Review rated by 5 Ciao members on average: helpful
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Roseanne first aired in the US in 1988 and in the UK in 1989. It is now gaining a second wind on the Paramount Channel. The sit com looks into the day to day life of the Connor family, a blue collar, larger than life family living in Langford Illinois. The leader of the clang was Roseanne the (originally) roly poly, wise cracking, cackling mother. Roseanne was married to Dan, a construction worker. The couple originally had three children:- the surly and sarcastic Darlene, the prissy Becky and their son D.J. Towards the end of the series their fourth son Jerry was born. Along with the three children Roseanne managed the life of her younger (slightly unstable) sister Jackie. Roseanne was one America's first sit-coms to show a different side of family life. The Connor's struggled with money problems and the issues that having a family brought to them. Roseanne Barr played the part to perfection, although her appearance changed during the course of the show due to weight loss and cosmetic surgery. John Goodman's chemistry with Barr was spot on. Laurie Metcalf as Jackie and Sara Gilbert as Darlene also added integral comic value to the series. Towards the end of the series the Connors won the lottery and the series started to lose the plot slightly. The storylines became exaggerated and the comic acting a little hammy. This was explained in the last ever episode by Roseanne herself. She explained how the series had actually been 'the novel', she was encouraged to write by her husband and children early on in the shows life. Roseanne explained the lottery win as her form of escapism when Dan had died of a heart attack, in her 'real' life. All in all 'Roseanne' is worth catching a second glimse of. However the early episodes are by far the best and capture the true essence of what the show is really about.
25.02.2005 18:33
I've only seen a few episodes but i've loved them.