The tenth and final season of the American television
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
Roseanne
''Roseanne'' is an American sitcom television series created by Matt Williams and Roseanne Barr which aired on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May 22, 2018. The show stars Barr as Roseann ...
'' follows the Conners, a
working-class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
family, struggling to get by on a limited household income in their home at 714 Delaware Street in the drab fictional mid-state
exurb of Lanford,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. The season was produced by
Carsey-Werner Television, with
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom '' Roseanne'' (1988– ...
,
Bruce Helford
Bruce Lewis Helford (born January 28, 1952) is an American television writer and producer.
Career
Helford was the co-creator of ''The Drew Carey Show''. He served as executive producer of the series for its entire run, from 1995 to 2004. Helfo ...
,
Whitney Cummings,
Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles; January 29, 1975) is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and its ...
,
Tom Werner, and Tony Hernandez serving as executive producers.
Barr starred as
Roseanne Conner
Roseanne Harris Conner is the title character of the TV series ''Roseanne'', created and portrayed by comedian and namesake Roseanne Barr. Roseanne, in a takeoff of her stand-up comedic and presumed real-life persona, is bossy, loud, caustic, over ...
, while
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, an ...
played
Dan Conner
Dan Conner is a fictional character in the television series '' Roseanne'' created by comedian and namesake Roseanne Barr and portrayed by actor John Goodman. He is the husband to Roseanne Conner, and father to two daughters, Darlene and Becky, ...
. They were joined by principal cast members
Laurie Metcalf, Gilbert,
Lecy Goranson
Alicia Linda "Lecy" Goranson (; born June 22, 1974) is an American actress. She plays Becky Conner in the television sitcoms ''Roseanne'', which debuted in 1988, and ''The Conners''. She has also had supporting roles in the films ''How to Make ...
, and
Michael Fishman, who reprised their roles from the previous seasons, with
Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, and Jayden Rey joining them. Development on a
revival of ''Roseanne'' series, with Barr, Goodman, and Gilbert.
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
ordered a tenth season revival of the series, consisting of eight episodes, set to air as a
mid-season replacement during the
2017–18 television season, with the original cast. Production on the season began in October 2017. An additional episode was ordered in November 2017.
The season premiere was watched by 18.44 million viewers and had a 5.2 rating in the 18–49 demographic, the highest rated Tuesday entertainment telecast in six years among adults 18–49, and television's highest rated comedy telecast on any night in 3.5 years, since ''
The Big Bang Theory
''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...
'' in September 2014. The season, which began airing on ABC on March 27, 2018, has received generally positive reviews from critics. The series was renewed for an eleventh season on March 30, 2018, just three days after the season premiere,
but the series was subsequently cancelled by ABC on May 29, 2018, following
Barr's remarks made on Twitter about
Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
. It was followed by the first season of ''
The Conners''.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom '' Roseanne'' (1988– ...
as
Roseanne Conner
Roseanne Harris Conner is the title character of the TV series ''Roseanne'', created and portrayed by comedian and namesake Roseanne Barr. Roseanne, in a takeoff of her stand-up comedic and presumed real-life persona, is bossy, loud, caustic, over ...
*
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, an ...
as
Dan Conner
Dan Conner is a fictional character in the television series '' Roseanne'' created by comedian and namesake Roseanne Barr and portrayed by actor John Goodman. He is the husband to Roseanne Conner, and father to two daughters, Darlene and Becky, ...
*
Laurie Metcalf as
Jackie Harris
*
Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles; January 29, 1975) is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and its ...
as
Darlene Conner
The following is a list of major characters in the television series '' Roseanne'' and its successor, ''The Conners''.
Family tree
Main characters
Roseanne Conner
Roseanne Conner (née Harris) is played by Roseanne Barr. Roseanne ...
*
Lecy Goranson
Alicia Linda "Lecy" Goranson (; born June 22, 1974) is an American actress. She plays Becky Conner in the television sitcoms ''Roseanne'', which debuted in 1988, and ''The Conners''. She has also had supporting roles in the films ''How to Make ...
as
Becky Conner-Healy
*
Michael Fishman as
D.J. Conner
*
Emma Kenney as Harris Conner-Healy
* Ames McNamara as Mark Conner-Healy
* Jayden Rey as Mary Conner
Guest
*
Sarah Chalke as Andrea
*
Judy Prescott
Judy Prescott is an American actress and poet. She has performed many roles on stage and screen since 1987 and is the author of the book ''Searching For Cecy: Reflections on Alzheimer's''.
Early life
Judith Neal Prescott, daughter of Mary Boo ...
as Miss Crane
*
Estelle Parsons
Estelle Margaret Parsons (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress, singer and stage director.
After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program ''Today'' and ...
as
Beverly Harris
*
Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, singer, comedian and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures.
She is perhaps b ...
as
Nancy Bartlett
*
Natalie West
Natalie West (born Natalie Neal West; January 23, 1956) is an American television, film and stage actress best known for her role as Crystal Anderson-Conner on the 1988–2018 TV series ''Roseanne''.
Career
West's career began in the early 1980s ...
as
Crystal Anderson
* Adilah Barnes as Anne Marie Mitchell
*
Johnny Galecki as
David Healy
*
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...
as Lou
*
James Pickens, Jr.
James Pickens Jr. (born October 26, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Webber on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and for his supporting role ...
as Chuck Mitchell
Episodes
Production
Development
During ''
Roseanne
''Roseanne'' is an American sitcom television series created by Matt Williams and Roseanne Barr which aired on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May 22, 2018. The show stars Barr as Roseann ...
''s ninth season,
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom '' Roseanne'' (1988– ...
was in negotiations with
Carsey-Werner Productions
The Carsey-Werner Company (previously known as Carsey-Werner Productions and Carsey-Werner-Mandabach Productions, before that, Carsey Productions and also known as Carsey-Werner Television) is an independent production company founded in 1981 by ...
to continue playing Roseanne Conner in a
spin-off
Spin-off may refer to:
*Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity
* Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
.
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, which had an option on the spinoff, initially expressed interest but withdrew from negotiations due to the high cost, with a different network poised to pick up the project.
However, after failed discussions with
CBS and
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
, Barr and Carsey-Werner agreed "to call it a day" and discontinue the negotiations for the spinoff.
In the fall of 2008, Barr commented on what the current whereabouts of the Conners would be, saying "I've always said now that if they were on TV, DJ would have been killed in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and
he Connerswould have lost their house." She refused to reveal any more information on the rest of the Conners in the hope that it "may be developed later".
In December 2009, Barr posted an entry on her website regarding what a possible ''Roseanne'' reunion would be like, which included: DJ getting published, Mark dying in Iraq; David leaving Darlene for a woman half his age, Darlene
coming out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
and meeting a woman and having a
test tube baby
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an ovum, egg is combined with spermatozoon, sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's Ovulation cycle, ovulatory process, remo ...
with her, Roseanne and Jackie opening the first medical
marijuana dispensary
A cannabis shop, cannabis dispensary, or cannabis cooperative, is a location at which cannabis is sold for Cannabis (drug), recreational or Medical cannabis, medical use. In the Netherlands these are called Coffeeshop (Netherlands), coffeeshops. ...
in Lanford, Dan reappearing alive after faking his death
n the series finale and Bonnie being arrested for selling
crack.
In April 2017, reports circulated that an eight-episode revival of the series was being shopped to multiple networks including ABC and
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, spearheaded by
Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles; January 29, 1975) is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and its ...
with
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom '' Roseanne'' (1988– ...
and
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, an ...
set to reprise their roles alongside Gilbert.
On May 16, 2017, ABC announced that ''Roseanne'' would return for an eight-episode tenth season set to air as a
mid-season replacement during the
2017–18 television season.
An additional episode was ordered on November 13, 2017, bringing the total for the season to nine episodes.
Casting
Main cast members Roseanne Barr, John Goodman,
Laurie Metcalf,
Lecy Goranson
Alicia Linda "Lecy" Goranson (; born June 22, 1974) is an American actress. She plays Becky Conner in the television sitcoms ''Roseanne'', which debuted in 1988, and ''The Conners''. She has also had supporting roles in the films ''How to Make ...
, Sara Gilbert and
Michael Fishman return from previous seasons as
Roseanne Conner
Roseanne Harris Conner is the title character of the TV series ''Roseanne'', created and portrayed by comedian and namesake Roseanne Barr. Roseanne, in a takeoff of her stand-up comedic and presumed real-life persona, is bossy, loud, caustic, over ...
,
Dan Conner
Dan Conner is a fictional character in the television series '' Roseanne'' created by comedian and namesake Roseanne Barr and portrayed by actor John Goodman. He is the husband to Roseanne Conner, and father to two daughters, Darlene and Becky, ...
,
Jackie Harris,
Becky Conner-Healy,
Darlene Conner
The following is a list of major characters in the television series '' Roseanne'' and its successor, ''The Conners''.
Family tree
Main characters
Roseanne Conner
Roseanne Conner (née Harris) is played by Roseanne Barr. Roseanne ...
, and
D.J. Conner, respectively.
In September 2017, Ames McNamara was announced to be cast as Mark Conner-Healy, Darlene and David's 8-year-old son;
while
Emma Kenney was cast as Harris Conner-Healy, David and Darlene's teenage daughter.
Jayden Rey joined the cast in October as Mary Conner, D.J.'s daughter.
Sarah Chalke, who played Becky during the later seasons of the series, appears as Andrea, a married woman who hires Becky to be her surrogate.
Also returning from earlier in the series are
Judy Prescott
Judy Prescott is an American actress and poet. She has performed many roles on stage and screen since 1987 and is the author of the book ''Searching For Cecy: Reflections on Alzheimer's''.
Early life
Judith Neal Prescott, daughter of Mary Boo ...
as Miss Crane,
Estelle Parsons
Estelle Margaret Parsons (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress, singer and stage director.
After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program ''Today'' and ...
as
Beverly Harris,
Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, singer, comedian and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures.
She is perhaps b ...
as
Nancy Bartlett,
Natalie West
Natalie West (born Natalie Neal West; January 23, 1956) is an American television, film and stage actress best known for her role as Crystal Anderson-Conner on the 1988–2018 TV series ''Roseanne''.
Career
West's career began in the early 1980s ...
as
Crystal Anderson,
James Pickens, Jr.
James Pickens Jr. (born October 26, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Webber on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and for his supporting role ...
as Chuck Mitchell,
Adilah Barnes as Anne Marie Mitchell,
and
Johnny Galecki as
David Healy.
In December 2017, it was announced that
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...
would guest star in the revival as a love interest of Parsons' character Beverly.
Filming
Production on the season began on October 17, 2017,
and concluded on December 15, in
Studio City, Los Angeles
Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...
.
Release
Broadcast
The season began airing on March 27, 2018, on ABC in the United States,
and on
CTV in Canada.
Marketing
The first trailer for the season premiered during the
90th Academy Awards on March 4, 2018,
which Emily Longeretta for ''
Us Weekly
''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...
'' commented that "the comedy wasted no time when it came to cracking jokes about its ending."
Shane Lou at ''
Today'' said the message of the trailer was clear: "Nothing has changed,... it's the same Roseanne, right down to her unmistakable laugh."
To promote the return of the series, ABC partnered with
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
to sponsor the
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
race at
Auto Club Speedway
Auto Club Speedway, originally opened as California Speedway, is a , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, near Fontana. It has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. It was also previ ...
in
Fontana, California
Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It is now a regional h ...
and rename it the "
Roseanne 300
Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Xfinity Series has been held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California since the track's inauguration in 1997. The 300-mile (480 km) event is currently named Production Alliance Group 300 for spon ...
". Branding appeared throughout the track, including the
pace car, infield grass logo, and in the victory lane, with Michael Fishman serving as
grand marshal.
Reception
Critical response
The
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported a 70% approval rating for the tenth season, based on 79 reviews, with an average rating of 6.72/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Roseanne''s return finds the show's classic format, original cast, and timely humor intact, even if the latest batch of episodes suffers from sporadically uneven execution."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 69 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Ratings
After one day of DVR viewing, the premiere grew by 3.4 million viewers to a total of 21.87 million, and its 18-49 rating increased by a full point to a 6.2.
After three days of DVR viewing, the premiere grew by 6.7 million viewers to a total of 25.04 million, setting a three-day DVR viewership record. The 18-49 rating also grew by 2.1, rising to a 7.3, the largest three-day DVR demo increase since 2015.
References
External links
*
*
{{Roseanne and The Conners
2018 American television seasons
10
Television controversies in the United States
2018 controversies in the United States