I couldn't figure out why I really wasnt getting into the show like I use to growing up. Then I realize the acting is completely different. The jokes are forced and everyone is goofier in their acting. The storyline don't feel real like in the old show. I feel like I'm watching a Full House version of Roseanne. The laugh track is never ending. Thoughts?
I think the success of the show has to be killing her on the inside.
I for one never thought the Conner's would last a season - now it is on it's 4th and looks like a 5th very soon.
If I thought this way, I can only guess what Roseanne is thinking.
Just something I'm curious about. Do we think many folks these days - of any age - are being inspired to look up the old series and begin watching with no prior connection or experience associated with the characters? Is it something that feels welcoming to newcomers? If so, is it possible to appreciate the show as an outgrowth of (or, despite) The Conners?
Just something I've been thinking about, inspired by some past posts.
I have always wondered about the function and utility food in the show. My understanding is that, most of the time, it was treated as a prop to support scenes, and not actually consumed - but then there are also scenes where characters are clearly eating and swallowing food. Not sure how unique this was in context, but it was interesting to me.
I feel that the food was an important implicit and explicit aspect of the characters and their stories, as well as the show's broader mythology. It symbolized a lot, and its presence, absence, or contextual quality shed additional light on many stories. As Dan once said, "Food's the one luxury we can afford."
Pretzels, beer, and mini chicken wings at the Lobo Lounge. The oatmeal that Roseanne doles out, warden-like, to Dan on many cold winter mornings. The various "helpers" and casseroles that the family eats each week. The ice cream and other treats that Roseanne and Dan hide from one another and delight in consuming in secret. Roseanne's instructive trip to the Buy and Bag with Darlene's Home Ec class. Corn Flakes vs. "budget flakes". The biscuits that Roseanne makes, so adeptly that they fly through the air. Darlene and David's "cool and ironic" Thanksgiving dinner of Mac and cheese in 1994. The delicious pastries and snacks at Rodbell's. Roseanne's stolen condiments and pickle chips from the same spot. Dan's angry peanut butter sandwich assembly in the kitchen in Season 8's finale. The fish that Jackie tried to cook that shrunk when burned. The pizza, nuts and bolts, and Jello in the opening credits. The ubiquitous motif that is corn. And - of course - the holy grail that is loose meat (and NOT its competing "Western Skillet Sandwich"). :)
Not sure what the larger point of this post is, other than that the food played a big role in the show on multiple levels, and permitted additional insights into what was going on for characters at the time, and I felt that needed to be documented. (And speaking personally, I credit this show for hooking me on tuna salad). :)
Cheating on my own post but for me Roseanne has two. When Darlene read her poem and that 2 seconds after Roseanne tells Dan, that Fisher beat Jackie and he just grabs his coat and leaves, and everyone knew exactly what was going to happen.
For Conners, it has to be Dan and Becky with the addiction specialist. That scene was like 20+ years in the making and it was just amazing.
what about you?
When she got mad for no reason and threw the cake in the garbage, that was the turning point. If I were Dan, I would’ve walked right up to her and told her if she ever acted that way again he’d get her committed and in a strait jacket. Look at most of her behavior after this point. Sociopathic, mentally/physically abusive, gaslighting, narcissistic and borderline personality behaviors. And why? Because of Roseanne Barr’s massive ego and perceived victimization, low self-esteem and newfound hatred for men. It was a betrayal to the rich character of Roseanne developed in the first 4 years of the show. Luckily, she mellowed out a bit by season 8.
It's been discussed here before, but now that I'm watching with this in mind, it really does bear saying: there is a definite shift in feel and tone beginning with Season 6. And, I feel like a lot of the energy from this period of the show continues to inform stories, thoughts, and actions associated with the reboot, and with The Conners, too.
Lots of this is attributable to simple cosmetic changes: Sarah Chalke's arrival, Roseanne's changing looks, and the shifting fortunes of the family. However, for me, it's also something deeper. There is a new kind of anger, a new kind of cynicism, and a new kind of harshness to the show and the characters that wasn't there in prior seasons. People's motives (especially those of the men - Dan, David, Mark, and Fred) are scrutinized and challenged.
There is a lot of discord and friction in the family. We see the rise and fall of Jackie and Fred's relationship: we similarly see a deliberate shift in tone in Jackie and Bev's relationship from fairly standard friction to something much darker. I also believe that the seeds for Darlene and David's eventual separation decades later are planted here, as well. All the while Jackie begins to lose herself in "wife" and "mother" roles that ultimately failed her, and Roseanne becomes more domineering, more strident, more unaware to sense and work with nuance, and colder. She also openly begins to betray her values: does anyone else still feel uncomfortable about her stove thefts, her cruelty to Leon, among other things?It's all, overall, a radical departure from what has come before in terms of season and "feel".
It's been a long week, and I'm tired, so I'm not making as much of an articulate an argument as I would have liked to. Yes, there are some good stories, plenty of laughs, and solid episodes. But season six of Roseanne also makes me sad, because there is an undercurrent of something I don't like during this period on the show. I'll always love the characters and their stories in the aggregate, but Season 6, for me, was definitely a "tough love" period.
Interested in thoughts from others on this. When, for you, did the show shift in tone like this? (Did it?)
Disclaimer: I realize that not all Roseanne fans are Conners fans, and vice versa. The spirit and intent of this post is all about the characters and their stories and lives: no politics, please. I'm interested in thoughts from others.
For me - a lifelong, "seen every episode a hundred times" kind of fan - a big part of the Roseanne season 10 / Conners revival was the opportunity to catch up with characters that I had come to know and care for very much over time after a 20-year absence. And, in many ways, the show delivered on that premise.
But, I feel like there are so many other unexplored stories and ideas from the 20 year interim period between the two shows that are rife with opportunity for exploration, if nowhere else than in fanfic. Ideas and concepts that bridge the gap between where the characters left off in 1997, and where we met them again in 2017.
Here are some of mine:
a) An increasingly-popular theory is that the events of the Great Recession are what led to the closure of the original Lunchbox, coupled with Jackie's loss of her home. Leon's subsequent departure from Lanford to (presumably) bigger cities with more opportunities can be inferred to make sense. Whatever happened to Nancy between 1997 and 2017? How did she survive before she turned up again in the reboot?
b) Tell me about Jackie's experiences during the same period. Did she have any major romances or friendships during this period? What led her to becoming a life coach?
c) When, exactly, did Dan's mother and father die? How did this affect Crystal?
d) Did Lanford ever recover from the Great Recession? How many of the original side characters from the 80s and 90s in the town have stuck around?
e) What did Roseanne do for work once the Lunchbox closed? Did it bring her the same kind of satisfaction as the Lunchbox?
f) What was life like for Darlene and David in Chicago as their family grew? At what point did they finally decide to separate?
g) What went on around the house for all of that time? Was it ever renovated in ways that might explain the architectural discrepancies between the original and the reboot?
h) When and how did Nana Mary pass away? Was the impact on the family comparable to that of Roseanne's passing?
i) When did the final feud between Roseanne and Jackie happen?
What are yours?
I have a blog in the works for Roseanne & The Conners content (primarily focusing on the original run, but will include the reboots).
I have a lot of ideas already in mind but I’m curious if there is anything specifically you guys would be interested in seeing explored in depth. My writing style is more casual and fun so I’m not talking about like, college thesis level stuff here, but good sized articles.
When Roseanne Barr said some bad things and was fired from her show they should have never kept going. She 100% deserved to get fired. Changing the name is one thing but Barr made the show successful. Her on screen chemistry with John Goodman will never be replaced. If an actor get fired from a show and they are the face of it like she was then you should not make any reboot period. It’s not the same.
Even John Goodman isn’t really funny, it’s the same old carpenter, beer drinker that hates the girls boyfriends. The old characters are worn out humor wise, and the new characters are a shadow of what the old characters were.
Then they talk about Covid 50 times per episode which everyone on the planet is sick of hearing about and need a break from when we sit down to watch TV. Masks and Covid talk should be banned from sitcoms. It fictionalizes a real issue.
Killing off Roseannes character by overdosing on opioids is tasteless. It like they went to the furthest extreme to prove them to be white trash. Talk about anticlimactic.
I thought Dan Conner died at the end of Rosanne by heart attack. What, he rose from the dead?
I really think Roseanne Barr held the entire show together and was the reason for every funny skit in the 90s.
Feel free to add how in the comments (dream, etc)
In the first 2 seasons she was a lovable, overweight, frumpy working mom. At some point, she became a manipulative, rude bitch who tries to run the lives of everyone around her. Maybe it’s around the time she got plastic surgery? I don’t know, but the character definitely changed.
Is it just me, or does Darlene seem more likeable than Becky on seasons 1-9 of Roseanne and vice versa on The Conners? It's like Becky had an attitude adjustment between shows, while Darlene's snarky comments went unchecked for 20 years.
My parents were into roseanne growing up so I’ve seen a few episodes here and there, since the reboot I’ve also seen a few episodes of The Connors. My mom always said the later seasons (like 8 & 9) weren’t as good.
I recently got prime and noticed they had it and began watching it. I’ve really enjoyed it and have now reached the first few episodes of season 8. I know about the lottery, what happens with Dan, and I know they don’t really acknowledge Andy or Roseannes baby (she’s pregnant in the episodes I’m watching now).
My question is, do you guys things it’s worth watching the last several seasons or should I skip to the reboot?
Just couldn’t stand with what they did with the characters anymore.
I'm legitimately curious.
Like everyone, I was thrilled when they announced they were revving Roseanne. The mere existence of new episodes in 2018 still blows my mind.
When Roseanne tweeted what she did and ABC canceled the revival, I was heartbroken. I felt like they'd given me something I had long given up hope on seeing only to rip it away from me after only 9 episodes.
I understood why ABC canceled the show. Rosanne's Twitter feed has been a disaster for years. I remember her tweeting and deleting something about Parkland survivor turned activist David Hogg being a Nazi on like the same day of the Laura Ingraham controversy and I kept hoping that the tweet wouldn't catch on and get the show canceled. Luckily it didn't, and the show was picked up for season two shortly after.
I read somewhere that ABC had it in Roseanne's contract that she was expected to conduct herself in a certain way on Twitter and that was an example of her being difficult to work with from the start. If that's indeed true, it could be argued as a breach or contract issue, thus giving even more justification for ABC'S decision. Alas, I digress...
Point is, when rumors started floating around that there might be a spinoff, I held onto the hope that we'd see the Conner family again, even if it was just to recoup the network's investment. Ideally I'd want to live in the world we lived in pre-tweet, but reality said that just wasn't going to happen...
A lot of people were upset when it leaked that they'd kill Roseanne off via overdose. I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed when I learned that news because I think we should be open to forgiveness and killing off the character sort of closes that door forever. I dreamed of scenarios to write her out without killing her off -- rehab, a coma, in Alaska with Jerry -- but in every scenario, her shadow would loom large and the show would never have legs of it's own without taking the path they chose.
I think there's a lot of stigmatization around overdose deaths. I'm a 30 year old male in Indiana and I've lost two of my childhood best friends to opioid overdoses in the past five years. Several of my classmates from my small town have also died from overdoses. I think the people who were upset that the show went this route conjured the stereotypical overdose, with a heroin needle and vomit and all the ugliness. In real life, people take too many pills and they stop breathing in their sleep, especially elderly people.
I
... keep reading on reddit ➡Makes the most sense to me. Together they make 20 episodes. Season 2 of The Conners will have 19 episodes. That's comparable to previous seasons of Roseanne which ran 23-26 episodes each.
This whole thing is sad.
For a TV show, never in my life have I gone from super fucking excited (after years of waiting for a possible Roseanne revival or just a new sitcom from her in general) to almost fucking crying when the revival was canceled in the most horrendous kind of way - Roseanne’s dumb fucking Tweet.
I love this show so much not only because it’s so damn funny, raw and relatable but because I know it means a lot to my mom who deals with a lot in her life. This show was her distraction where she could laugh and forget about life for 30 minutes at a time. The show’s revival actually brought my family back together around the TV for appointment television for the first time in years.
Ugh.
Just something I've been thinking about, inspired by some recent posts both here, and on the Roseanne sub.
I have always wondered about the function and utility food in both Roseanne and The Conners. My understanding is that, most of the time, it was treated as a prop to support scenes, and not actually consumed - but then there are also scenes where characters are clearly eating and swallowing food. Not sure how unique this was in context, but it was interesting to me.
I feel that the food was an important implicit and explicit aspect of the characters and their stories, as well as the show's broader mythology. It symbolized a lot, and its presence, absence, or contextual quality shed additional light on many stories. As Dan once said, "Food's the one luxury we can afford."
Pretzels, beer, and mini chicken wings at the Lobo Lounge. The oatmeal that Roseanne doles out, warden-like, to Dan on many cold winter mornings. The various "helpers" and casseroles that the family eats each week. The ice cream and other treats that Roseanne and Dan hide from one another and delight in consuming in secret. Roseanne's instructive trip to the Buy and Bag with Darlene's Home Ec class. Corn Flakes vs. "budget flakes". The biscuits that Roseanne makes, so adeptly that they fly through the air. Darlene and David's "cool and ironic" Thanksgiving dinner of Mac and cheese in 1994. The delicious pastries and snacks at Rodbell's. Roseanne's stolen condiments and pickle chips from the same spot. Dan's angry peanut butter sandwich assembly in the kitchen in Season 8's finale. The fish that Jackie tried to cook that shrunk when burned. The pizza, nuts and bolts, and Jello in the opening credits. The ubiquitous motif that is corn. And - of course - the holy grail that is loose meat (and NOT its competing "Western Skillet Sandwich"). :)
Not sure what the larger point of this post is, other than that the food played a big role in the show on multiple levels, and permitted additional insights into what was going on for characters at the time, and I felt that needed to be documented. (And speaking personally, I credit the scene with Becky and Emilio in the park for hooking me on tuna salad). :)
Disclaimer: I realize that not all Roseanne fans are Conners fans, and vice versa. The spirit and intent of this post is all about the characters and their stories and lives: no politics, please. I'm interested in thoughts from others.
For me - a lifelong, "seen every episode a hundred times" kind of fan - a big part of the Roseanne season 10 / Conners revival was the opportunity to catch up with characters that I had come to know and care for very much over time after a 20-year absence. And, in many ways, the show delivered on that premise.
But, I feel like there are so many other unexplored stories and ideas from the 20 year interim period between the two shows that are rife with opportunity for exploration, if nowhere else than in fanfic. Ideas and concepts that bridge the gap between where the characters left off in 1997, and where we met them again in 2017.
Here are some of mine:
a) An increasingly-popular theory is that the events of the Great Recession are what led to the closure of the original Lunchbox, coupled with Jackie's loss of her home. Leon's subsequent departure from Lanford to (presumably) bigger cities with more opportunities can be inferred to make sense. Whatever happened to Nancy between 1997 and 2017? How did she survive before she turned up again in the reboot?
b) Tell me about Jackie's experiences during the same period. Did she have any major romances or friendships during this period? What led her to becoming a life coach?
c) When, exactly, did Dan's mother and father die? How did this affect Crystal?
d) Did Lanford ever recover from the Great Recession? How many of the original side characters from the 80s and 90s in the town have stuck around?
e) What did Roseanne do for work once the Lunchbox closed? Did it bring her the same kind of satisfaction as the Lunchbox?
f) What was life like for Darlene and David in Chicago as their family grew? At what point did they finally decide to separate?
g) What went on around the house for all of that time? Was it ever renovated in ways that might explain the architectural discrepancies between the original and the reboot?
h) When and how did Nana Mary pass away? Was the impact on the family comparable to that of Roseanne's passing?
i) When did the final feud between Roseanne and Jackie happen?
What are yours?
