Stream Review: Roseanne Reboot

What do you get when you take a “Fuller House”-style reboot of a classic sitcom and mix it with a little too much political humor? The “Roseanne” reboot on ABC.

Yes, that’s right, this classic sitcom that originally ran from 1988 to 1996 has officially come back with new episodes, not unlike other fan-favorites, like “Fuller House” and “Will and Grace.”

The series premiered on ABC on March 27, 2018 by airing two new episodes, back-to-back, and is set to continue until early May of this year. There are nine episodes ordered for the show’s current season, and an eleventh season has been ordered, consisting of 13 episodes.

The reboot of the series involves many of the show’s original actors, including Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Fishman, Sarah Gilbert, and Lecy Goranson. In addition, to poke fun at the fact that the show’s original run consisted of two different actresses playing Becky, Sarah Chalke will make recurring appearances in season 10 as Andrea, a friend of Becky’s.

The series still follows the Conners, a working-class family in Illinois, and many of the family members are around, in addition to new ones. Darlene, the middle daughter, has moved back into her childhood home with her teenaged daughter Harris and 10-year-old son Mark to help take care of her aging parents. DJ, the middle son, has just returned from serving in the military in Seria, and has a young daughter of his own, Mary. Becky, Dan and Roseanne’s oldest daughter, is planning to be a surrogate for her friend Andrea. The family’s youngest son, Jerry, is still serving in the military at the time of the season premiere. Roseanne’s sister, Jackie, also spends time with the family.

The new season of the series has received mixed reviews, but the ratings have been high enough for another season to be announced following this one. Some critics insist that the new series is too invested in politics, but others say that the addition of new characters and timely, relevant plotlines make the beloved family relatable to a new generation.

All this critic, who is enough a fan of the original series to own every season on DVD in a boxset, can say is that the reboot of the series is worth watching, especially if you were attached to the characters of the show’s original run.

New episodes of the series air at eight PM on ABC, and episodes can also be accessed on Hulu.