Fans were puzzled when season nine of Roseanne went to air in 1997. The story took an odd turn and saw the blue-collar Conner family win millions in the Lotto.
But fans will recall the final episode brought a bigger twist – much of season nine never happened! The questionable plot points were stories Roseanne had written in a book to cope with the death of her husband, Dan.
Now, 20 years later, we’re happy to see them back on the couch once more. TV WEEK looks at what to expect from the Conners in 2018.
Roseanne (Roseanne Barr)
Roseanne’s home and sofa look familiar, but some things have changed.
Two of her children have moved back home, bringing along her three grandchildren. And she’s estranged from her sister, Jackie.
“We chose issues everyone is talking about today,” Roseanne, 65, explains to TV WEEK.
“Like politics, ageing, healthcare and what to do when your kids move back in or your ageing parent needs care.”
Jackie (Laurie Metcalf)
Oscar-nominated Ladybird star Laurie returns as Roseanne’s sister, best friend and, in the first episode of the reboot, her enemy.
It’s revealed the sisters haven’t spoken in a year, since Roseanne voted for Donald Trump and Jackie supported Hillary Clinton in the US presidential campaign.
“What happened between them reflects what a lot of families are dealing with now the country is so divided,” Laurie, 62, says.
Darlene (Sara Gilbert)
Darlene has moved home with her two children to ostensibly take care of her parents, who are both managing chronic health conditions. But it soon becomes obvious she’s the one who needs taking care of.
“This series is a great opportunity to show a family who are divided by politics and so many other issues, but are still filled with love,” Sara, 43, says.
Darlene’s daughter, Harris (Emma Kenney), starts high school, while son Mark (Ames McNamara) gets help from “Grandma Rose” when he’s the victim of school bullying.
The Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki also makes a cameo appearance as Darlene’s estranged husband, David Healy.
Dan (John Goodman)
Dan is still big-hearted and henpecked. He’s struggling to keep up with the times when his grandson, Mark, wants to wear a dress to school, and his daughter, Becky, wants to be paid to have someone else’s baby.
Also, he’s not dead.
John, 65, reveals the reboot quickly addresses the issue in the first episode.
“I thought it was a clever way to handle it and get it out of the way,” he teases.
Becky (Lecy Goranson)
When the show returns, eldest sibling Becky has agreed to be a surrogate and use one of her eggs for Andrea.
She clashes with her parents, Roseanne and Dan, who worry she’ll be giving away their grandchild.
Becky has also become a widow, losing her husband, Mark (formerly played by actor Glenn Quinn, who died of a drug overdose in 2002).
“There are a few episodes that deal with his loss and how that’s affected Becky and the family,” Lecy, 43, says.
“We wanted to honour his memory and do right by him.”
Andrea (Sarah Chalke)
Canadian actress Sarah joined Roseanne in season six. She replaced Lecy as Becky after she left the show.
With Lecy reprising her original role in the reboot, 41-year-old Sarah, who’s best known for Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother, will play wealthy married woman Andrea.
The new character becomes enmeshed with the Conner family after hiring Becky to be her surrogate.
DJ (Michael Fishman)
Michael was only six years old when he first appeared on Roseanne as DJ Conner.
Now 36, his character has been in the armed forces and recently returned from Syria. DJ’s wife is still in the military overseas, so he’s turned to his parents to help him bring up their African-American daughter, Mary (Jayden Rey).
“There are hiccups and hesitations I think fans, especially military families, can relate to,” Michael reveals.
Roseanne returns on Monday, April 30 at 9pm on Network 10.
