Roseanne Barr's Risk-Taking ABC Revival Shakes Up TV Landscape

[Blue_Adept]

Deadline is a well-established industry site

http://deadline.com/2018/05/roseanne-barr-donald-trump-bruce-helford-disruptors-news-1202380575/

A month after its return, Roseanne has climbed to the No.1 spot for the broadcast season in both total viewers and adults aged 18-49. The previous time Roseanne held top spot as the most watched program on television was 28 years ago, during the 1989-90 TV season when there were only three fully-fledged networks, with FOX only programming two nights a week.

When the two first sat down to discuss the reboot, Helford recalls that Barr did not mince words. “She goes, ‘I’m Roseanne, I have things that I believe in. Other people might not believe in some of them; other people may love what I believe in, and we can’t worry about that. I just want to be sure we present all sides.’ That was her. [But] she’s like, ‘Whatever my character says, I want somebody balancing that, whether it’s Darlene or Jackie or whoever.’”

“One of the reasons we felt the show needed to come back was that there were very few naturalistic shows dealing with working class families,” Helford says. “There was a vacuum in that area that we felt we could fill, and also show how those families are dealing with the pace of life now and the complexities of American life in 2018. Obviously a large portion of the TV audience felt they were missing that, too.”

That probably is the biggest game changer the success of the Roseanne reboot could bring as it underscores the untapped potential of comedies that provide realistic portrayals of blue-collar America and make a social commentary, something rarely seen since All in the Family. It will also likely bring on another wave of revivals of classic sitcoms.

[yallerdawg]

1. I just watched the "Muslim" show.

It had some head-snapping moments "going both ways" so to speak - and a couple "teachable" moments - but I nearly pooped my pants laughing so hard at some of that stuff, especially one last line in particular (to the cashier )!

It's a comedy, she has a great ensemble of people we love, and - by the way - it's just a freakin' TV show!

[Blue_Adept]

2. I'm a long time fan of the producer on this, Helford, as he's done a lot of shows I liked

I haven't watched Roseanne (zero interest other than how they dealt with the Becky thing as I'm a Sarah Chalke fan) but I liked what he talked about here and Barr's attempt to ensure some kind of balance even if it is just to allow her view.

[yallerdawg]

3. We are longtime fans.

Believe it or not, my two children's names were inspired by this show!

Down here in Alabama, 'good country people' have really traditional names, like Catfish, Bubba, Dan and Sarah!

Can you figure out the two names we chose?