If you were a fan of television in the nineties, chances are you watched your fair share of Roseanne just like the rest of us. Sitting down with the blue-collar Conner family every night wasn’t just a chance to laugh at the sarcastic barbs thrown between the characters – it was an opportunity to relate to a ground-breaking on-screen family that lived a relatively unremarkable life with remarkable unashamed self-awareness and humour.
The best part of each episode however, was the opening title sequence, which captured the family in all their glory, parked around the kitchen table of the beloved family home.
Each season the table settings would change, showing the close-knit family enjoying everything from takeaway deep fried chicken, to playing a game of cards. But no matter what the scenario or the season, one thing always remained the same: the genuine emotions and almost-spontaneous reactions of each character.
Yep, we would have done anything to score a seat at that table, and thankfully, that hasn’t changed. In the new opening sequence, the Connors are just as happy, daggy, and sincere as we remember the first time we met them in 1988. Oh, and the saxophone? It’s still there, as well as Roseanne’s cackle at the end of the sequence.
There’s only one major difference besides the noticeable weight loss of both Roseanne and Dan, and that is the welcomed introduction of new characters in the form of the next generation. Yes, that’s how long it’s been – we’re talking about grand kids now.
Feel both old and young with the clip below.
Roseanne’s revisited opening sequence gives credence to the idea that reboots don’t need to reinvent the wheel to be successful or impactful. Roseanne doesn’t need to be groundbreakingly different or offer something new to entice viewers – in fact a blue-collar family trying to find happiness and financial security in the current economic and political climate sounds pretty on-par with most households in the world right now. It’s at the essence of what the show is about – a family defined by the reality of their own economic situation. And we get that – even from the first camera pan around the table.
“We like our kids being poor so that they don’t clash with the furniture!”.——Roseanne Connor @RoseanneOnABC @therealroseanne pic.twitter.com/A6ZkqgPZ3K
— Larry Ferguson (@MrNashvilleTalk) March 10, 2018
By embracing its roots and returning with the original cast and premise, Roseanne has managed to tap into the current dialog and discourse, while keeping fans happy.
I had no doubt it would be great. With the original cast you cant go wrong!
— Robert I (@MrBob0117) March 9, 2018
I can't wait for @RoseanneOnABC it's gonna be like a family reunion. Actually I'll be more excited by this then seeing some of my actual relatives. @therealroseanne @sarahgilbert01 #ivealwaysbeendarlene #finally
— Jillian Horgan (@1JillyBean2many) March 5, 2018
Roseanne will return to screens as a 9-episode season on March 27, with each one acting as a standalone episode. Besides a great opening sequence, the show will even include Wanda Sykes as a consulting producer.
.@IAmWandaSykes on @RoseanneOnABC: "They were a Midwestern family who have limited means, and you don't see that a lot on TV … when the Conners came on, it was like, 'Here are real people talking about real problems'" https://t.co/0FOhZK2nBG pic.twitter.com/p1qNzvCh20
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 21, 2018
The revival is set to tackle hot topics of the moment, including gender fluidity, politics, health care, and of course, Trump. And while many viewers no doubt have an opinion on the personal politics or Roseanne Barr, it can’t be denied that Roseanne the character, has always been a humanist and feminist icon, with a liberal view of the world.
Let’s just hope above all else, that this hasn’t changed.