Between 1988 and 1997, people the world over would kick off their shoes and turn on the hit television sitcom Roseanne. Praised for its honest portrayal of blue-collar America, the program very quickly rose to the top of the ratings once it premiered, due its relatability cast of characters and storyline. Centering on the lives of the Conner family in Chicago, the show dealt with the trials and tribulations of a working class family who contended with money troubles, children who (gasp!) talked back to their parents, and obesity. Finally there was a show that did not portray family life as a fairy tale. As the matriarch of the family, Roseanne Conner (played by comedic fireball Roseanne Barr) was one tough cookie who did not let anything get by her. Her bossiness and non-nonsense approach to childrearing endeared her to viewers, and there was not a single situation in her family or in the lives of her friends in which she was not a party to, which made her – in her life and the lives of the viewers – the center of attention.
The show broke all kinds of network television boundaries, discussing how a mother has to balance both family life as well as a working life. The show’s creators, chief amongst them Roseanne herself, wanted to portray the life of a real family, with all of the messiness and squabbles that entailed. It was perhaps because the show so accurately portrayed what it was like to be an average American that it was so beloved by audiences. Over the course of the decade-long, 222 episode run, an average of sixteen million viewers around the country would tune in and watch their favorite, real life dysfunctional family go at it. And in addition to the realness of the show, there were also a whole bunch of firsts. there was pregnancy out of wedlock; an elopement; affairs. Additionally, Roseanne’s boss, Leon, was one of the first recurring LGBT characters on screen, and was definitely one of the first positive, everyday portrayals of an LGBT character. It was perhaps due to this realness (or all of the gossipy drama) that the show Roseanne won Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, People’s Choice Awards, and a whole bunch of others, cementing her as a critic darling all the while earning the trust and admiration everyday heroes from all walks of life.
ABC recently announced that it would be continuing Roseanne with the same cast members as before – but set two decades into the future, in contemporary times. So, in order to prepare for the new season, we wanted to make a bit of a refresher about everyone, and help those who will be watching for the first time get up to speed with who the characters are, and what the actors are doing now. For instance…
[post_page_title]Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris[/post_page_title]
Incredibly loving if a bit neurotic and unstable (having gone through several jobs as well as men over the series run), Jackie Harris was Roseanne’s younger sister. However, despite the fact that Roseanne always treated her as if she was a little girl, Jackie was also known to give as good as she gets! She is also a wonderful aunt to her nieces and nephews, and is always there to listen to their problems.
