"not to symbolically punish the character but to make it final and avoid an ugly... comeback campaign."
Avoid what, you say? By the death of a character?
Four words: Bobby Ewing. Dan Conner.
3
Will never watch it
1
I thought it was pretty bad....storyline, writing, acting. But the frosting on the cake was the laugh track. I can't believe they still do this!
3
Didn't they kill off the husband once, then resurrect him? I doubt we have seen the last of the vile Barr. She'll probably come back to the show as a long-lost lookalike cousin, equally obnoxious.
5
Thanks for the review. It sounds like a show worth watching. Well, anything with Goodman and Metcalf is good enough to watch. Never much liked Barr, and not just because of her pro-Trumpiness. Without the supporting cast the show never would have worked the first time. But, please can the laugh track.
7
I think the show is trying to do something worthwhile by addressing the drug & mental health problems so many people have. I did not think they killed off Rosanne to be spiteful-they are trying to bring something good out of a very sad situation. If they can help bring change in the way people with mental health issues are slipping through the cracks, then I am all for that. I did not see this as any personal attack on Roseanne the person-just an effort to carry on the show without brushing off a great loss to them all.
8
Art imitates real life. I ask is it not true or not true that in real life Roseanne Barr had a drug problem and was addicted to drugs?
I find that I cannot stand laugh tracks.
I watched the show on Hulu. I followed it with Blackish.
I won't continue watching The Conners. OR Murphy Brown for that matter.
5
I don't disagree with the firing of Roseann, just cannot understand how liberals get away with calling the President of the US's daughter unspeakable, violent, vulgaries; when late night hosts depict the president using unbelievable vulgarities; the list goes on and on. No wonder people are giving up on Hollywood, my family is reading again--there are great books out there. No Connors for me.
9
@lpngleo Do you have a problem with the unspeakable, violent, vulgaries the President uses himself?
26
@lpngleo - the gop and their president that openly calls people names, calls for acts of violence, misogyny and continual lies, isn't vulgar enough for you? The only people giving up on Hollywood, would be haters of diversity, rule of law and the need to lock her up at every hate rally held by the head liar himself. Your president asks for the treatment he receives with his ugliness and lack of empathy.
13
@lpngleo .. or do you have problems with the unspeakable, violent, vulgarities thrown at the previous president and his family?
9
A thoughful review, but I was almost derailed a few sentences in when Barr was identified (in first iteration on television) as "TV’s feminist spitfire."
I hope its humility, and not ignorance, when I say I don't know what "feminist" means.
All I know is that Ms. Barr, always a "spitfire," was never a "feminist," except in the vaguest and least-interesting sense of the term.
9
"Besides, we already knew what really killed Roseanne Conner: Roseanne Barr’s racism." It pains me to read this. I don't believe it. I spent much of the 60s and 70s listening to Jewish male comedians and I really think that had Roseanne been male, her brand of caustic wit would be more acceptable to the public and to the network's executives. Roseanne is crude, yes, imprudent, yes, but I just refuse to jump on the sanctimonious band wagon which revels in finding people morally inferior. I remember that overweight, vulgar, young Roseanne Barr who first stepped out onto Johnny Carson's stage...a woman with a mouth like Don
Rickles'. She isn't a racist. She is full of pain, full of self-hatred, full of shame. Kicking Roseanne Barr while she is down has been a disgraceful act in America's history of television entertainment.
9
"...we already knew what really killed Roseanne Conner: Roseanne Barr’s racism." Best comment/observation I've read on the subject.
13
I grew up with Roseanne and rewatched the first 7 seasons last year.
I like The Conners better already. Goodman and Metcalf can easily lead the show and will shine more brightly without RBs overwhelming presence. The ensemble is strong and have plenty of room for organic growth.
I hope it sticks!!!!!
10
@Roswell DeLorean I felt the same way. I watched the original reboot because my daughter asked me to. Frankly I thought Roseanne Barr dragged down the show. Without Barr's overwhelming presence, talent like Goodman and Metcalf can finally flourish. Watching this new version was the first time I laughed.
2
By firing Roseanne Barr, ABC made a rash decision that neutered the show. The author of this long-winded review is contributing to the unfair smear campaign against artists like Roseanne who don't fit into binary political categories, and who are actually creative. Barr is one of the few fearless artists are willing to show dynamic, troubling, and most importantly, FUNNY, aspects of our lives. Do we really need to our comedy filtered through the lenses of humorless, impotent critics?
3
We do need our comedians “filtered” - not given a public forum - when we learn that their personal back stories are given a national audience to sway.
If a professional or college or high school coach were caught spewing racial rants about players on another team, there would be immediate calls for their removal - for being a bad example to the “sportsmanship” of the game.
That’s the equivalent of what Barr did, and once out, her “off duty” opinions would have infiltrated any future script.
10
I just heard the other day that a Minnesotan running for Congress made some nasty remarks likening Michelle Obama to a chimp, and it seems the Republican Party (natch) is sticking up for her, on the grounds that it was "a long time ago". It seems being held accountable for those types of remarks is still a random occurrence that just happened to land on Roseanne this time around.
8
I remember seeing Rosanne Barr doing standup in Denver after her show had been sold but before it went into production. Once the show was on the air, it was thrilling to see someone local achieve so much success (though less thrilling to see the impact her change in circumstance had on her, publicly).
I enjoyed the first season of the reboot, though I was not surprised to see her let go from the show. I don't believe Rosanne Barr is a racist, but surly no company would have wanted to be associated with the kind of stuff she was posting (which was, in fact, racist garbage -- the kind of stuff folks pass around as ugly humor and ignore the harmful aspects of). I believe she has mental health issues. I feel sorry for her and hope she heals. I'm glad the show went on without her.
Bravo to the writers for dealing with her character's absence in this way.
7
Thank you for calling out Roseanne Barr's ugly racism for what it is and not using euphemisms. We need to know and remember what happened as we talk honestly about what's going down in this country, without regard for whether we're speaking ill of "the dead."
5
Now that Roseanne is gone, I will watch "The Connors". The performances of Metcalf and Goodman are worth a half hour of my time and Sarah Gilbert delivers enough snark to keep it real. A brave choice and a success in my book.
13
Crazy how much you can love a family you know is imaginary. They feel as real as this fall itself.
2
Thought this was one of the most honest pieces on grieving I have seen in a long time. Metcalf’s comments about why she didn’t want to go home - that she was afraid her sister was really gone - were affecting. The writing was was smarter than most of the drek that populates television. Surprisingly good.
9
I'm more concerned with the fact that "Black-ish" is now competing with America's favorite soap opera, "This is Us", which could mean a death knell for the show. Still waiting on "Please, Baby, Please"...
2
No one cares about htis show, its apologists, or the allegedly real folks it purports to represent.
3
Television shows comes and goes, Rosanne, I did watch time to time years ago.
Then the lady resurfaced with her potty mouth on screen and hatred off screen.
And if the show was on Tuesday night I would n`t know because I never miss NCIS, and how do they think they are going to compete with that show ?
No worries though all the actors are successful in their own rights, if the show does not last so be it.
1
People. Turn off your TV. It's just a bunch of actors in a tired show, and commercials rot your brain.
8
Could not watch after first ten minutes. Characters were not relatable and entire cast seemed bored and heartless rather than heartbroken. Several gifted artists wasted on a mediocre show.
5
I liked the new show and with out the bad girl Roseanne. I just wish we can get rid of Trump as fast as ABC did Roseanne.
9
I think it will win an Emmy and be cancelled.
3
Barr has been "dead" spiritually and ethically for years. No loss to the show.
4
I watched it. Laurie Metcalf stole the whole show.
3
The Conners is a well written, well acted, thoughtful commentary on life in America. Kudos to Ms Gilbert, Mr Goodman, Ms Metcalf, the writers, and the rest of this accomplished staff.
4
It wasn't as bad as I feared it was going to be. I'll probably continue to watch; one more episode, at least.
1
Thought it was pretty decent. Will watch pretty much anything Laurie Metcalfe in. I hope she gets big chunks of time in this going forward.
I think they still have timing issues to work out, now working without Roseanne's major screen presence and center of show role. The 'support family' group isn't necessarily filled with great actors, but maybe they will loosen up and learn from some of the veterans.
But it could turn into something.
4
I thought the show was funny while still painting a convincing portrait of a family grieving. The cast and writers seemed relieved not to have to constantly react to what had become the toxic presence of Roseanne. Gilbert was excellent but Goranson also gave a particularly free and funny performance. Barr was always abrasive and grating, and she made that work to her and the show's advantage in seasons 2 through 5. Every thing after that, including the revival, showed her character growing more and more unrelatable and unlikable. She seemed to give up on the show's quality (or totally lose touch with what made it special) which made her absence on "The Conners" surprisingly easy to accept.
15
I think "The Connors" will win an Emmy.
12
Considering that Roseanne initially blamed her bad tweet on her Ambien, it obviously Was a drug problem that killed her character.
So in that sense it is a reasonable change to the accidental opioid death instead and even falls into line with how cranky her character had become in the Renewed series as she dealt with the pain as well as the hiding the drug use, or at least the amount she was using, from the family and friends.
Sadly enough, this is a true enough story for a great many Americans, and it is telling that the show is breaking away from the typical 'norm' of the genre.
People are very tired of the Fake, we have been fed fake for a very long time. Real Life, even though a portrayal on TV, is what this show appears to have become and is a refreshing breeze in the stuffy halls of TV land.
22
I saw enough to determine that The Connors is just like all those lame sitcoms in the '70s, whose formula was delivering a "funny" line every 7 seconds, each time triggering the laugh track. In the case of The Connors, there's plenty of "sit" but not enough "com." It just wasn't funny, and the bittersweet parts fell flat.
8
Know what? It’s better show without Roseanne. Hope it does well. I, for one, will continue to watch it.
34
I watched the first episode of the revival and thought it wasn't very funny and that there was a nasty tone to it. I didn't watch it again. I watched the first episode of The Conners. I think there is real potential there.
36
Mr Poniewozick is a great thinker and writer - and draws the best out of this sitcom.
This line, in particular, deserves reading from everyone as we head towards what are already bloody midterms:
"These are moral lines that...you can’t simply agree to disagree about. You have to make a choice."
Reading this after the Kavanaugh confirmation and during Trump's Saudi murder obfuscation, my choice would be to have Mr Poniewizick's philosophical understanding and quick wit in The New York Times' political coverage. His is a voice sorely needed.
Then again, considering how many people don't bother to vote, he probably reaches more readers writing about sitcoms.
53
I think reviving shows 20 years after they go off the air is a mistake. Our tastes change, our bodies and minds change, we're all older, and the historical circumstances that made the show or movie good then is not the same as they are now. It seems TV and movie producers have run out of ideas. Everything is a rehash, reboot, remake, or a sequel. I would love something original.
I remember watching the Will and Grace re-boot with my wife when it first started airing. We were excited about the show, having enthusiastically watched the entire series the first time it aired from 1999-2006. But this second time, we didn't like it and stopped watching after a few episodes. Although the show is the same, we aren't.
34
@Kristin Ames ditto!
1
I admittedly was not a fan of the original "Roseanne" but tuned in to see where "The Conners" might go. If you've known a family who has lost a member to an opioid overdose, this episode pretty much caught the aftermath. Disbelief, followed by looking for an outsider to blame, followed by slow acceptance. When Dan (John Goodman) was in the garage polishing the bike I wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be okay. When Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) was in the kitchen with everything out and the cupboard doors standing open, I wanted to sit down with her and tell her that it was okay to cry and grieve. Awesome work by the cast. Nice writing with the small bits of humour (which do happen).
61
I wish they had just recast the part of "Roseanne". Have Wanda Sykes appear as the character. It would be odd for the first episode and then we'd all get used to it.
25
@Moishe Pipik-Great suggestion.
8
@Moishe Pipik
What about Dan Connor falling in love with a woman of color???
@BGB
Great idea!
I thought the transition to the "Conners" was seamless and well done. It will be interesting to see if the show is a success as it continues to try and navigate the rough waters of being an American in 21st century America.
42
@Lcall what rough waters? Blessed to be an American anytime
It's a sitcom. It's television. This is a review. I understand how people can be entertained, but I do not understand how people can be made to care and care so much. It isn't real. It's a story. Perhaps I mis-remember, but I do not remember people getting so caught up in I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners. Are we losing our national grip on reality?
18
@mary bardmess On I Love Lucy, The 16th episode of season 2, "Lucy Goes to the Hospital", 72% of Americans with tv's (roughly 44 million viewers) were watching. It was tied in with an actual event though.
16
@mary bardmess Stories are how we relate to the world around us, and human beings have been using this mechanism for literally thousands of years. What do you think religion is?
I've learned as much from fictional characters like Optimus Prime, Spider-man, Obi-wan Kenobi, and Eddard Stark, as I have from role models who existed outside of print or film. Stories are a lens through which we view the world, and by doing so they help us to understand our own lives. I've never experienced a family member's death due to opioid overdose, and I can only imagine how I might react in that situation, but this episode of "The Connors" covered many of the reactions I might expect to experience in that situation.
Perhaps you do not remember people being caught up with fictional characters in the 50s is because there was less communication about such things then. We live in the social media age which allows everyone to talk to millions of strangers about whatever they want. In the 50s, such things were rarely spoken out loud except to a small audience of like-minded friends.
The best stories are the ones that DO make us care, which the point. It is only possible to become emotionally invested in a character if that character is well-written and acts in a way that you could reasonably expect a person to act. If you've never read a book or watched a movie that provoked an emotional response from you, I feel genuine pity for you because you are missing out on a beautiful part of life.
31
@mary bardmess
i tend to agree with mb. although i think the comparison to ILL and TH is not accurate. think about it. at that time we had 3 networks and the entire nation sat around the television at more or less the same time. today i don't know anyone who actually watches TV at the time it actually airs. less so do i know anyone who watches network television. might be entertaining to talk and read about, but i cannot imagine anyone under 50 could really give 2 hoots about roseanne reboot, no boot or otherwise. to me it's all just more noise.
2
In the 1990s, younger people didn’t condemn everything or every person we didn’t like or agree with, but neither did that mean that we embraced it. People had room to roam; you just had to find your space.
20
@Ed,
the only people everyone disliked in the 90's were Newt Gingrich and Ken Starr- and that was bi-partisan.
43
Thank you for pointing it out so well and highlighting a real-life example of why so many people are devastated by "disagreements" right now:
"the schisms in America right now aren’t just about politics... They’re also about decency and empathy and dehumanization. ... you can’t simply agree to disagree about [these moral lines]. You have to make a choice."
It's important that we see our way to stopping unacceptable behavior while maintaining pluralistic space loud and clear. We need a genuine, ongoing national conversation about what a pluralistic society requires - and a shot in the arm of civics education to help inoculate us.
59
@ZenShkspr
Nicely put. Thank You.
1
"Not-much-of-a-spoiler alert: Roseanne is dead."
So was John Goodman's character when the show ended the first time but they brought him back for the new season. Go figure.
America has a short attention span and short memory, and moves onto the next new shiny object pretty quickly. So don't be surprised if The Conners continues, and Roseanne is forgiven by her fans, she will somehow return to the show. Stranger things have happened on TV in America. Stay tuned.
5
@Larry Dipple People were not so wired in and in this case -emotionally too. If she returned it would be a slap in the face to those who deal with the epidemic of drug abuse. Rosanne's death makes beautiful sense as the tragic addict who could not recover. The story now shows how a family reels from the aftermath. It's not a slaphappy return set up and it hopefully can help others who are in the same situation to get help.
22
@Larry Dipple, Yeah, she returns mysteriously from the Betty Ford rehab clinic.
It’s a train wreck. Disney owned this property and wants to squeeze the last few bucks out of it, but the talented actors need to go on to better work and the non actors need to quit the business. This show is Rosanne’s vision of a family even if they’ve written her out of the story. Like Archie Bunker’s Place after Edith died or After MASH after the stars left the original, this derivative and debased work needs to die a quick death. Rosanne was unusual in that it tried to represent Middle American values, but the spin off is straight up Hollyweird.
20
@Rick
Somewhat similar to when NBC replaced "Friends" with "Joey". It didn't last two seasons with viewership plummeting and unaired episodes left in the can.
5
@Rick
Actually the MASH analogy is incorrect. It was remarkable for rotating out some very important characters and bringing in others who were different but worked well (sort of like the army?). And when it ended, it ended - and a huge swath of the US watched,
13
This was one of the best episodes of network sitcom television I have seen in years. The loss of Roseanne was treated in a thoughtful and tender way, and yet there were many laugh out loud moments, and the cast made it all work to perfection.
What I did not expect was the moments that made the show seem less like a sitcom and more like Richard Nelson’s amazing Apple Family plays, which were produced by the Public Theatre and later broadcast on PBS. The plays are also about a working class family, this one living in Rhinebeck, New York and their struggles in a changing world. That The Conners could at moments raise itself to this level was remarkable; you felt like you are in their kitchen and their home with them during a time of change and turmoil. The new show opens up many new possibilities, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.
71
The Conners tanked. Admit it. The show is nothing without Roseanne.
16
@Rose The Connors got a very good rating for a network primetime sitcom — only 1/3 off of the phenomenal premier of the first reboot is excellent by any standard, very very far from "tanked."
5
@Rose All the jokes mention Rosanne. ABC cannot delete Rosanne unless they delete her family. That is all they talked about. This is supposed to be a comedy. It was depressing.
1
@Rose,
without Rosanne, I can finally watch it. I couldn't get past her real life self.
1
I haven't watched it yet. But they killed her off? How original and refreshing, Hollywood. Well, by making such a mundane and easy choice, you didn't disappoint me.
4
Never was much of a Roseanne fan, but did watch the show last night. It was a sort of wake with a couple of jokes and a laugh track. I guess they had to find something of interest to explain her death. Killing her career with racist tweets just doesn't play that well as a plot theme. As far as my viewership, it's one and done.
9
The most insulting part of Roseanne’s character being killed off by an opioid overdose is that it’s just another easy way to cash in on other people’s misery.
Roseanne walked in front of a bus. The ending writes itself.
14
@ubique - Yes, or how about a gun accident? That would be just as topical as an opioid overdose, but no...it would have offended their buddies down at the NRA.
2
One has to wonder what African Americans, Asian Americans and the like think of white Americans when they don't tweet it. I'm pretty sure they as a group are not as guilt free as everyone would like to believe.
8
@Margo Channing You're comment implies that Roseanne's tweet was typical of what white Americans think about African-Americans, which is, to be polite, false.
Families deal with addiction, tragedy and death every day. The death of Roseanne Conner by way of an overdose is, sadly, no different from what is actually happening to too many families throughout this country. This first episode of "The Conners" did a good job with this subject, buoyed up, as always, by the phenomenal Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman. If this show has a future beyond this initial season, it will be largely due to this talented pair who finally have the chance to work uneclipsed by Ms. Barr.
53
'It took the example of the real-life Barr to point out that the schisms in America right now aren’t just about politics... They’re also about decency and empathy and dehumanization.'
Brilliant analysis.
Yes, many of us are enraged over the man in the Oval Office and this sad reality show we can't turn off, but when all is said and done, we're more distraught over America's loss of 'decency and empathy and dehumanization.'
Those who created this first episode of 'The Conners,' figured it out succinctly and took the show above the hyperbole and outrage. Bravo to everyone involved.
95
This article rests the decision to fire Barr solely on "Rosanne's racism." That was not my understanding of the situation and it creates unnecessary incendiary reactions. Ms. Barr has acted the role of provocateur her entire career. Sometimes, her blunt viewpoints have been handled skillfully and even the people who disagree with her politics can appreciate a gifted comedian's ability to craft a superior joke. (I know I can.) Other times, her worse nature gets the better of her. In those situations, her humor doesn't ring as funny or people don't see humor at all. ABC needs to behave like any other business. They pay Ms. Barr to be as funny and engaging to as many people as she can. That's the way everyone makes money. But Ms. Barr pushed the envelope for decades. She was warned repeatedly. Then she blurted out a "joke" that was transparently insulting, not called for, not professional and drove viewers away. That's the reason she was fired. Were someone in my office to make the same "joke" and reduce the number of people walking in the door, they would have been fired immediately as well. I applaud ABC for finally treating rich, famous people the same way us "little folks" get treated our whole careers. I am saddened that people like Ms. Barr feel they are above the rules of polite communication and professionalism. But is she herself racist? I don't think any of us have the right to say yes or no. We can only react to her actions.
33
@Claudia Unadvised
Fine. Then her "actions" were racist. A critical part of the situation was also that a woman of color was in a position of power at Disney and able to do something about that racist action. She did more than "push the envelope" in this case. She sided with white supremacists and Islamophobic bigots.
1
I was a big fan of the original show; it seemed like the only show to deal with working-class America. And I supported Ms. Barr up to season 1 of the revival.
But I couldn't bring myself to watch it after reading the reviews.
And that was vindicated by Ms. Barr's subsequent behavior.
Given what they were presented with, I think the writers of this season's premiere did an excellent job.
The show is full of talented actors and writers.
I look forward to the rest of the season.
I am very pleased with "The Conners."
40
I thought The Conners first episode was an excellent re-booting of the show. It was touching, funny, sad, and engaging. It was great to see so many of the original supporting cast members, especially Estelle Parsons, as well as seeing Mary Steenburgen in an guest role. I think the show can continue to be a hit without Ms. Barr; the cast is one of the best on TV (network or streaming) and the writers seem to be right on point. As a long time fan who felt betrayed by her outrageous behavior of recent, I was surprised by how little I missed her presence on the show. She was never the 'star' of this sitcom - she was just the lead in an excellent ensemble. And that ensemble can keep on telling important stories with humor and dignity without her. I look forward to seeing how the show develops, and if there is any justice, it will continue for many more seasons without it's incendiary founder.
73
@Mark H.
"I think the show can continue to be a hit without Ms. Barr; the cast is one of the best on TV (network or streaming)"
With the possible exception of Metcalf and Goodman the cast of The Conners (and the writing) doesn't come anywhere near close to other current shows like Barry, Better Call Saul, the new Twin Peaks, Shameless, The Handmaid's Tale, The Deuce, The Durrells in Corfu, Poldark, Father Brown, The Big Bang Theory, Blackish, and Modern Family to name just a few.
I have been a long-time Roseanne fan (er, the show...), and felt producers/writers/actors did an outstanding job with The Conners premier episode. The cause of Roseanne's death is emblematic of a national crisis we are now facing. The show has always sought relevance in terms of the real-life challenges faced by the middle class, and this theme was true to that goal. Not to mention plausible in terms of Roseanne, both the character and actual person. The writing was excellent, as was the acting not only by Goodman and Metcalf who are outstanding, but also by Goranson. In some ways, the show is better. More group members are interacting more.
95
Well written and acted, I laughed and shed a tear with Jackie and Darlene in the kitchen. It was very funny like the original show, and these characters are still likable. I don't like the regular formula infused sitcoms, and the Conners is not one of those so, I will watch it every week. Thanks ABC for bringing it back!
84