Trivia / Roseanne

Original Series

• Actor-Shared Background: Dan Conner was a football player during his high school years, so was John Goodman in real life.
• Adored by the Network: There have been times you would think this was the only show Nick At Nite owned the rights to. ABC wasn't exactly neglectful of the show, either. WE, TVLand, Logo, & Laff liked to show marathons of it as well. Following the revival's 2018 cancellation, the exact opposite thing happened: everyone dropped Roseanne and Barr herself like a hot mess. The show eventually made its way back to TV Land and CMT in October 2018, and then to Cozi TV in January 2020, following the premiere of The Conners.
• Banned Episode: "Roseambo" was withdrawn from further airings after the events of September 11th, 2001 due to its terrorism plot, though it was eventually released on DVD.
• The Cast Showoff:
  • John Goodman is an adept impressionist, as seen on his countless Saturday Night Live appearances. This was worked into the show fairly often, with Dan launching into impressions of anybody from Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando to The Three Stooges to Julia Child. He also showed off his singing talents in a handful of episodes - notably season one's "Radio Days" and season two's "Sweet Dreams."
  • In the episode in which David Crosby and his band appear, Roseanne's fellow waitress at Rodbells, Bonnie, turns out to be quite the singer. Bonnie was played by Bonnie Bramlett, a successful recording artist in real life.
  • Roseanne herself dabbled in this a few times.
• Creator Backlash: In a 1992 interview with Joan Rivers on the Joan Rivers Show, Sara Gilbert stated that the episode "Nightmare On Oak Street" was one she didn't like, particularly because it "was high on the embarrassment factor" of getting her period.
• The Danza:
  • Roseanne Barr plays Roseanne Conner.
  • Tom Arnold plays Arnie Thomas.
• Dawson Casting: Mark was a teenager, while Glenn Quinn was actually twenty.
• Dueling Shows: With Married... with Children. Both were blue-collared (and comedy), wisecracking dysfunctional families from Illinois and both shows ended the same year. The chief difference was that MWC deliberately grew more over-the-top cartoonish while this series was, at least originally, more dedicated to gritty realism.
  • Married... with Children named the character Marcy D'Arcy likely as a direct parody of Roseanne producer Marcy Carsey.
• Fake American:
  • Glenn Quinn was Irish, and had a couple of slips through the show, including once when Mark came home drunk; this seemed oddly fitting, since the struggle between the two accents sounded pretty much like someone who has had a few too many and are slurring their words.
  • Sarah Chalke is a Canadian actress, playing the American Becky.
• Hide Your Pregnancy: They tried to do this with Laurie Metcalf's pregnancy. They started with loose clothing that got larger and larger and then resorted to putting things in front of her (the most memorable moment being when Jackie sits in the bathtub with a heavy quilt over her when she, Dan and Roseanne get high on twenty-year-old pot). However, Metcalf ended up with one of the biggest baby bumps ever, forcing them to write in a one night stand conception so they didn't have to remove her from the rest of the season.
• Hostility on the Set:
  • Allegedly the main reason for the departure of Sal Barone, the original D.J., after the pilot. He and Sara Gilbert didn't get along.
  • But the show was notorious for star Roseanne Barr constantly fighting with and belittling her writers, which was a problem from the very beginning. She resented the pilot writer and initial showrunner Matt Williams being credited as the sole creator of the show despite it having been based on her "Domestic Goddess" stand-up persona (she felt that he should have been credited as the show's developer, with herself as the creator; as a compromise, she received a credit for "based on a character created by"). The two constantly butted heads over how her character was portrayed; she outright refused to say a line he wrote ("well, you're my equal in bed, but that's it"). Williams approached her co-stars John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf hoping to entice them to go along with a Retool in which Barr's character would be written out; they both supported Barr, and Williams, outflanked, left the show after the first season. (He would go on to co-create Home Improvement alongside fellow Roseanne writers Carmen Finestra and David MacFadzean.) From then on, Barr made it clear that she was in charge, and often spoke poorly of her writers in particular and of television writing in general to anyone who would listen. Most writers and writer-producers who've worked on the show have little nice to say about the atmosphere in the writers' room, and even writers on other shows would make digs at Barr's tyranny (The Golden Girls had a director character compare taking on-set abuse to being on "The Roseanne Barr Show", as early as 1989). Most notably, Chuck Lorre had his first of many run-ins with diva stars on this show before moving on to Grace Under Fire, Cybill, and Two and a Half Men in his later career.
• The Other Darrin/The Original Darrin:
  • One of the most egregious and ridiculous examples of all time, with plenty of unabashed Lampshade Hanging. When Lecy Goranson left the show for school, Becky was written out as having moved to Minnesota, but eventually returned, now played by Sarah Chalke. At the beginning of the 8th season, Goranson returned and played Becky steadily for a run of episodes, with Chalke actually cameoing as a different character in the Halloween episode. After this, Chalke was brought in again as Becky on-and-off over the course of that season for any episodes Goranson was unavailable for, including the Disneyworld two-parter and Darlene's wedding. Finally, at the beginning of the 9th season, Chalke took over again.
    Becky (Chalke), while watching Bewitched: I like the second Darrin much better.
    Roseanne (to Goranson): Where the hell have you been? It feels like you've been gone for three years!
    • "Ladies and gentlemen, the role of Becky Conner, formerly played by Lecy Goranson, then by Sarah Chalke, and then Lecy Goranson again, will be played tonight by Sarah Chalke."
    • Naturally lampshaded in one episode: grown-up D.J. is shown curled into a ball, rocking back and forth and chanting, 'They says she's the same, but she isn't the same, they says she's the same, but she isn't the same...'
    • Also, Becky (Sarah): "I've always wanted to go to Disney World!" Followed by Roseanne: "Aren't you glad you're here this week?"
    • One of the credits scenes was a Shout-Out/Affectionate Parody to the opening credits of The Patty Duke Show, using both Beckys and featuring deliciously lampshaded lyrics. "They walk alike, they talk alike, abruptly leave the show alike!" You can see the two scenes back-to-back here.
    • For the revival, Goranson once again returned as Becky - but Chalke was cast as a new recurring character for whom Becky is paid to act as a surrogate mother. In keeping with the show's tradition of Lampshade Hanging, their first scene together has them acknowledging that "it's like we're the same person!".
    • This means that, ultimately, Becky was played by Lecy Goranson, then by Sarah Chalke, then by Lecy Goranson, then by Sarah Chalke, and then by Lecy Goranson.
  • In addition to Becky, D.J. was played by a different kid (Sal Barone) in the first episode.
• Post-Script Season: As the show neared the end of its eighth season, which had been expected to be its last, the ratings improved enough for the network to ask for one more season, in which the show completely lost its moorings as the Conners' lottery win allowed the writers to indulge in all the "what-if" plotlines they had never otherwise dared to touch.
• Real Life Writes the Hairstyle:
  • During the final season, John Goodman was also filming The Big Lebowski, which is why he has a flattop haircut. At one point, he appears as Walter.
  • Lecy Goranson asked to cut her long hair towards the end of Season 3, but producers refused on the basis that boys from Illinois didn't like short haired girls. When Roseanne Barr heard about it, she cut a large chunk of her hair, leaving them no choice but to let her cut the rest.
• Role-Ending Misdemeanor: Danielle Harris was originally supposed to have seventeen episodes, but it was cut down to seven after she was photographed getting drunk and throwing up. She says Roseanne Barr literally told her "I'm going to teach you a lesson."
• Romance on the Set:
  • Sara Gilbert and Johnny Galecki dated briefly while on the show. They admitted it was a light teen crush and nothing too serious, as they were 16-17 at the time. Gilbert also figured out she preferred women while dating him.
  • Laurie Metcalf dated and later married Matt Roth, the actor who played her abusive boyfriend Fisher on the show.
  • Writer and story editor Amy Sherman dated and later married fellow writer Daniel Palladino. Sherman and Palladino would later also work together on Gilmore Girls, which Sherman created, as executive producers until 2006, when they both left the show after it moved to The CW, due to creative differences with then CW president of entertainment Dawn Ostroff, and were replaced by former Ellen co-creator David S. Rosenthal.
• Separated-at-Birth Casting: Michael Fishman so uncannily resembles Roseanne Barr that they even remark on the resemblance In-Universe (even though a child looking like one of his parents is hardly remarkable in Real Life). That said, Roseanne Barr has remarked that Fishman looks more like her than her actual children do.
• Star-Making Role:
  • Undoubtedly put John Goodman on the map.
  • Debatably did the same for Johnny Galecki (if not this one, then definitely The Big Bang Theory).
  • Laurie Metcalf also got a sizable career boost, winning three Emmys for the role and going on to become a reliable supporting actress in film, TV, and theatre.
• Troubled Production:
  • Roseanne quickly became notorious as the worst workplace on television very early into its run (The Golden Girls even joked about it during Roseanne's second season). Turnover among the writing staff was astronomical.
  • On top of that, towards the show's end, John Goodman's burgeoning film career, coupled with his now known alcoholism, made him noticeably less cheerful and easy to work with towards the end of the show's run. By his own admission, he was extremely stressed and "not very grateful".
• What Could Have Been:
  • While initial talks about a revival were in the works, Roseanne was very tight-lipped about what the Connor family was up to, saying it was intellectual property which might be developed later. However, apparently the talks fell through, because at the end of 2009 she posted a blog that gave a few details as to what the family was up to. Then, later, for Entertainment Weekly, she proposed another version. Official fates in the revival are in parentheses for comparison.
    • Blog: DJ gets published. EW: DJ joins the military, loses a thumb in Iraq, gets addicted to painkillers, comes home and becomes a roadie. (DJ doesn't appear to have ever attempted a career as a writer; he joined the military, served overseas, and returned home to work as a menial laborer.)
    • Blog: Mark dies in Iraq. EW: Mark dies of a heroin overdose. (Mark did die - he pretty much had to - but his cause of death was revealed in the third season of The Conners as a motorcycle accident.)
    • Blog: David leaves Darlene for a woman half his age. (David did leave Darlene - for the same Real Life reason in both versions, because Johnny Galecki was busy on The Big Bang Theory - but his eventual girlfriend "Blue" is shown to be his own age.) EW: David and Darlene's marriage became on-again-off-again, but they had a second child, a son, who's a geek. David was an Amway seller and eventually worked in Radio.
    • Blog: Darlene meets a woman and they have a test tube baby. (Darlene isn't gay, and her two children are both the product of her marriage with David. After they break up, she becomes interested in another man, Ben, but is unable to have children with him.) EW: Darlene drifted through Europe and then became a teacher for gifted children.
    • Blog: Becky works at Wal-Mart. (Casa Bonita, actually, but close enough.) EW: Becky marries a Republican after Mark's death and becomes a wine mom.
    • Blog: Roseanne and Jackie open the first medical marijuana dispensary in Lanford, Illinois and pay off the mortgage before the house is foreclosed on. (Roseanne and Jackie did lose the Lunch Box, but Roseanne was working as an uber driver and Jackie as a "life coach".) EW: Jackie gives up on men after meeting a nice woman while working as a prison guard.
    • Arnie becomes the best friend of the governor of Illinois. (Arnie didn't appear as Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr were very much on opposite sides of the whole Trump debate despite having shown signs of reconciliation beforehand.)
    • Blog: Mom sells a painting for ten grand. (Mom does have a nest egg, but there's no indication she got it from selling anything.) EW: Mom works for Sarah Palin's presidential campaign.
    • Blog: Nancy and Arnie remarry. (Nancy does briefly reappear but her sexuality is never mentioned.) EW: Nancy and Arnie remarry... after Arnie has a sex change operation.
    • Blog: Jerry and the grandsons form a band like the Jonas Brothers. (Jerry doesn't appear directly but is said to be a fisherman off the coast of Alaska; Darlene's son Mark is an artist, not a musician; Jackie's son Andy has never been mentioned and is believed to have been retconned out.) EW: Jerry lives in Hawaii with Roseanne, running a New Age crystal shop.
    • Blog: Dan shows up alive after faking his death. (The "Dan was Dead All Along" explanation was completely retconned.) EW: Dan faked his death and finally built his own boat, where he makes a living deep-sea fishing.
    • Blog: Leon has a sex change op. (Leon never appears, strangely enough.) EW: Leon and Fred run a Starbucks and adopt three daughters.
    • Bonnie gets busted for selling crack. (Bonnie never appears either - not surprising, she hasn't been seen since season 4.)
  • In-universe, one episode had Roseanne's father getting injured, and Roseanne going on a trip to see him, and Jackie babysitting for about a week while she was gone. This turned into an interesting version of What Could Have Been had Dan married Jackie instead of Roseanne. While Roseanne's gone, Becky is polite, Darlene is nice, and there was even one scene where Jackie is sending them off to Leave it to Beaver-style music.
  • There were talks for Roseanne's boss and Sitcom Arch Enemy Leon Carp and his husband, Scott, to get a spin-off series, but this was ultimately rejected by ABC executives.
  • Macaulay Culkin auditioned for the role of DJ Conner but the role was given to Michael Fishman because Roseanne thought he looked more like her family.
  • The eighth season episode "Morning Becomes Obnoxious" depicts Roseanne getting a "voice of the people" segment on a morning show recorded in Chicago. This was meant to be a launchpad into the original concept for the ninth season, which would see Roseanne find her calling in standup comedy, similar to the real Roseanne.
  • As mentioned below the working title for the series was actually Life and Stuff, and was not originally designed to be Roseanne Barr's personal creative vehicle. Prior to Barr's inclusion the concept of the show was to follow three women with equal billing; one being married, one having lost their husband (either via divorce or death), and one who is single and has never been married. This did carry over a bit into the final show, only with Roseanne as the married woman taking up the majority of the attention, with her sister Jackie as the single woman, and her best friend Crystal as a widower.
• Working Title: Life and Stuff.
• Written by Cast Member: Sara Gilbert received story credit for the episode "Don't Make Me Over."

2018 Revival

• The Character Died with Him: Mark's actor, Glenn Quinn, died a few years after the original series ended. When the show returned in 2018, it was mentioned that Mark was dead.
• Creator Backlash:
  • Several writers from the original run were dismayed at the revival's portrayal of Roseanne as a right-wing Trump supporter, saying it doesn't fit at all with the character they were writing.
  • Things, however, hit their peak with a controversial tweet by Barr against Barack Obama's former adviser Valerie Jarrett, which prompted producer Wanda Sykes to be disassociated from the series and numerous other cast and crew, including Roseanne's ex and former supporting actor Tom Arnold condemning her words. Within a day, ABC released a statement also condemning Barr's repugnant comments, and formally cancelled the series altogether.
• Hostility on the Set: The series was already contentious given not only Barr's history, but her association to far-right politics and conspiracy theories by the time of its revival. The latter point ultimately became the show's undoing, with ABC canceling it after Barr wrote a controversial tweet^note Specifically, she appeared to call Valerie Jarrett, a former official in the Barack Obama administration, a "cross between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes". — but not before head writer Wanda Sykes quit the show in disgust. Actress Emma Kenney, who played Roseanne's granddaughter Harris, was also in the process of quitting the show before being informed that it was cancelled.
• In Memoriam: "Eggs Over, Not Easy" (the first episode to really deal with Mark's death and the effect it had on Becky) was dedicated to Glenn Quinn.
• The Other Darrin: The one time D.J.'s future wife Geena appeared in the original series, she was played by Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly. For the revival season, she's instead played by Xosha Roquemore.
• Production Posse: Whitney Cummings is an executive producer on the 2018 revival, and her former Whitney costar Rhea Seehorn plays the animal rescue worker in "Eggs Over, Not Easy".
• Role-Ending Misdemeanor: While Roseanne Barr is no stranger to controversy, a tweet made on her Twitter account about Valerie Jarrett caused ABC to cancel the revival after one season, despite getting relatively high ratings.
• Role Reprise:
  • Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner.
  • John Goodman as Dan Conner.
  • Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris.
  • Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner.
  • Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner.
  • Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner.
  • Johnny Galecki as David Healy.
  • Estelle Parsons as Bev Harris.
  • Sandra Bernhard as Nancy Bartlett.
  • Natalie West as Crystal Anderson-Conner.
  • James Pickens, Jr. as Chuckie Mitchell.
  • Adilah Barnes as Anne-Marie Mitchell.
  • Judy Prescott as Miss Crane, Darlene's teacher from the pilot. In the new series, she now teaches Darlene's son.
• Separated-at-Birth Casting: Users in this Reddit thread have commented on the resemblance between Emma Rose Kenney and Sara Gilbert. Some even thought that the posted picture of Kenney on the set of the revival was a picture of Gilbert.
• Sequel Gap: This one is pretty huge, as the last episode of the first run aired in 1997.
• What Could Have Been: Numerous, thanks to the show being torpedoed by Barr's actions on Twitter after an 11th season had already been planned. To wit:
  • It looked like Darlene was going to commit herself to serious writing, and perhaps become very successful at it.
  • A new Halloween Episode, something that the original series was famous for, was planned for the upcoming season. The basic plans instead got shifted to The Conners.
  • The revival would also have addressed what happened to Jackie's son Andy and Roseanne's son Jerry, according to Barr herself.

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