Roseanne Revival Comes to ABC



By Valerie Milano


Whitney Cummings, Tom Werner, Ames McNamara, Emma Kenney,
Jayden Rey, Bruce Helford, Michael Fishman, Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf,
Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke during
the ABC Television/Disney portion of the 2018 Winter TCA Press Tour
Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images North America

Loyal fans of the family comedy "Roseanne," which ran from 1988 to 1997, will be glad to hear that the hilarious Conner clan will soon be back with a complete original cast, returning guest stars and some new series regulars on ABC!

Roseanne Barr herself took center stage along with executive producers Tom Werner, Bruce Helford and Whitney Cummings as well as co-stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, Lecy Goranson, Sarah Chalke, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara and Jayden Rey at a TCA Winter 2018 Press Tour panel.

Roseanne and Dan Conner will turn out to be Trump supporters. How does the cast in the new series think this will be received? "I think this is a time, as we all know, where our country is very divided," said Sara Gilbert, who plays rebellious younger daughter, Darlene. "And we did have a wonderful opportunity to talk about this in the context of a family, and I think part of what's going on is that people feel like they can't disagree and still love each other or still talk to each other. So, to me, it was a great opportunity to have a family that can be divided by politics, but still is filled with love. And what a great thing that is to bring into this country right now!"

Roseanne Barr is known for defending President Trump on social media. How might that have affected her portrayal of Roseanne Conner on the show? "Half the people voted for Trump, and half didn't, so it's just realistic," Barr said. 

Michael Fishman, who plays cute and cheeky Conner son, DJ, on the show is pleased not to be the youngest actor on set any more so he can add more to the dialogue as an adult. "You can have those arguments and those fights and those different positions, and that's what makes not only the show, but the country amazing!" Fishman exclaimed.

Another thing contributing to the original show's huge success was its genuine sense of family feeling that was so easy for its viewers to understand. The new show's many stars showed no hesitancy to jump on board as soon as they heard about it, according to John Goodman. "This was a show about people speaking their minds," said executive producer Tom Werner. "So it was very important for us to come back and honor that."

Initially Sara Gilbert was concerned that the show's original cast might want to rest on their laurels and not take any more risks, but that proved not to be the case. If politics are to play a central role, what about Oprah or Susan Sarandon for President?  "Actually, I think I would be a better president than Oprah and Susan Sarandon, possibly even President Trump," said Roseanne Barr, who was on the 2012 presidential ballot herself under the Peace and Freedom party.

Award-winning actress Laurie Metcalf pointed out that the fact that Gilbert's character, Darlene, parenting her kids in the same house where she grew up would give Barr's character some perspective on her own successes and failures as a parent.

"I think our show has a depth to it that's kind of unusual," mused Lecy Goranson. "It comes from a deep place, and I think that people want a meal and not a snack and they've had a lot of snacks over the past 20 years."

"Roseanne" reboots on March 27, airing on ABC.

Posted By Discover Hollywood on March 07, 2018 12:57 pm | Permalink