Roseanne reboot watched by 18 million in US

The show sees the return of Roseanne Barr, alongside John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, and Lecy Goranson.

ABC’s reboot of Roseanne saw an estimated 18.4 million tuning into its debut.

The sitcom, starring Roseanne Barr, returned more than two decades after the original ended its run. With its focus on the Conners, an Illinois working-class family, the series became the most watched television show in the United States from 1989 to 1990.

A nine-episode tenth season revival is now hitting screens, with the original cast having returned; the hour-long debut was watched by 10% more viewers than the May 1997 finale of the original Roseanne.

NBC’s Will & Grace, for comparison, made a return with its original cast last year to a debut audience of 10.1 million viewers and the show was quickly renewed for a second and third season.

Roseanne also boasted an estimated audience growth from the first half-hour (18 million) to the second (18.9 million), a good sign the show’s retaining its audience, though future episodes will be just a half-hour.

Alongside Barr, the revival also sees the return of John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, and Lecy Goranson.

The debut saw a familial clash take place as Roseanne emerges as a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, while her sister Jackie (Metcalf) despises him. Barr says she thought it was important to show how the Conners deal with same issues many American families are currently facing.

“It shows people’s different opinions and how they resolve them,” Barr, who herself supports Trump, said at the show’s New York premiere on Monday.

“I saw it happening in all the families I know, so I thought, ‘Well this is, you know, it’s good, hopefully it will get people talking to each other.’”

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