The ROSEANNE (sitcom, not the person) Appreciation Thread

[Sampiro]

It may seem odd to start a praise for a 12 years dead sitcom with one of the strangest (arguably one of the worst) endings ever for a show (though admittedly a memorable one), but I will.

This is one of the shows where I have to disconnect the artist from the art. I can't stand Roseanne Barr (or Arnold or whatever she goes by these days). I think she's a vulgar, obnoxious, megalomaniacal, narcissistic, self-exonerating crybaby, and her off-show antics were a major distraction (not just the National Anthem debacle but her "I wasn't trying to be offensive" statement and then convenient memories of being molested [memories from her infancy at that] in a well timed bid for sympathy and then the Tom Arnold black comedy and melodrama and you know all the rest). She also had a reputation for being absolutely impossible to work for if you were a writer or director (she couldn't fire the on-screen actors with ease but she famously went through writers like so much popcorn).

All that said, DAMN but the woman had one of the best sitcoms ever on television. And when you look at the results perhaps her whipcracking with writers and directors paid off. When the show worked it really worked.
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My favorite things about it (numbered but in no particular order):

1- The Set

I've started several threads on movies and TV sets. To me they're vital for believability.

Examples of bad sets: Home Improvement and The Cosby Show- families with several kids and no maid [that's mentioned anyway] and yet the home is clutter free and so spotless that either the mom or dad is an OCD neat freak who spends every hour when not on screen scrubbing or else they have a team of maids. Or Designing Women where it looks like a whorehouse far more than a workplace, or Family Matters and Golden Girls where middle class people have 40,000 square foot houses in which all the furniture is brand new and the bedrooms are all huge and there are as many of them as needed at any time. Then there's the Happy Days and Mama's Family style sets which look like a college theatre set.

Examples of good sets: All in the Family, Sanford & Son and most other Norman Lear shows- where the furniture isn't all showroom quality, there's actual bric-a-brac and knick knacks, and you can believe the income-to-purchasing-power factor; Edith being a housewife her house is neat and clean but not sparkling, and Fred & Lamont being two unmarried men who live at a junkyard the house is cluttered floor to ceiling, and on both shows the kitchen appliances are old. (Fred Sanford's kitchen reminds me a lot of my pack rat grandmother's, right down to the ringer washer.) For a more socioeconomically upscale place, Frasier isn't bad- it's sparkling but Frasier's a neat freak, and pretentious but so's Frasier.

Anyway, Roseanne had one of the greatest sets in TV history. It's cluttered. There's stuff on the stairs. There's tack stuff on the walls. There are refrigerator magnets holding coupons and pictures of family members. The furniture is old and run down with a couple of nice pieces, and the house is completely believable as one that a blue collar couple in a mid-sized city could afford. It looks lived in.
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2- Real People With Real Problems

Very rare for TV. The Connors have financial ups and downs like most families; sometimes they're doing okay, sometimes they're having their lights disconnected. Dan's bike shop has good times and then ultimately goes out of business. Roseanne has to take blue collar jobs in malls with bosses who are not just pricks but believable pricks, and at the same time she's not exactly employee of the month herself. The kids fighting is believable, none of them are pretty or perfect (Sarah Chalke was a lot prettier than Lecy Goranson but even she's not going to stop traffic), and they have problems at school sometimes as the victim and sometimes as the agressor.

3- The Talent

This is one of the most talented casts ever assembled. Everyone was perfect both in the regulars and the recurring characters.

John Goodman and Roseanne had fantastic chemistry as two people who were unattractive except to each other perhaps but you also knew they had good sex. They fought but loved each other deeply, and they had romantic moments on blue collar incomes (no romantic weekend at the Waldorf).

D.J. was totally the weak link of the kids and never really that well developed, but his sisters were both great, with Darlene (Sara Gilbert) probably my all time favorite teen character that "I'd have totally been friends with but am so glad I didn't share a house with".

Laurie Metcalfe- like all good characters in long running series she evolves, beginning as a jelly spined woman with no direction and becoming far more secure in herself. Also both sinned against and sinning, which was great.

Estelle Getty as the mom- the show actually hit its best moments when she joined the cast. You couldn't stand her--- except when you liked her. Also capable of surprises. The lesbianism revelation was the biggest of course, but I liked the little ones, such as a Christmas episode where she walked into a room where her daughters were stringing Christmas lights on her sleeping mom (Shelley Winters) and cried "What on Earth are you two doing?!" then calmly says "You string lights from the top down!" then helps them decorate her.
(Estelle Getty, Shelley Winters, and Red Buttons (recurring role for a few episodes as Beverly's boyfriend) were all Oscar winners, which must be a record for a sitcom cast.)

Martin Mull as Leon and Sandra Bernhard as Nancy- how great to have gay characters who not only weren't stereotypes but weren't all likeable? Leon wasn't a designaholic asexual and Sandra was neither butch nor lipstick but herself (and technically bisexual). I didn't feel a connection anyone on Will and Grace but Leon is someone I could relate to- he fits some stereotypes but is miles away from others and is mainly his own person. (I also liked his showdowns with Roseanne when you realized that while he could be a jerk he was actually good at what he did [restaurant management], and the time her co-owners sided with him was great).

Which reminds me: one of the great things about the show was that in spite of its name it was ultimately less of a star vehicle than an ensemble. Roseanne didn't always have the best lines of the episode, she wasn't always right, and some of the best storylines focused on other characters (David & Darlene's complicated relationship, Jackie and whoever she was with at that time, etc.).

So enough of an intro. Any other major Roseanne fans out there and if so did you have any favorite characters, favorite plotlines, favorite episodes, etc.? Share anything you liked (or didn't like) about Roseanne.

[longhair75]

I loved the show until Roseanne herself somehow got control of the production. The last season was painful.

[Don Draper]

I agree with pretty much everything - Roseanne the 'actress' was amazingly lucky to have the people supporting her (both on & off screen.) Sometimes I wonder how much farther that series would have soared if the producers simply fired Roseanne, had her character killed off, and then turned it into "the John Goodman Show."

[teela brown]

I loved the show, too.

Although I agree that the last season was poorly done, I also appreciated the tackling of the downside of socioeconomic climbing. That is, sudden acquisition of money might tear apart your marriage, or it might make enemies out of your lifelong friends.

[Meeko]

Originally Posted by Sampiro

My favorite things about it (numbered but in no particular order):

1- The Set

I've started several threads on movies and TV sets. To me they're vital for believability.

I will second this, with a strange, and strangely fitting story.

I Remember Roseanne growing up. I'm 26, so I never really got the main points of the show when they were first run. But I do remember watching the show, getting what I could out of it.

BUT.


BUT.


I connected for some strange reason to the afghan on the couch in the living room. It was always there, regardless.


Then, the best thing happened.

There was one episode in particular, where they get a new couch, or some other reason to rearange the furniture.

I remember being pissed off that they got rid of the Afghan.

AND NOT TWO MINUTES LATER

They brought it back.

It was Perfect. It was like, breaking the 4th wall in it's own little way.

[Sampiro]

The bad part about the last season was it actually started off okay.

Winning the lottery isn't the way I'd have gone, but at least the first few episodes were relatively realistic. It was a few episodes in that they got into the Jim Varney as a Prince episode, the AB-FAB crossover, the "aren't rich people silly" eps and the defeating terrorists and all that nonsense. Then after those completely unrealistic/unRoseanne episodes it gets believable again- Dan's back, he's had an affair, they have to talk this through,etc.. Then of course the surreality is explained away with "made it all up anyway" ending where they went through a timewarp and started a new Enterprise and collapsed Langford with Red Matter or whatever.

So yeah, to me the show ended with the "we won the lottery" episode. All else is apocryphal. And the last one I don't know what the hell she was thinking about.
---------------------------

Another great Bev moment was when her mom Nana Mary (Winters) blurts out at Thanksgiving that Bev was pregnant when she married, something the girls didn't know before. This causes the huge annual Thanksgiving fight that ultimately resumes to some calmness.
Towards the end of the episode Mary says something like "Well I'm glad you're not still mad at me for telling 'em you were knocked up."
Bev looks at her with real concern and says "Mother, what are you talking about?"
Mary: The argument this afternoon? When you ran off screaming because they learned you were preggers when you married?
Bev: Mother... that was Thanksgiving five years ago.

Mary looks around because she knows this isn't true but everyone else is looking at her with the same concerned look as Bev, total poker faces.

Mary: It wasn't five years ago.... it was this afternoon.... wasn't it?

Conning an old woman into thinking she's gone senile isn't a nice thing to do, but as revenge from daughter to mother it's comic brilliance. (I'm sure it got hate mail but I thought it was funny as hell.)

[choie]

Estelle Getty Parsons played Roseanne & Jackie's mom, Bev. You must have Golden Girls on the brain, Sampiro.

Anyway, I thoroughly agree with almost everything, differing only in that I don't mind Roseanne Barr as a person. I think she's a troubled person who acts out, but she doesn't harm anyone so I don't really care enough to mind. I do resent her for the godawful changes to her series, but still, five or six seasons of what I think as the best family sitcom in existence is a pretty damn good run.

What amazes me is how much she grew as an actress. I've never seen such a turnaround: the first season Roseanne's performance as Roseanne Connor is little more than a standup act. By the second season, thanks to (as she acknowledges) working with the phenomenally talented John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne changes into a remarkable, natural performer. No way she could've pulled off the "I quit" scene with the deliciously vile Fred Thompson's Mr. Faber in the first season. A perfect match of role and actress.

And Goodman is the winner of the show's MVP award. Dan is the best "spouse of the sitcom's real star" character on TV, without a doubt, and it's largely thanks to Goodman's talent and Roseanne's generosity. Many people hurl invective at Roseanne for her ego -- and I can't blame them to a degree -- but in the first six or seven years of the series, she was very generous with sharing storylines and punchlines with her supporting cast.

I have memorized the first five seasons and bow to no one in my knowledge of the Roseanneverse, at least through Darlene's going away to school! I think losing the two main kids was the biggest blow by far to the show. By the time Becky returned with the (then-)subpar Sarah Chalke in the role, the show simply wasn't the same.

[Sampiro]

And has there every been a more puppy-dog cute and lovable teenager than David? I'm so glad he and Sara Gilbert are back together (recurringly) on Big Bang Theory.

[pepperlandgirl]

Estelle Getty is indeed a brilliant comedienne, but she wasn't on Roseanne. That was Estelle Parsons.

I'm 26, and I remember watching this show every single week. Sometimes, it was great because it was basically the only show that at all reflected my concept of reality. Especially the tensions/fights that result over the lack of money. On the other hand, there were times I just hated to watch it because it was a little too realistic, and it was hard enough to deal with my own parents' crap, let alone the stuff on Roseanne.

Though, I will admit, I always wished John Goodman was my dad...

[Gala Matrix Fire]

My favorite Bev line: "I just think strangers will take better care of me."

[jk1245]

I second most all of what you said, but I have to really mention Sara Gilbert. I think she carried the show (after Goodman, of course), even in her relatively younger years. The best sitcom kid ever, IMHO. Funny, smart ass, vulnerable, sarcastic, defensive - everything you'd want in a teen girl.

[Markxxx]

After Tom Arnold left the show sank. I don't know whether he had actual talent for writing or whatever he did, or whether he just inspired Roseanne, but the show sank fast after her breakup with him.

Also Laurie Metcalf was sorely unappreicated. I think Sara Gilbert and John Goodman were assets but the show didn't need them as much as Laurie Metcalf, and Roseanne really owes her a LOT, 'cause she is a GREAT second banana

[Sampiro]

Originally Posted by pepperlandgirl

Estelle Getty is indeed a brilliant comedienne, but she wasn't on Roseanne. That was Estelle Parsons.

Who I challenge you to find a picture of... together. It's the same woman. (Oh okay, it was a typo.)

Side anecdote that I thought was funny: Estelle won her Oscar playing Blanche Barrow, the wife of Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman), in Bonnie and Clyde. I recently read that later she met the real Blanche Barrow, who lived til the late 1980s, and the first words out of the real woman's mouth were "Why did you make me look like such a stick in the mud screaming squealing pain in the ass?" Later she and Estelle went out and had beers together. The real Blanche really was a preacher's daughter like she was in the movie, but she was a preacher's girl gone wild- didn't kill anybody but drank and partied with the gang and wasn't quite like the movie's characterization, and Estelle said if she'd met her before playing her she'd have insisted they change the character a bit.
-----------------

The pot episode- Roseanne, Dan, and Jackie in the bathroom getting high on 20 year old grass- was one of the funniest ever on any sitcom. "DJ... D...J... man that sounds weird...".

I loved some of the surreal moments they had at the end of the show (never in the actual episode) during its main run:

The episode that was a dream sequence in which the regulars played Gilligan's Island cast members that ended with the GI cast playing them (including Tina Louise, who never does anything that's G.I. related).

The Patty Duke Show "Identical Beckies" themesong: "Here's Lecy the one you used to see/from 88 to 93/But Sarah came and took her place/because she's got a similar face/what a crazy pair!"

Jackie/Laurie Metcalfe humming "there's no business like show business" as the camera pulls back to show her polishing her Emmy which drives Roseanne (who didn't win one) into a jealous fit

The Jailhouse Rock number the time Dan gets arrested. (Also from that episode I loved Roseanne's proud announcement to their friends "Now with Pa going to jail we're officially white trash!" as Dan breaks into a harmonical solo and dance.)

There were others as well, but these are some I remember offhand.
-------------------------------------------

Another favorite moment was when Darlene (back from art school) and Roseanne have been playing intrigue games over D.J. staying home from school. She can't prove that DJ's playing hookey because Darlene's helping him to get back at Roseanne for some comments, but in the end Roseanne nabs her. The final scene shows Roseanne preparing to walk DJ to school wearing a pair of overalls, a big straw hat with a huge flower, and gobs of lipstick "so it'll be sure to rub off when I kiss you", and then the knife twister: "Let's get going, I don't want to be late to see Darlene's friends in Chicago... I'm going to dance for them!"

[Push You Down]

The Halloween episodes were always my favorite.

[BrotherCadfael]

I liked the episode where Becky farted while delivering an important address to the Student Council. This occurred off screen, and is described (hilariously) by Darlene. Dan attempts to go upstairs and comfort Becky, but can't do it because he's laughing too hard.

[voguevixen]

The episode where they find that Jackie's dream boyfriend Fisher has been beating her is one of the best in television; comedy OR drama.

And if I'd known how true to life the whole "Is there coffee?" "Dan we've been married X years hasn't there always been coffee?" "Is there toast?" thing would be I'd never have gotten married.

[choie]

I also adored the little character exchanges that seemed so astonishingly real. Like Dan walking in and saying to Becky, "Hey the Beckster," and Becky returns: "Hey the Dadster." It wasn't played for laughs or anything, or even emphasized, it was just a casual father/daughter moment.

Similarly, when Roseanne's been hit by Mrs. Wellman's car (back when she was working at the hair salon) and Roseanne's loaded up with painkiller, it's hilarious how in an attempt to get space cadet Roseanne's attention, Dan grabs this little tchotchke from the mantlepiece that we've seen for years -- a white dog figurine -- and starts leading Roseanne around with it, saying "Follow Chi-Chi!" Apparently the dog had a name all this time and we just never saw it.

These are the kinda moments that imply the family has a life beyond our screen.

BTW, I must disagree that Laurie Metcalf was more important than John Goodman. Jackie was vital, definitely -- and this is the one fictional sibling relationship I've seen that remotely reminds me of my own (y'know, codependent best friends) -- but the Roseanne/Dan dynamic was integral and I don't think the show could've survived without the warm but by no means perfect married relationship at the center.

And sadly, Metcalf's performance was the one that devolved the most in the entire series. Goodman was clearly unhappy towards the end of the eighth season, but it was Metcalf who seemed unable to do anything but mug, particularly during and after Jackie had her baby. I can't stand to watch how strident and buffoon-esque Jackie became in the post-pregnancy years, especially because Jackie had been so believable earlier on.

[AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet]

who here thinks that if the show had been in the 2000's, Darlene would have come out as a teen lesbian?

[Sampiro]

Originally Posted by AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet

who here thinks that if the show had been in the 2000's, Darlene would have come out as a teen lesbian?

I hope not, because then there wouldn't have been a David plotline.

I remember seeing Glenn Quinn as Mark on this show and then doing some lame ass Irish accent on Angel, which of course I felt a bit stupid when I realized Roseanne was the series on which he had a fake accent. (I had no idea he was Irish when he was on the show.) Such a shame he couldn't control his real life demons.

The kid who played Deej ("Man... that does sound weird...") had a kid born very shortly after the show ended when he was still a teenager. His real life little brother played his little brother Stinky on the b/w fantasy episode of the missing pilot.

The character of Crystal never added that much but she was nice for continuity. We all have friends we see from time to time, maybe several times in one month and then not at all for the next year, so she became that to the Connors. They also did a good job of remembering things about characters; when she married Dan's dad and found out she was pregnant, and then again immediately afterwards, whenever you'd see her the kids would be the right age.

I forget about Jerry Garcia and (whatever Jackie's kid was named). They didn't add anything, but at least they didn't take away anything either. I know Roseanne's baby was added because she was pregnant in real life, not sure about Laurie Metcalfe/Jackie's.

Another great final blip moment: Dan's Sexy photo shoot (with Bill Maher as the photographer IIRC).

[Joey P]

Originally Posted by Meeko

I connected for some strange reason to the afghan on the couch in the living room. It was always there, regardless.

What is it about that afghan, I'll bet I've seen it in at least 10 other sitcoms.

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by choie

And sadly, Metcalf's performance was the one that devolved the most in the entire series. Goodman was clearly unhappy towards the end of the eighth season, but it was Metcalf who seemed unable to do anything but mug, particularly during and after Jackie had her baby. I can't stand to watch how strident and buffoon-esque Jackie became in the post-pregnancy years, especially because Jackie had been so believable earlier on.

I agree with this. Jackie was rudderless in the early seasons, but other than having no real direction, she more or less had it together except when it came to men. Around the time the baby was born, she just became a complete spaz...she was totally acting like the baby would be traumatized for life if her daily schedules and diets for it were deviated from one little iota. Prior to that, she HAD been very realistic.

[pepperlandgirl]

Actually, I think Jackie going completely neurotic with the baby was very realistic. You could just tell some "crazy" was always simmering under the surface, plus she probably spent years thinking about all the mistakes she wouldn't make (all the ones Roseanne did of course). I got the sense that she always wanted something really stable in her life, and she didn't get that with her various jobs, or the various men, but she did have that with the kid. So she just went overboard.

[Fionn]

Originally Posted by AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet

who here thinks that if the show had been in the 2000's, Darlene would have come out as a teen lesbian?

I'm sure Roseanne would have pushed that through if she'd wanted it, but it would have been a really natural character progression.

My favorite moments:

After Becky complains that Mark is always busy working, because he's trying to pay her tuition, Roseanne cuts her off, tells her she's being a spoiled brat, and complains that Becky is forcing her to defend Mark.

Darlene reading her poem at the high school, then the shot of the orchestra playing

The whole episode that involves random stuff happening on a Saturday morning that Roseanne had wanted to herself, including a cop helping Darlene make baklava and a door-to-door salesman dying in their kitchen.

[Sarahfeena]

Perhaps my all-time favorite sitcoms for about the first 5 seasons. One of my all-time least favorites from there till the end...probably about the time Becky & Mark got married was the beginning of the end for me.

But everything you say is right, Sampiro...it's probably the most REAL sitcom that's ever been on television...the sets, the characters, the storylines. And it was pretty darn funny as well.

[Rufus Xavier]

I was a devoted fan of this series from its first episode until they won the lottery (which pretty much ruined it for me), mostly for the reasons that have been expressed so well already in this thread. I just wanted to add that the carved pumpkins displayed in each Halloween episode were so cool, they inspired me to start a family pumpkin-carving tradition that persists to this day.

[notfrommensa]

I think my mother had the pattern for the same exact afghan because it is packed away in my linen closet. It is at least 40 yrs old because I remember it at our lake house backin the 60's. It is warm too!

I think Laurie Metcalf made the show. One of my favorite scenes is when she was telling her (apparently deaf) Aunt Barbara on the phone that roseanne's and jackie father died. She starts screaming on the phone "Dad is dead" over and over and the Aunt doesn't understand.

Loved it when Darlene complains about DJ spending hours in the bathroom with doors lock, and implying that he is either very good at it or very bad at it.

[notfrommensa]

I am surprised that there has not been a reunion show or made for TV movie. (or has there?)

Not that I really want to see one but there has been precedents.

[Covered_In_Bees!]

Loved it when Darlene complains about DJ spending hours in the bathroom with doors lock, and implying that he is either very good at it or very bad at it.

This is one of my favorite episodes!

Darlene: Yeah I heard DJ got caught playing with his instrument in band.
DJ: I'm not in band stupid!

Cracks me up every time.

[MyFootsZZZ]

My brother and I were talking about how in the late 80's and 90's that men were almost always represented as morons who are always bested by their wives in sitcoms. While we were talking, Roseanne came up, and we both agreed that it was really surprisingly fair in that respect. Sure Roseanne seemed like the 'de facto' queen of the household, but a lot of that was because she presented herself as if she was. In reality, Dan was almost always on the same playing field despite the, "because I said so", attitude. It was a good show but I never saw the last few seasons, but from what I've heard, it may be for the best.

[Sampiro]

Originally Posted by Covered_In_Bees!

This is one of my favorite episodes!

Darlene: Yeah I heard DJ got caught playing with his instrument in band.
DJ: I'm not in band stupid!

Cracks me up every time.

And his father-son talk later. (Paraphrased, not directly quoted):

DAN It's nothing to worry about. Everybody does it.

DJ Do you do it?

DAN Well... um... yes, I do.

DJ How often?

DAN Well... um... you know how I said everybody does it? It's also true that nobody talks about how often they do it.

[The Tooth]

Originally Posted by Sampiro

The pot episode- Roseanne, Dan, and Jackie in the bathroom getting high on 20 year old grass- was one of the funniest ever on any sitcom. "DJ... D...J... man that sounds weird...".

Or Jackie sitting in the tub. "Is this the sink?! Am I shrinking?!" Best laugh I've had from a TV show since Hawkeye pretended to eat a human liver in front of Frank.

[shantih]

My strongest memory is the show in which Roseanne and Jackie's father has died and they're in the house, reminiscing about how abusive he was. They stare over the front doorway and remember how he had the (paddle? belt?) that he used to beat them mounted there as a reminder of his power over them. It was raw and pained. At the end, Roseanne, alone in the room, says goodbye to him, taking him to task for the fear he instilled in them, and then pauses just at the doorway, turns her head slightly back to the room with her eyes down, and mutters 'Thank-you-for-your-humor-goodbye.' It seemed so real and so heartbreaking.

Also, this was the first show in which I noticed Mr. George Clooney, who played Booker in the early seasons, Roseanne and Jackie's boss at the factory and eventually Jackie's boyfriend.

[drastic_quench]

Yeah, great show. I grew up watching it, and it really informed my sense of humor and love of witty comebacks. My family argued as much as the Connors, but whenever I tried to insert a zinger for a little levity, I got busted for being a "smart alec".

Oh, and I can't believe I'm the first to bring up the chicken and egg communal shirt. Jumping off of that, I appreciated how their wardrobe wasn't an endless closet like every other television show ever. The people on Survivor probably have more changes of clothes than the Roseanne cast. Just another class detail that made it feel more real than Family Matters, Full House, and the rest of the slew of horrid sitcoms in that time.

[drastic_quench]

Oh, I forgot to add my love for John Goodman. Who else could've played endearing to Roseanne's abrasive better?

His comic genius really hit me over the head by the time I saw The Big Lebowski in the theater. It's a shame he's not in more films, and yes, I've seen Big Ralph.

[panache45]

I was a huge fan of this show during its run, but can't stand it in reruns. I find it hard to separate the character from Roseanne herself.

The one thing that always bothered me at the time: Whenever they showed the house from outside, at night, every single damn light was always on. You'd think, for a working-class family with limited income . . . on second thought, yeah, they were totally in-character, not bothering to turn off the lights.

[Green Cymbeline]

I love love love Roseanne. I watch it nearly every night on Nick at Nite. I have seen every episode numerous times. Interestingly, although I was a teenager when the show originally aired (actually the same age as Darlene) I never watched it when it was originally on. I fell in love with it over the years as repeats on Nick at Nite.

I love Dan. As in, he would be my perfect husband. He's sexy and perfect in every way to me.

I especially loved Darlene and Jackie.

One of my favorite scenes is the pot scene in the bathroom. Jackie is especially hilarious in that.

I also love the afghan. One day, I would like to crochet a replica.

I had no idea that Mark was really Irish, and that he died. How sad!

drastic_quench mentioned the chicken and egg shirt - I've always wondered about that - what is the story behind it? There was also a nearly identical bee and hive shirt, IIRC.

Thanks for starting this thread, Sampiro. I am glad there are others who appreciate the show as much as I do!

[BigT]

I watched it, but, somehow, I totally missed the last season. While I'm sure it ruined the characters and the plot line, I'm kind of interested. I especially want to see the last episode. Let's see if I can find it online...

Edit: Yay, it's on TV.com.

[mshar253]

Originally Posted by Sampiro

(Sarah Chalke was a lot prettier than Lecy Goranson but even she's not going to stop traffic)

I never watched Roseanne (or Scrubs, for that matter), so I had no idea who Sarah Chalke was until I started seeing commercials for her on Lifetime; that said, I would do unbelievably obscene things to her right now. Of course, I don't know how she looked back in the day ...

[MyFootsZZZ]

I used to think Sarah Chalke was prettier, I don't know what happened, but my opinions changed to the point where I don't even think Chalke was all that pretty to begin with. I don't know why. Lecy Goranson, (who I always thought was pretty), still looks GOOD!

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by Covered_In_Bees!

This is one of my favorite episodes!

Darlene: Yeah I heard DJ got caught playing with his instrument in band.
DJ: I'm not in band stupid!

Cracks me up every time.

Roseanne had two of the funniest-scenes-without-the-character saying a word:

Later as Roseanne and Dan are talking about it in the kitchen, David comes in and sits down as Roseanne says "How hard can it be? It's just masurbation, Dan." David immediately gets up and walks out.

And Bev telling Roseanne she's sold her share of the restaurant.

Roseanne: Where are you going to find a buyer in this market?
Bev: It wasn't hard....
and the camera focuses on Leon eating that sandwich.

Nobody has mentioned Martin Mull as the gay Leon Carp, Bonnie Bramlett as Bonnie and Shelly Winters as Nana Mama. They all made real contributions to the show.

ETA: I started watching this show with the episode where Darlene got her period. When Sara Gilbert screamed "I got my period OK" and ran out of the room, I knew she was going to be a star.

[singular1]

OK, now you've really piqued my curiosity. I've just spent the last 20 minutes trying to Google a shot of that damn chicken & egg shirt, with no luck. Can anybody help out?

[Knowed Out]

Favorite moments:

Roseanne thinks Becky's up to something because she keeps sneaking out of the house. Roseanne follows her and Darlene to the bowling alley. Darlene is playing a video game and Roseanne demands she tells her what Becky's up to. Darlene tells her she can't, because Becky made her promise not to tell. Roseanne puts her hands on her hips on snarls, "If you don't tell me, I'm going to start singing and dancing and embarrass you in front of all your friends!" Darlene still keeps mum, so Roseanne starts to shake her copious moneymaker and sing at the top of her lungs, and Darlene quickly caves.

Jackie is overly obsessed with her new baby boy, and dresses him in girl's clothing. She smiles like the borderline insane and tells him "and Mommy doesn't care if he turns gay, because she's going to march in those gay pride parades right along with him!"

Dan always has the most salient snippets of wisdom. When it's revealed that DJ has been going to church and wants to experience more religion, he asks Dan about his cousin who's a preacher. He then asks Dan if he has his address so he can write to him. Dan says No. DJ asks Why Not? Dan replies "Because he might come here."

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by singular1

OK, now you've really piqued my curiosity. I've just spent the last 20 minutes trying to Google a shot of that damn chicken & egg shirt, with no luck. Can anybody help out?

I think your best bet is going to be to look at YouTube for episode clips. I wasn't able to find a still on Google Images with any combination of terms. I know Roseanne wore it in the episode "Daughters and Other Strangers" because I ran across a continuity discussion of that episode that mentioned it.

[ZipperJJ]

I was about the same age as Darlene when the show aired, and I remember the episode when she got her period. I must have known the plot beforehand because I distinctly remember hiding out in the bathroom while the rest of the family watched the show. I was horrified that someone would turn to me and say "do YOU want to talk about YOUR period?"

Sort of a hijack but does anyone watch the show Everybody Hates Chris (on "The CW")? I think the show is much like Roseanne as it depicts a lower-to-middle-class family with strong parents, fighting siblings and top-notch second string characters. According to TV Guide it'll be on Nick at Nite starting this fall - you should check it out if you haven't seen it yet.

[NicePete]

One of the all time great shows and perhaps the greatest ensemble cast ever. John Goodman, Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf especially.

I think Laurie Metcalf was the funniest second banana since Don Knotts as Barney Fife.

[BrandonR]

I still love Roseanne and watch it whenever its on Oxygen. I watched it growing up and to this day, it's still one of the few sitcoms that can actually make me laugh (I'm a comedy snob).

But I still can't tell the difference between the two Beckys and which is which (unless they're on-screen at the same time).

[Annie-Xmas]

I've posted before about how Roseanne spotted young talent. In addition to above actors, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a guest star right before he starred on Third Rock from the Sun.

[descamisado]

Two favorite Dan (the Man) moments:

1) The episode where DJ plays hockey, and he lets him taste his beer, and he gets busted by Roseanne. She says something like "You were just so proud of your son, you had to give him his first taste of beer." And he looks at Jackie and says, "I had to, the hooker made him nervous."

2) When they do a scene with the credits rolling and Roseanne beans Dan in the kitchen with a frying pain. The absolutely purity of the acting in the way he passes out, right down to the way he lets go fo the beer can he's holding.*

* Does anybody notice a recurring theme here.

[notfrommensa]

Originally Posted by 5-4-Fighting

Two favorite Dan (the Man) moments:

1) The episode where DJ plays hockey, and he lets him taste his beer, and he gets busted by Roseanne. She says something like "You were just so proud of your son, you had to give him his first taste of beer." And he looks at Jackie and says, "I had to, the hooker made him nervous."

2) When they do a scene with the credits rolling and Roseanne beans Dan in the kitchen with a frying pain. The absolutely purity of the acting in the way he passes out, right down to the way he lets go fo the beer can he's holding.*

* Does anybody notice a recurring theme here.

I believe it is the same scene, the second one with the frying pan is an outtake or blooper

As far as the chicken shirt, I think the shirt only shows up after they buy the diner. IIRC, there is one episode when every character wears the shirt, all in different scenes.

[Sarahfeena]

Originally Posted by notfrommensa

I think Laurie Metcalf made the show. One of my favorite scenes is when she was telling her (apparently deaf) Aunt Barbara on the phone that roseanne's and jackie father died. She starts screaming on the phone "Dad is dead" over and over and the Aunt doesn't understand.

"He's passed on."

(pause)

"He's dead."

(pause)

"DEAD. DAD'S DEAD!"

(pause)

"He's fine, he sends his love." (click)

Cracks me up every time.