Roseanne was probably the most realistic sitcom portrayal of a blue-collar family in US television history up to its time. The closest America had to a real working-class comedy was Jackie Gleason's brilliant The Honeymooners, in the early and mid-1950's. But while Ralph Kramden was the boss of his Brooklyn flat (with wife Alice to keep him in line), Roseanne Conner was the queen of her Lanford, Illinois home, and called the shots.
Roseanne depicted the struggles of the lower middle class in the post-Ronald Reagan America, which never really benefited during the go-go 1980's. Unfortunately as the economy picked up steam, Roseanne somehow lost its populist voice and became a shadow of its former self. Politics and economics usually don't play a role in the shelf life of a television series, but they did with Roseanne.
Roseanne Barr was a struggling wife and mother in Utah when she reluctantly became a stand-up comic in the early 1980's. Billing herself as the "domestic goddess", she made jokes about her disinterest in raising children, cleaning house and making her husband happy. The theme struck a chord with women who tried to "have it all", but found their hubbies and kids wouldn't cooperate. (The men laughed as well.) Roseanne's fame spread to the point where she was asked to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, then considered the pinnacle for struggling comics. Her act was a hit, which led to a number of cable television specials.
In 1986, the television production team of Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner (who gave AmericaThe Cosby Show) offered Roseanne the chance to do a situation comedy based on her stand-up act. NBC, the home of "Cosby", passed on the show; the network's late Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff admitted he rejected Roseanne because she didn't have the requisite "gleam in her eye". But ABC snapped it up, and Roseanne (originally to be called Life and Stuff) went on the air in the fall of 1988.
The Conner two-story home at 714 Delaware Street was decidedly lower-middle-class, with well-worn furnishings and a kitchen that had seen better days. Roseanne and Dan (John Goodman) were not your typical parents: Both were decidedly overweight but seemed to have a strong passion for each other. Dan was a contractor who got jobs occasionally; when the show began, Roseanne had a full-time job at the Welman Plastics plant (her boss was Booker Brooks, played by a pre-ER George Clooney). The two also worked to raise their three children, boy-crazy older daughter Becky; sardonic tomboy and middle child Darlene (Sara Gilbert); and the rather strange young son David Jacob (otherwise known as D.J. who was played in the pilot by Sal Barone, then replaced with Michael Fishman). When Dan was no help, Roseanne turned to her younger sister, Jackie Harris (Laurie Metcalf) for support; Roseanne also seemed to run Jackie's life, getting involved in her various career choices and relationships).
Roseanne was a force to be reckoned with. She was loud, boisterous, and sarcastic-but there was a smile behind every putdown. The show itself was a true departure from the sweeter and warmer Cosby Show. But viewers liked what they saw; Roseanne ended its first season as the second most-popular series on television (behind "Cosby"). A year later, it tied for first place with the Cos, proving that a different type of family sitcom could work in America.
Over the years, the Conners faced major setbacks as the real-life U.S. economy slipped into a recession. Roseanne quit her job at Welman Plastics and took a series of jobs, ranging from cleaning a beauty shop to working in a fast-food restaurant. Dan tried to start a motorcycle sales and repair shop in Lanford, but the business failed despite his hard efforts. Older daughter Becky began dating handsome but not-too-bright Mark Healy (Glenn Quinn); the two eventually eloped. Becky herself underwent a transformation of her own that viewers could see. Actress Lecy Goranson played the role from 1989 until 1992; Sarah Chalke took over the role from 1992 until 1995 when Goranson returned to the show. During the 1995-96 season, Chalke and Goranson alternated as Becky until Goranson took over the role for the remainder of the series.
Meanwhile, the other Conner daughter, Darlene, underwent a sort of depression, becoming moody and withdrawn. She did find love in the form of Mark's brother David (Johnny Galecki); the pair eventually married and had a baby. Jackie wasn't immune to the times. She continued her search for the right career; kept dating the wrong men (one of who physically abused her); and kept fighting with Roseanne. Jackie did eventually get pregnant from a truly nice guy, Fred (played by Michael O'Keefe). The two eventually married but later got divorced, leaving Jackie to raise her child alone.
Roseanne was also well known for turmoil behind the scenes of her show. During the first season, she managed to win a battle with creator and head writer Matt Williams, who was fired after clashing with Roseanne over the show's direction. Over the years, there was plenty of turmoil and changes in the writing and producing staff. They didn't make Roseanne any friends in notably chummy Hollywood, but the staff changes did help keep the show's quality at a high level. And to her credit, Roseanne was not afraid to deal with issues many other comedies refused to tackle-teenage sex; adultery; homosexuality; economic setbacks; and so forth.
For a show that tried to be true to its blue-collar roots, Roseanne stumbled and lost its direction during its final season. In the fall of 1996, Roseanne, Dan and Jackie became multi-million dollar IllinoisState lottery winners. The entire season showed how the family tried to keep their good fortune from changing their ways. But for many fans, the lottery win was a betrayal of the original concept behind Roseanne. Despite some notable guest stars this final season, Roseanne fell out of the top 25 shows for the first time ever. (One pair of guest stars included Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley of Absolutely Fabulous fame. It was no accident; Roseanne had bought the U.S. rights to the popular BBC comedy; despite several efforts, she was unable to sell the show to ABC or any other American network.)