48 Fun Facts About Roseanne

In which fictional Illinois town do the Conners live?

The Conners live in Lanford, a fictional blue-collar town in Illinois; the town stayed the setting through all nine original seasons, the 2018 revival and The Conners.

Which actor plays Dan Conner?

John Goodman plays Dan Conner; he earned seven Emmy nominations for the role without a win and took the 1993 Golden Globe for best actor in a TV comedy.

Who plays Roseanne's sister Jackie Harris?

Laurie Metcalf plays Jackie Harris; she won the supporting-actress comedy Emmy three years running, 1992 to 1994, and later voiced Andy's mom in Toy Story.

On what date did Roseanne premiere on ABC?

Roseanne premiered on ABC on October 18, 1988 with the episode 'Life and Stuff'; the original run closed nine seasons later in May 1997.

Who is credited as the creator of Roseanne?

Matt Williams is credited as creator of Roseanne; Carsey-Werner built the show around Barr's stand-up persona, and Williams left during the first season after clashes with her.

What phrase did Roseanne Barr popularise in her stand-up act, which became the basis for the character?

'Domestic goddess' was Roseanne Barr's stand-up tag line, honed in Denver clubs before her 1985 Tonight Show debut; the sitcom's housewife was built on that persona.

Where does Roseanne work when the series begins?

Roseanne starts the series on the line at Wellman Plastics alongside Jackie and Crystal; she quits in season one after a new foreman raises their quotas.

Which future movie star played Booker, Jackie's foreman boyfriend, in Roseanne's first season?

George Clooney played Booker Brooks, the factory foreman Jackie briefly dated, in Roseanne's 1988-89 first season, five years before ER made him a star.

What is the Conners' home address?

The Conners' address is 714 Delaware Street in Lanford; the living-room and kitchen sets were rebuilt to match the originals for the 2018 revival.

What does D.J. stand for in D.J. Conner's name?

D.J. stands for David Jacob; Michael Fishman played him from the second episode onward, through the 2018 revival and four seasons of The Conners.

Which two actresses played Becky Conner, the eldest Conner child, over the course of Roseanne?

Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke shared the role: Chalke filled in when Goranson's college schedule clashed with filming, and the show later joked openly about the swaps.

Which actress plays Darlene Conner?

Sara Gilbert plays Darlene Conner; she was 13 when the show began and later became the producer who drove the 2018 revival and The Conners.

Which future Big Bang Theory star played Darlene's boyfriend David Healy?

Johnny Galecki played David Healy from 1992 and went on to be Leonard on The Big Bang Theory, where Laurie Metcalf played Sheldon's mother.

Who plays Roseanne and Jackie's overbearing mother, Beverly Harris?

Estelle Parsons plays Beverly Harris; she had won the 1968 supporting-actress Oscar for Bonnie and Clyde two decades before joining the show.

Which comedian played Roseanne's boss Leon Carp?

Martin Mull played Leon Carp, Roseanne's fussy boss at the mall luncheonette and later her partner in the diner; Fred Willard played Leon's husband Scott.

In which season did Roseanne reach number one in the Nielsen ratings?

Roseanne reached number one in its second season (1989-90), tying The Cosby Show; it stayed in the Nielsen top four for six of its nine original seasons.

What business do Dan and Roseanne open in season four?

Dan opens a motorcycle repair shop, Lanford Custom Cycle, in season four; it folds within a season and he goes back to construction, drywalling the new prison outside town.

Which of these jobs does Jackie take up in season two?

Jackie becomes a police officer in season two after the academy; she later leaves the force and in season four takes up long-haul trucking instead.

What is the first name of the baby boy Roseanne has in season eight?

The baby is Jerry Garcia Conner, named for the Grateful Dead frontman who died in August 1995; Roseanne Barr's real pregnancy was written into season eight.

Whose baby is Crystal expecting when she marries in season three?

Crystal is expecting Ed Conner's baby; Dan's father, played by Ned Beatty, marries her in season three, and Dan is floored by the news.

In 'A Stash from the Past', whose 20-year-old marijuana does Roseanne find in the basement?

TV Guide ranked the episode number 21 on its list of the 100 greatest episodes.

In the season two episode 'Boo!', what do the Conners turn their house into?

In 'Boo!' the Conners turn their house into a Halloween 'Tunnel of Terror' while Roseanne and Dan compete to be Master of Horror; Halloween episodes became an annual tradition.

How much do the Conners win in the Illinois state lottery in season nine?

The Conners win $108 million in the state lottery in the season-nine opener; the rich-family storyline was widely panned and the season finished outside the Nielsen top 30.

What does the original 1997 finale reveal about the series?

Time called the two-parter 'off-the-rails loopy'; the 2018 revival quietly undid it.

According to the original finale, what had really happened to Dan?

The revival brought him back alive, with Dan reappearing after 'faking his death'.

Which band re-recorded the theme song, with added lyrics, for the ninth season?

Blues Traveler recorded the season-nine theme, with John Popper's harmonica and newly written lyrics replacing the instrumental used for the first eight seasons.

On Roseanne, what is draped over the Conner family's living-room sofa in every episode?

A crocheted granny-square afghan covers the sofa in every episode; the show's other signature prop is the octagonal kitchen table seen in the opening titles.

In which major Emmy category was Roseanne never nominated during its original run?

Roseanne was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in nine seasons, despite Emmy wins for Barr and Metcalf and seven lead-actor nominations for John Goodman.

In which year did both Barr and the actress playing Jackie win Emmys for the show?

In 1993 Roseanne Barr took the lead-actress comedy Emmy and Laurie Metcalf her second straight supporting win; Barr and John Goodman had both won Golden Globes that January.

Roseanne Barr's notorious July 1990 anthem came before a game of which baseball team?

Barr screeched the anthem before a San Diego Padres home game on July 25, 1990, then spat and grabbed her crotch in imitation of the players; President George H.W. Bush called it 'disgraceful'.

Which fellow comedian did Roseanne Barr marry in January 1990, taking his surname for the length of the marriage?

She became Roseanne Arnold after marrying Tom Arnold on January 20, 1990; he also played Dan's poker buddy Arnie on the show.

Where was Roseanne Barr born?

Roseanne Barr was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 3, 1952, and grew up there in a Jewish family before starting stand-up in Denver.

In 2012 Roseanne Barr ran for president as the nominee of which group?

Barr won the Peace and Freedom Party nomination in August 2012 after losing the Green Party's to Jill Stein; anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was her running mate.

How many viewers watched the 2018 revival premiere live and same-day?

The March 27, 2018 revival premiere drew 18.44 million live-plus-same-day viewers, a huge number for a sitcom; ABC renewed the show three days later, on March 30.

In the revival, what causes the year-long feud between the sisters?

Darlene engineers the reunion in the premiere.

In the revival, what is the name of army veteran D.J.'s young daughter?

D.J.'s daughter is Mary, played by Jayden Rey; his wife Geena is still deployed overseas when the revival begins.

On what date did ABC cancel Roseanne over Barr's tweet about Valerie Jarrett?

ABC cancelled Roseanne on May 29, 2018, hours after Barr's tweet about Valerie Jarrett; the spin-off The Conners was ordered weeks later without her.

How did The Conners explain the absence of Roseanne Conner?

She died of an opioid overdose, a choice Barr complained 'lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an otherwise happy family show'.

In which month and year did The Conners premiere on ABC?

The Conners premiered on ABC on October 16, 2018, five months after Roseanne's cancellation; it ran seven seasons, ending in April 2025.

Exterior shots of the Conner house were filmed in which Indiana city?

Evansville was the hometown of first-season producer Matt Williams, and the real house sits a few blocks from his alma mater, the University of Evansville.

Who played D.J. Conner in the pilot before Michael Fishman took over the role?

Sal Barone played D.J. in the pilot only; Michael Fishman took over from episode two. Gordon-Levitt later appeared as D.J.'s friend George and Masterson as Darlene's boyfriend Jimmy.

On Roseanne, what does Jackie name the son she gives birth to in season six?

Jackie names the boy Andy; the father is Fred, played by Michael O'Keefe, and Ellen DeGeneres later turned up as the couple's marriage counselor.

Which Oscar-winning actress played Bev's mother, Nana Mary?

Shelley Winters, a two-time supporting-actress Oscar winner (The Diary of Anne Frank, A Patch of Blue), played Nana Mary, Bev's sharp-tongued mother, recurring through the 1990s.

What is the name of the Lanford diner that Roseanne, Jackie and Nancy open in season five?

The Lunch Box was bankrolled by Bev, who later sold her share to Roseanne's old boss Leon out of spite; ABC recreated it as a pop-up at SXSW to promote the 2018 revival.

How did Dan's poker buddy Arnie make his startling debut on the show?

Arnie arrived in the season-two episode 'Five of a Kind' by planting a kiss on Roseanne; he later married Nancy in Las Vegas, then left her claiming aliens had abducted him.

In season eight, Dan spends his pension money taking the whole family where?

The trip had consequences: it was later revealed Darlene got pregnant while the family was there. Eric Dane appeared as a hotel bellhop.

Which prestigious broadcasting award did the series win in 1992?

Roseanne took a Peabody in 1992, after a People's Choice Award for Favorite New Comedy in 1989, and in 1993 won the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy Series.

In 2018, Barr said the show's fictional town was based on which real Illinois city?

Barr said in 2018 that Lanford was modelled on Elgin, Illinois, northwest of Chicago; early episodes had nominally placed the town in Fulton County, three hours from the city.