ABC Renews Roseanne Reboot Another Season, High Ratings

Photo: Courtesy of ABC

ABC has officially decided to renew the Roseanne reboot after an astonishing 18.2 million viewers tuned in on Tuesday, E! News reports.

The series, which is a continuation on the '80s original, tells the same story about Roseanne Conner's working-class family who struggle to make end's meet and grapple with the cultural and political changes happening in the United States. Instead of living in the Clinton era, the Conners are now surviving (yet, not thriving) in a world dominated by all things Donald J. Trump. And, just like the rest of the country, the family seems divided.

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Roseanne (both her character and the actress) whole-heartedly supports the 45th president, while her TV sister, Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) sports a pussy hat and passionately argues about what constitutes "real news." The decision to show the Conners engaging in classic Thanksgiving-table talk was quite calculated. ABC executives told The New York Times that they brought back the series in an effort to diversify their viewership.

"We had spent a lot of time looking for diverse voices in terms of people of color and people from different religions and even people with a different perspective on gender," Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment said. "But we had not been thinking nearly enough about economic diversity and some of the other cultural divisions within our own country. That's been something we've been really looking at with eyes open since [the 2016 election]."

This strategy seems to be working for some who feel that the "mainstream media" often overlooks working-class and/or conservative families. Even Trump seemed to appreciate the revival. A day after the premiere, he reportedly called Barr directly to congratulate her on her massive success.

?Congratulations .@therealroseanne ?

#Roseanne is getting another season!

We have Liberals and Conservatives in our Family who have argued for almost 2 years and are starting to come together with laughter.

Well done!
pic.twitter.com/DkKMj9QiKK
— ?? Patriot 24/7 ?? (@TT45Pac) March 30, 2018

@DiamondandSilk: ‘Roseanne’ is resonating with so many Americans because we’re ready to throw political correctness out the window, and she’s doing it! pic.twitter.com/RQqUSuf3WD
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) March 30, 2018

"The 'Roseanne' Reboot Is Funny
I'm going to Keep watching because it's about time snowflakes learn it's not just about them anymore.
— KevlarSteel?? (@kevlarsteel420) March 30, 2018

Hubby and I have found our new favorite show to watch together @therealroseanne thanks Roseanne! ❤️??
— Lori Hendry (@Lrihendry) March 30, 2018

Others, however, can't separate Barr's personal views (she's spread conspiracy theories and once dressed up as Hitler) from her character's. Some, like New York Times opinion columnist Roxane Gay have even claimed that the series attempts to normalize dangerous beliefs and actions.

1.) Spreading conspiracy theories about lizard people, pizza-shop-sex-dungeons, and lying about the survivor of a mass shooting are not opinions. They're lies.

2.) Why do totally bonkers people (Trump, Roseanne, like 90% of the trolls in my mentions) randomly capitalize words? pic.twitter.com/ArvImPyqUf
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) March 30, 2018

Roseanne is being praised for representing both sides on a network that didn't air Black-ish's episode on NFL players kneeling
— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) March 29, 2018

Roseanne's legacy should be tarnished like Cosby's, but a white woman spewing white supremacist values will always have a place in American pop culture.
— king crissle (@crissles) March 30, 2018

So, while the show may have done well on its first night back, it's unclear just how many viewers will stick around going forward. What does seem obvious, however, is that not even TV can mend these divisive times.

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ABC Renewed Roseanne Reboot For New Season

ABC Has Renewed The Roseanne Reboot For A New Season

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