# The Curse of Roseanne? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581 "2007-09-09T16:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/1 "2007-09-09T16:45:05Z")
Granted, the Sitcom Roseanne was a great show, but was it cursed? Most if not all the stars of the show has not found success in other projects since the show ended, and many notables who had cameo appearances have since _died._ Was this show cursed? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/2 "2007-09-09T16:55:39Z")
No curse, that I can see. Most of the regulars are still working and one in particular – George Clooney – is doing quite well. Which regulars have died, besides Glenn Quinn? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/3 "2007-09-09T16:58:04Z")
Sarah Chalke has 7 seasons of **Scrubs** under her belt. Not exactly cursed. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/4 "2007-09-09T17:04:41Z")
John Goodman seems to be getting regular work. Laurie Metcalf doesn’t have an entire series under her belt, but she’s getting regular work as a guest star. Probably enough work to make a living. Sarah Gilbert has been on ER, Strong Medicine, 24, Twins, and other things. I guess you could say the show cursed Michael Fishman, but he was A)ugly and B)a bad actor, so he probably cursed himself there. Glenn Quinn died, but the poor man had issues for a long time. Shelley Winters died but she was 86 years old, so I doubt that had anything to do with a “curse” from being in 10 episodes of Roseanne… ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/5 "2007-09-09T17:05:40Z")
[John Goodman](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000422/) has kept busy enough. I’m mildly surprised to see that [Sara Gilbert](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004960/)’s been as busy as she has sionce I haven’t seen nor heard of her since Roseanne. Michael Fishman seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/6 "2007-09-09T17:08:33Z")
John Goodman just won an Emmy last night. Bad thread timing. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/7 "2007-09-09T17:50:48Z")
Humph…I’m really out of touch…ain’t I? :smack: Lessee…Shelley Winters, dead. Tiny Tim, dead. Bob Denver, dead. Fred Thompson, Former Tennesee Senator and current Presidential Candidate, replaced George Clooney as Roseanne’s supervisor at the Wellman Plastic Factory. Things don’t look good for the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/8 "2007-09-09T17:54:00Z")
Johnny Galecki’s (David) new sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” starts in a couple weeks and looks to be pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/9 "2007-09-09T17:55:55Z")
[QUOTE=Enola Straight] Fred Thompson, Former Tennesee Senator and current Presidential Candidate, replaced George Clooney as Roseanne’s supervisor at the Wellman Plastic Factory. Things don’t look good for the guy. [/QUOTE] …knock on wood. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/10 "2007-09-09T18:13:12Z")
[QUOTE=scotandrsn] John Goodman just won an Emmy last night. Bad thread timing. [/QUOTE] Huh? The Emmy awards aren’t aired until next week. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/11 "2007-09-09T18:16:56Z")
[QUOTE=Abby\_Emma\_Sasha] Huh? The Emmy awards aren’t aired until next week. [/QUOTE] The creative branches (“technical” and craft awards) always announce their winners a week early. [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=435887)’s a thread on it. This always includes the Guest Actor/Actress for Drama/Comedy Series. Goodman won for his stint on _Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip_. This was his 10th nomination (7 for _Roseanne_) but first win. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/12 "2007-09-09T18:53:05Z")
As shows go, I don’t see that Roseanne’s cast is doing any worse than any other. John Goodman has had a successful career, Roseanne Barr’s counting her money, Laurie Metcalfe has done this and that, Sara Gilbert’s kept busy, and the striking example of Sarah “Second Becky” Chalke has already been pointed out. Sere, some guest stars have died, but they were all old. Old people die. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/13 "2007-09-09T18:59:31Z")
As shows go, I don’t see that Roseanne’s cast is doing any worse than any other. John Goodman has had a successful career, Roseanne Barr’s counting her money, Laurie Metcalfe has done this and that, Sara Gilbert’s kept busy, and the striking example of Sarah “Second Becky” Chalke has already been pointed out. Sere, some guest stars have died, but they were all old. Old people die. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/14 "2007-09-09T21:51:40Z")
But what about DJ, huh? When’s the last time you saw that kid do anything? That loser! 😉 Actually, the _Roseanne_ cast seems to have done better than other folks from other shows. Except for Roseanne herself. I haven’t seen her lately. This thread reminds me, though, of television stars who get some fame (or at least, become well-known faces) and then a several years later start popping up in low-budget commercials. I just saw the David Leisure, who played the annoying neighbor on **Empty Nest** on a lame commercial for a legal firm. I had to do a double-take to make sure that was him. Then there’s Janet Hubert-Whitten, who played the first Vivian (the better one, IMHO) on _Fresh Prince of Bel-Air_. Shortly after she quit the show, she was on an aspirin commerical. I haven’t seen her since. Jill Marie Jones, of Toni Childs fame from _Girlfriends_, was last seen on a Baily’s Irish creme commerical (or at least, it was some kind of alcholic beverage). I was so pissed when I saw her, because she’s a fine actress (in both looks and acting chops). It seems like such a waste. So when you see Roseanne on a commericial, not as a spokesperson but as just another low-paid actor pushing hemorroid cream, _then_ you can talk about curses. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/15 "2007-09-09T22:19:55Z")
[QUOTE=monstro] Jill Marie Jones, of Toni Childs fame from _Girlfriends_, was last seen on a Baily’s Irish creme commerical (or at least, it was some kind of alcholic beverage). I was so pissed when I saw her, because she’s a fine actress (in both looks and acting chops). It seems like such a waste. [/QUOTE] I noticed her in that commercial too. It seemed odd to me, because she was basically an _extra_ in the commericial. I don’t watch Girlfriends, but I agree that she is very beautiful. If she’s got some acting skills to boot, why be an extra in a commercial? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/16 "2007-09-09T22:35:48Z")
[QUOTE=Nzinga, Seated] I noticed her in that commercial too. It seemed odd to me, because she was basically an _extra_ in the commericial. I don’t watch Girlfriends, but I agree that she is very beautiful. If she’s got some acting skills to boot, why be an extra in a commercial? [/QUOTE] I hope it isn’t because she’s type-casted. ---
**Author:** ![Caterpillar22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5a626/32.png) [@Caterpillar22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caterpillar22)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/17 "2007-09-09T23:19:40Z")
I was watching a show about the cast of Roseanne (I can’t remember what channel, but you can make a few reasonable guesses), and they talked about what happened to Michael Fishman. After Roseanne, he quit show business, went to school, did normal teenager stuff. I think he went to college, not sure. He’s married with a kid or two, I don’t know what he does for a living, but he had good parents that handled his Roseanne earnings well and he seems to be doing fine. He’s not rolling in money, but they have a nice enough house and everyone looks healthy. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/18 "2007-09-09T23:28:51Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Sere, some guest stars have died, but they were all old. Old people die. [/QUOTE] Not to mention the fact we’re talking about a show that premiered nearly 20 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/19 "2007-09-09T23:38:39Z")
Ned Beatty, Martin Mull and Morgan Fairchilde are all still around. Natalie West (played Roseanne’s friend Crystal, later Dan’s stepmother) hasn’t gotten much work, but is still kicking. I’d say the cast of _Roseanne_ is doing a lot better than the cast of, say, _The Cosby Show_. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curse-of-roseanne/418581/20 "2007-09-09T23:41:13Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Ned Beatty, Martin Mull and Morgan Fairchilde are all still around. Natalie West (played Roseanne’s friend Crystal, later Dan’s stepmother) hasn’t gotten much work, but is still kicking. I’d say the cast of _Roseanne_ is doing a lot better than the cast of, say, _The Cosby Show_. [/QUOTE] I haven’t seen Tempestt (who played Vanessa), the girl who made Sondra, or Lisa Bonet in anything recently. But as far as the immediate family goes, I’ve seen all of the other characters in stuff. Well, except for Cosby. He seems more comfortable ranting in front of the cameras than actually doing anything funny.