Roseanne was an American sitcom which aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997, starring the stand-up comedian Roseanne Barr. A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... The ABC Circle logo, designed by Paul Rand in 1962. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Roseanne Barr (November 3, 1952) is an actress, writer, talk-show host and comedienne. ...

The show portrayed a working class family living in fictional Lanford, Illinois and struggling to get by on a limited income. For many years, Roseanne was, in contrast to many of the most popular shows at the time (such as The Cosby Show) honest in its depiction of family life, and tackled subjects of poverty, alcoholism, sex, and homosexuality in ways unlike other shows. Another theme of the show was Roseanne's dominance in raising the children, with her husband, Dan feeling that he doesn't have a voice in what happens in the family, and is not well informed of what happens in his household. The show was hugely successful from its beginning and inspired a rash of stand-ups getting their own sitcom deals (a practice that continued for years afterwards), but over time the series began to be known more for the public and backstage scandals of Barr (there was constant turnover of writers and producers through the course of the series, including her second husband, Tom Arnold) and drifted away from the original source, and by the mid-90's, the show dropped sharply in the ratings. State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... The Cosby Show, starring Bill Cosby, is an American sitcom that was first broadcast in 1984. ... Poverty is the state of being without, often associated with need, hardship and lack of resources across a wide range of circumstances. ... Alcoholism is a dependency on alcohol characterized by craving (a strong need to drink), loss of control (being unable to stop drinking despite a desire to do so), physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms, and tolerance (increasing difficulty of becoming drunk). ... Look up Sex in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The members of many species of living things are divided into two or more categories called sexes (or loosely speaking, genders). ... Homosexuality may refer to: A sexual orientation characterized by aesthetic attraction, romantic love, and sexual desire exclusively or almost exclusively for members of the same sex or gender identity. ... Tom Arnold could be Tom Arnold the United States actor Tom Arnold the United Kingdom politician This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

One of the most documented moments of the series occurred in the 6th season when Lecy Goranson (Becky) left the series. Instead of writing Becky out, the producers recast her with Sarah Chalke, and wary of the potential backlash to reshaping a longtime role, chose to defuse the criticism. At the end of Chalke's first episode, the Conner family watched a Bewitched episode and several characters complained about the recast of Darren Stevens. Chalke smiled and said she'd always liked the second Darren best. Gorenson returned to the role several years later only to leave again and to be replaced by Chalke. The final season's opening credits (a morph of cast photos over the years) alternated shots of both women for Becky. Sarah Chalke (born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian television and movie actress best known for playing Dr Elliot Reid in NBC sitcom Scrubs and Rebecca Becky Conner Healy in ABCs Roseanne. ... Bewitched was an American sitcom starring actress Elizabeth Montgomery. ...

Characters

Conner Family

• Roseanne Conner (played by Roseanne Barr)
• Dan Conner (played by John Goodman)
• Becky Conner-Healy (played by Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke)
• Darlene Conner-Healy (played by Sara Gilbert)
• David Jacob "D. J." Conner (played by Sal Barone in the pilot, Michael Fishman for the remainder of the series)

Roseanne Barr (November 3, 1952) is an actress, writer, talk-show host and comedienne. ... John Goodman John Goodman (born June 20, 1952 in St. ... Alicia Goranson (born June 22, 1974 in Evanston, Illinois) is the full name of Lecy Goranson, an American actress who played Becky on the sitcom Roseanne for much of the shows run. ... Sarah Chalke (born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian television and movie actress best known for playing Dr Elliot Reid in NBC sitcom Scrubs and Rebecca Becky Conner Healy in ABCs Roseanne. ... Sara Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles on January 29, 1975 in Santa Monica, California) is an American actress. ...

Extended Family

• Jackie Harris (played by Laurie Metcalf)
• David Healy (played by Johnny Galecki)
• Mark Healy (played by Glenn Quinn)
• Beverly Harris (played by Estelle Parsons)
• Al Harris (played by John Randolph)
• Crystal Anderson-Conner (played by Natalie West)
• Fred (played by Michael O'Keefe)
• Andy Harris (played by Garrett Hazen and Kent Hazen)
• Nana Mary (played by Shelley Winters)
• Audrey Conner (played by Ann Wedgeworth and Debbie Reynolds)
• Ed Conner (played by Ned Beatty)
• Jerry Garcia Conner (played by Cole Roberts)

Laurie Metcalf (born June 16, 1955, Carbondale, Illinois) is an American actress and comedienne most closely associated with her role in the television show Roseanne. ... Glenn Quinn (May 28, 1970 - December 3, 2002) from Dublin, Ireland was a successful actor in television and film. ... Estelle Parsons (born November 20, 1927 in Marblehead, Massachusetts) is an American theater, film and television actress. ... John Randolph of Roanoke, (June 2, 1773 - May 24, 1833) was a Representative and a Senator from Virginia John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland. ... Michael OKeefe (born April 24, 1955, Mount Vernon, New York) is an American film and televison actor. ... Winters in Cry of the City (1948) Shelley Winters (born August 18, 1920) is an American actress. ... Elizabeth Ann Wedgeworth (born January 21, 1935 in Abilene, Texas) is an American actress, best known for her role as Lahoma Vane Lucas on the daytime dramas Another World ( 1967- 1970) and Somerset ( 1970- 1973). ... Debbie Reynolds (born April 1, 1932) is an American actress and singer. ... Ned Thomas Beatty (born Louisville, Kentucky July 6, 1937) is an American character actor, who has appeared in over 100 films. ...

Other recurring characters

• Leon Carp (played by Martin Mull)
• Arnie Thomas (played by Tom Arnold)
• Nancy Bartlett (played by Sandra Bernhard)
• Booker Brooks (played by George Clooney)

Martin Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor from Chicago, best-known for frequent appearances on the television show Hollywood Squares. ... Tom Arnold (born March 6, 1959) is an American actor and comedian. ... Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955 in suburban Flint, Michigan) is a United States actor, entertainer, and comedian. ... George Clooney in an undated publicity photo George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961 in Lexington, Kentucky) is an American film and television actor, known for his former role in the long-running television drama ER (1994-99). ...

Final Season

The final season marked a complete departure from the rest of the series as the Conner family won the lottery and lived the high life they could only previously dream of. The last episode ended on a fitting note as a 15-minute closing monologue by Roseanne revealed that after she was given a writing room the entire series was merely a fictional story written by the character of Roseanne Conner and based on her family life and experiences. She also revealed that whatever she hadn't liked about her real life, she'd changed in the story. Roseanne Conner then began a writing career.

External links

• Roseanne (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt094540/) at the Internet Movie Database