmy Award, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Laurie Metcalf (1995)
Emmy Award, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert

Sara Gilbert is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner-Healy from 1988?1997 in the U.S. situation comedy Roseanne ....
(1993, 1994)
Golden Globe Award, Best TV Series-Comedy/Musical, Roseanne (1989, 1994)
Golden Globe Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series-Comedy/Musical, Roseanne Barr (1989, 1991-1992, 1994)
Golden Globe Award, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy/Musical, John Goodman (1989-1991)
Golden Globe Award, Best Performance by a TV Supporting Actress, Laurie Metcalf (1993, 1995)
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are an annual award given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by members.SAG Awards have been one of the major awards events in Hollywood since 1995....
, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, Roseanne Barr (1995)
Screen Actors Guild Award, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, John Goodman (1995)
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award, Best Actress in a Television Series, Roseanne Barr (1994)

DVD releases

The entire Roseanne series is available on DVD in the Region 1 (North America) NTSC

NTSC

NTSC is the analog television system used in most of the Americas, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Burma, and some Pacific island nations and territories ....
format from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment is a home entertainment company and a division of Starz Media, which is a Strategic business unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media....
(briefly named Starz Home Entertainment resulting in some DVD packaging bearing this name). 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.

Anchor Bay has been releasing the Region 2 (Europe) PAL

PAL

PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a color-encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. Other common analog television systems are SECAM and NTSC....
format DVDs of the show at a slower pace. So far, Anchor Bay has released Region 2 DVDs only for the show's first four seasons. Anchor Bay announced that season 5 will be released in 2009.

In June 2006, 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....
began to release the show on DVD in Region 4 (Australia, Central America, and South America) PAL

PAL

PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a color-encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. Other common analog television systems are SECAM and NTSC....
format. Similar to the Anchor Bay releases, Magna Pacific has only released the show's first five seasons. Release dates for the subsequent seasons have not been announced. Unlike the Anchor Bay releases, Magna Pacific's first season DVDs include the full-length original broadcast episodes.

Season	RC1 (NTSC) Release Date	RC2 (PAL) Release Date	RC4 (PAL) Release Date	Additional Information
The Complete 1st Season	August 30, 2005	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.
The Complete 2nd Season	December 6, 2005	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.
The Complete 3rd Season	March 21, 2006	May 15, 2006	February 7, 2007	Laurie Metcalf Interview: The Sister that Never Leaves, Lecy Goranson Interview: I As a Teenage Becky, Best of Season Three.
The Complete 4th Season	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.
The Complete 5th Season	September 12, 2006		November 7, 2007	Video commentaries with Roseanne, Roseanne Answers Top 10 8 Fan Questions, An exclusive interview with Roseanne.
The Complete 6th Season	December 5, 2006		TBA	No Special Features
The Complete 7th Season	April 3, 2007		TBA	N/A
The Complete 8th Season	August 7, 2007		TBA	Video commentaries with Roseanne, Roseanne: Working-Class Actress Interview
The Complete 9th Season	October 16, 2007		TBA	Two new exclusive interviews: 'Legacy of Class' and 'Breaking the Sitcom Mold'. Video commentary with Roseanne & Michael Fishman
Halloween Edition	August 29, 2006		TBA	Audio commentary by Roseanne.

External links

Roseanne Barr's official web site

Roseanne (TV series)

Premise

Characters

Season synopses

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Main Crew

Spin-offSpin-offA spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator....

Ratings

Programming History

Awards and nominations

Awards won

Award nominations

DVD releases

External links

Spin-off
Spin-off

A spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator....