The popular 90’s sitcom "Roseanne" is looking to return to the small screen. Although there is no official statement and no deal, a revival has been shopped around various networks.
Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf are the original cast members that have signed up for a limited eight-episode series which is set to be produced by Barr and Gilbert.
The bidding war is currently between the show’s original broadcaster ABC and Netflix. Barr played the titular character with Goodman as her beer-drinking, motorcycle aficionado husband Dan and Sara Gilbert as their rebellious middle child Darlene.
Excitement at reviving the show
John Goodman recently expressed excitement at the idea of reviving the hit blue collar comedy. Speaking on "The View" he told the panel that he and Barr worked on a pilot five years previously and although it didn’t lead to anything he missed working with the comedic actress. Goodman’s role in the revival may open more questions as to his character.
Dan didn’t survive the show’s original run. The upcoming "Will & Grace" revival will have similar issues to the original series ending with the main group of characters on bad terms with each other. "Gilmore Girls" rectified their unpopular finale season by handing the show back to its creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who was absent during the show’s end.
Barr opened speculation over a revival in March when she tweeted that the cast of "Roseanne" were up for a reunion followed by the writer Norm Macdonald claiming they would love to write more about the Connor family.
One of the 90's best loved TV shows
The ABC sitcom finished its original nine-season run in 1997 after eleven years. It was ranked #32 in TV Guide’s 60 Best Series of All Time and was the most watched show on TV in 1989- 1990.
The show won various awards including Golden Globes for both Goodman and Barr, and Best Television Series- Musical or Comedy. Metcalf and Barr both won Emmys in the early 90’s for their roles as no-nonsense matriarch Roseanne and her sister Jackie. John Goodman went on to have a significant big screen career, while Johnny Galecki became one of TV’s biggest stars with his role as Leonard on "The Big Bang Theory". Gilbert and Metcalfe have both guest-starred on the sitcom alongside Galecki. The cast, minus Metcalf, reunited at the 2008 TV Land Awards to receive the Innovator Award.
Roseanne will join a series of TV revivals that includes "Fuller House," "The X-Files," the upcoming "Will & Grace" and "Twin Peaks."