It was a guilty pleasure last night, watching Roseanne on ABC, 20 years after the Conners left the small screen following a decade on the air. I’d looked forward to it for months, of course, as I do with everything that returns from my childhood. Most things are a total disappointment. This was not. Roseanne brought it, and viewers (and advertisers) did as well. All original cast members were back, and, thanks to the marvelous things plastic surgeons can do these days, everyone looks exactly the same. The writers, too, were clever about how to bring back two actresses who’d played the same character. (No spoilers here.)
The biggest noise concerning the episodes that aired last night was the Conner family’s politics. Dan and Roseanne are Trump supporters, while Aunt Jackie is decidedly not. I thought the best and most surprising part about the episode is that is was actually Jackie who was the butt of many of the political jokes (though she got in a few digs as well). We’ll see if this holds up through the rest of the season, nine episodes over the next two months.
I like the format of the new Roseanne, on broadcast TV but available immediately on demand. Nine episodes is just about right, too. I don’t need a full year’s worth anymore. The jokes are a little punchier and more than ever the show makes fun of itself. It’s basically the Fuller House model, and I am a big fan of Fuller House. Rumors abound of a thousand other ’90s-era TV show reboots, and I am in for every single one.