Im not going to lie: Ive never been a Roseanne fan.
I watched the show here and there when I was younger. I found Roseanne Barrs laugh a little obnoxious, and other sitcoms of the time, like Full House or Boy Meets World, were more aligned with my teenage tastes.
And then there's the matter of the show's ending. John Goodman was dead the whole time? What the heck.
Fast forward nearly 20 years and we get this "Roseanne" reboot you know, the one making all the headlines. Initially, I didnt get involved. There was so much hoopla surrounding Roseanne's political leanings that I just didnt feel interested in watching it since I already get enough politics during the day.
Additionally, since I dont watch a lot of TV these days, I didn't feel willing to add a rebooted show onto my already groaning list of TV shows that I hope to eventually get to (Im looking at you, Vikings).
And of course, ABC's cancelled "Roseanne" earlier this month after Barr tweeted out a racist comment against former President Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, effectively removing any lingering guilt I may have had about not watching America's most hyped recent show.
But now that ABC has announced it is relaunching the Roseanne universe with a sitcom called The Conners (working title), starring Goodman, Sara Gilbert and a slew of other stars, I'm finally getting involved.
My prediction? The show will be better than Roseanne.
As I said, Ive never been a fan of Roseanne, so please excuse my bias here, but I love the idea of a show that puts writers and directors in a creative corner right from the get-go.
At this point, we know very little about the new show. The official ABC synopsis states "The Connors" will focus on the Conner family who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.
Which immediately begs the question: What happened to Barr's character? Will she die like Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men"? Will her disappearance go unexplained? Will the creators of the show use her exit as a way to spread a political message?
Who knows? But no matter what they do, the mystery of it intrigues me. Millions of viewers will want to know what happens to the formerly titular character, and will likely tune in to see what happens to her. Plus, a show without Barr's larger-than-life personality will let the creative focus fall on the rest of the family, giving them a chance to breathe and develop into their own.
Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan always said one of the best strategies for his writing crew was putting his characters in creative corners. It forces writers to develop new solutions and plot ideas for all of a show's characters.
Although I dont expect The Conners to be on the same level as Breaking Bad, the sentiment is the same The Conners will have a chance to thrive because its already in an unfamiliar place creatively.
So much of the show previously revolved around Roseanne, her antics, opinions and rants that we barely had a chance to understand the rest of the family.
Now, though, viewers will get to finally meet the show's other characters, and doubtless some new ones. Goodman and Gilbert will absorb most of the spotlight, but Barr's departure will put them in a new light that previously left them in the of shadow of her stardom.
The same is true for what happens behind the scenes. This season, Barr hogged the media spotlight as a vocal President Donald Trump supporter, and like her president, her Twitter rants sucked up a lot of the press attention.
Given that Twitter is what got her kicked off the show, we can guess that "The Connors" cast members will remain rather quiet on social media. Goodman is a noted professional who takes his work seriously. As a respected actor, hell be fine regardless of what happens on this show, and Gilbert rarely talks openly, offering only a statement here or there with a dash of coyness.
Dont get me wrong. I know there are plenty of people out there who will hate the new show. Many will probably boycott it. As I wrote before, people fumed over the loss of Barr and her character since she was such a magnet for attention, and there are plenty of people who think the show will flop without her.
Still, from everything the network is saying, The Conners will have a chance to live and breathe, at least until ABC finds something it likes better. Maybe itll dabble into politics although with Barr's recent controversy, you have to wonder why it would even try? or maybe conservatives and liberals alike will hate it. Its unclear.
But for a show marred by controversy, starting fresh is the right way to go.
I watched the show here and there when I was younger. I found Roseanne Barrs laugh a little obnoxious, and other sitcoms of the time, like Full House or Boy Meets World, were more aligned with my teenage tastes.
And then there's the matter of the show's ending. John Goodman was dead the whole time? What the heck.
Fast forward nearly 20 years and we get this "Roseanne" reboot you know, the one making all the headlines. Initially, I didnt get involved. There was so much hoopla surrounding Roseanne's political leanings that I just didnt feel interested in watching it since I already get enough politics during the day.
Additionally, since I dont watch a lot of TV these days, I didn't feel willing to add a rebooted show onto my already groaning list of TV shows that I hope to eventually get to (Im looking at you, Vikings).
And of course, ABC's cancelled "Roseanne" earlier this month after Barr tweeted out a racist comment against former President Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, effectively removing any lingering guilt I may have had about not watching America's most hyped recent show.
But now that ABC has announced it is relaunching the Roseanne universe with a sitcom called The Conners (working title), starring Goodman, Sara Gilbert and a slew of other stars, I'm finally getting involved.
My prediction? The show will be better than Roseanne.
As I said, Ive never been a fan of Roseanne, so please excuse my bias here, but I love the idea of a show that puts writers and directors in a creative corner right from the get-go.
At this point, we know very little about the new show. The official ABC synopsis states "The Connors" will focus on the Conner family who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.
Which immediately begs the question: What happened to Barr's character? Will she die like Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men"? Will her disappearance go unexplained? Will the creators of the show use her exit as a way to spread a political message?
Who knows? But no matter what they do, the mystery of it intrigues me. Millions of viewers will want to know what happens to the formerly titular character, and will likely tune in to see what happens to her. Plus, a show without Barr's larger-than-life personality will let the creative focus fall on the rest of the family, giving them a chance to breathe and develop into their own.
Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan always said one of the best strategies for his writing crew was putting his characters in creative corners. It forces writers to develop new solutions and plot ideas for all of a show's characters.
Although I dont expect The Conners to be on the same level as Breaking Bad, the sentiment is the same The Conners will have a chance to thrive because its already in an unfamiliar place creatively.
So much of the show previously revolved around Roseanne, her antics, opinions and rants that we barely had a chance to understand the rest of the family.
Now, though, viewers will get to finally meet the show's other characters, and doubtless some new ones. Goodman and Gilbert will absorb most of the spotlight, but Barr's departure will put them in a new light that previously left them in the of shadow of her stardom.
The same is true for what happens behind the scenes. This season, Barr hogged the media spotlight as a vocal President Donald Trump supporter, and like her president, her Twitter rants sucked up a lot of the press attention.
Given that Twitter is what got her kicked off the show, we can guess that "The Connors" cast members will remain rather quiet on social media. Goodman is a noted professional who takes his work seriously. As a respected actor, hell be fine regardless of what happens on this show, and Gilbert rarely talks openly, offering only a statement here or there with a dash of coyness.
Dont get me wrong. I know there are plenty of people out there who will hate the new show. Many will probably boycott it. As I wrote before, people fumed over the loss of Barr and her character since she was such a magnet for attention, and there are plenty of people who think the show will flop without her.
Still, from everything the network is saying, The Conners will have a chance to live and breathe, at least until ABC finds something it likes better. Maybe itll dabble into politics although with Barr's recent controversy, you have to wonder why it would even try? or maybe conservatives and liberals alike will hate it. Its unclear.
But for a show marred by controversy, starting fresh is the right way to go.
