History Series / Roseanne

* TheCastShowoff: John Goodman is an adept impressionist, as seen on his countless SaturdayNightLive appearances. This was worked into the show fairly often, with Dan launching into impressions of anybody from De Niro and Brando to TheThreeStooges to JuliaChild.

** JerassRealization: Darlene went through this over the course of a few episodes after her break-up with David. She realized she felt closer to David than anyone and how much she hurt him by dumping him, as well as how badly she treated him. It didn't help that her new boyfriend dumped her for treating him the way she treated David.

* OedipusRex: Dan has very serious, unresolved issues with his father throughout the show's run. It doesn't help when Conner Sr. marries one of Roseanne's friends and has a kid with her.

Popular sitcom that ran from 1988 to 1997 on {{ABC}}. It focused on the trials of the working-class Conner family. There was mother Roseanne (Roseanne Barr); father Dan (John Goodman in [[StarMakingRole the role that made him famous]]); preppy daughter Becky (originally played by Lecy Goranson, and taken over by Sarah Chalke -- one of the most famous instances of TheOtherDarrin outside of [[Series/{{Bewitched}} Darrin]] himself); sarcastic daughter Darlene (Sara Gilbert); son D.J. (Michael Fishman); and Roseanne's younger sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf).

Probably the TropeCodifier for the DysfunctionalFamily on American TV (although it might be safer to say it shares the title with ''Series/MarriedWithChildren''.) The Conners were generally stable but were still prone to dealing with domestic arguments, problematic neighbors, daughters who seemed to [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys like bad boys]] and taking in a kid whose home life was far worse than theirs. The Healey brothers, Mark (Glenn Quinn) and David (Johnny Galecki) were added to the show as long time boyfriends to Becky and Darlene, eventually marrying them. The show was also noted for a welcome subversion to the UglyGuyHotWife rule.

Has [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/Roseanne character sheet]].

* AbusiveParents: Mark and David's mother, especially to poor David. Roseanne's father was physically abusive to his daughters. Dan's mother was also (literally) insane, and his father was a traveling salesman who was rarely home. You'd have an easier time finding parents who ''aren't'' abusive on this show; even Roseanne herself has an episode where, in a fit of anger, she strikes DJ, and then panics over it because she very badly doesn't want to be the kind of parent her father was.

** Her waitress job at the restaurant in Rodbell's had some tones of this as well. The ridiculous costume for starters, and her boss Leon seemed to enjoy making them suffer (when the restaurant finally went under, he told them that management had phased out those horrible uniforms years before.)

* CallBack: In the pilot episode Dan and Roseanne have a fight about how Dan doesn't do anything around the house, leading to this exchange.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Virtually everyone who didn't live in the house completely disappeared without explanation by the end, neighbors, best friends, rather important characters. Although sometimes justified at least one neighbor moved away, and coworkers lost touch because of the main characters getting a new job.

** Jackie's husband/ex-husband Fred stopped appearing altogether a couple episodes after they divorced, although was occasionally referenced as taking care of their infant son in various episodes. Like other characters, his absence in the face of the Conners winning the lottery(including his best friend and boss Dan, his ex-wife Jackie and his infant *son* Andy) is nigh-inexplicable.

** The name change is especially odd because although rarely used, "David Jacob" was already DJ's full name. In one episode one of his sisters actually just called him "David!" while yelling at him.

** A particularly bad example happened with Mark. Originally a leather-jacket-clad greaser bad boy who wasn't booksmart, but always seemed sharp and was shown to be even better than Dan at fixing motorcycles. After marrying Becky and returning to the show he became an idiotic dope/manchild who routinely shocked the rest of the characters with his lack of sense. Only when teaching David how to tie a bowtie before the latter's wedding at the end of Season 8 did Mark's original stoic, streetsmart badboy persona get one last moment in the spotlight.

* {{Killed Off for Real}} [[spoiler: Dan, revealed in the final episode he really did die from his heart attack. All episodes from that point onward were just fantasies dream up by Roseanne for her book.]]

** Darlene is quite the bitch about it too. Her interfering with the operation of Roseanne's diner--the chief source of income for the family--doesn't help her case at all.

* NestedStoryReveal: [[spoiler:In the season 2 finale, Dan builds Roseanne an office in which she can realize her dream of becoming a writer. In the final episode, it's revealed that the entire series has been based on a semi-autobiographical story she's been writing in the office. In the story, [[FixFic she's changed a number of details about her life that she didn't like]], while in reality, Dan actually died from his heart attack during Darlene's wedding; Darlene actually married Mark, while Becky married David; her sister, rather than her mother, was a lesbian; and Roseanne didn't win the lottery.]] This is seen by some fans as brilliant, but by others as a desperate attempt at a {{Retcon}} to justify some of the series' poorly-received plot lines (particularly in latter seasons). So it's not entirely played straight, but NotASubversion either.

** And a [[{{YetAnotherChristmasCarol}} Halloween Carol]], warning against apathy and grumpiness rather than greed.

Probably the TropeCodifier for the DysfunctionalFamily on American TV. The Conners were generally stable but were still prone to dealing with domestic arguments, problematic neighbors, daughters who seemed to [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys like bad boys]] and taking in a kid whose home life was far worse than theirs. The Healey brothers, Mark (Glenn Quinn) and David (Johnny Galecki) were added to the show as long time boyfriends to Becky and Darlene, eventually marrying them. The show was also noted for a welcome subversion to the UglyGuyHotWife rule.

* ProgressivelyPrettier: Roseanne was never straight-up ugly, but she was very overweight as a hard-working blue collar Midwestern woman, personal appearance was fairly low on her list of priorities. However, as the seasons wore on, Roseanne the actress began to wear much more flattering hair and makeup, lost a bunch of weight, and combined with her real life surgeries, her looks definitely improved.

** [[WelcomeToTheDollhouse Dawn Weiner]] plays DJ's girlfriend in the final season.

* WholePlotReference: The 9th Season's Halloween episode(/AbsolutelyFabulous crossover) was one elaborate RosemarysBaby shout-out.

** Crystal, one of Jackie and Roseanne's closest childhood friends gets married again to Dan's father Ed and she vanished from the show pretty quick. Becoming more of TheGhost up until the end of the series where she actually had one last appearance during Roseanne's baby shower. Why neither her nor Dan's father appeared at later notable events like their grandaughter/honorary niece Darlene's ''wedding'' or following the Conner's lottery win is a mystery.

* {{Housewife}}: Roseanne

* AbusiveParents: Mark and David's mother, especially to poor David. Roseanne's father was physically abusive to his daughters. Dan's mother was also (literally) insane, and his father was a traveling salesman who was rarely home.

* TrueLoveIsBoring: Zig-zagged in a way. Since we later learn that the series proper was a story-within-a-story told by Roseanne, and she changed the details about her own life she didn't like, it would seem she thought it certainly ''wasn't'' boring. However, played straight with the actually series finale itself, where we learn that her husband died a long time ago.

** Crystal, one of Jackie and Roseanne's closest childhood friends gets married again to Dan's father and she vanished from the show pretty quick. Becoming more of TheGhost up until the end of the series where she actually had one last appearance during Roseanne's baby shower.

* AuthorAvatar: Being originally based on Barr's work as a stand-up comedian, this show screams it, almost from day one. By the time she has bought into her own media hype, it all but beats you over the head with its self-indulgence.

* ProgressivelyPrettier: Sort of. Roseanne was never supposed to be ugly, but as a hard-working blue collar Midwestern woman, personal appearance was fairly low on her list of priorities. However, as the seasons wore on, Roseanne the actress began to wear more flattering hair and makeup, and combined with her real life surgeries, her looks definitely improved.

* TheOtherDarrin: With unabashed LampshadeHanging. When Lecy Goranson left the show for school, Becky was written out, but eventually returned played by Sarah Chalke. Later still, Goranson returned. Then Chalke was brought in ''again'', all the way until the finale.

** Happened especially with Mark, who went from leather-jacket-clad greaser bad boy to a dorkier, dumber ForrestGump.

*** It should be noted that some of these have RealitySubtext behind them; in RealLife, Glenn Quinn (Mark) passed away in 2002, Sara Gilbert (Darlene) has come out as a lesbian, and Johnny Galecki (David) is (attempting) to [[TheBigBangTheory date a woman younger than he is.]]

* WholePlotReference: One Halloween was one elaborate RosemarysBaby shout-out.

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Aside from episodes centered on Roseanne's comically insane mood-swings, Darlene's first period, and a pregnancy scare, periods are pretty much the domain of cheap jokes.

** An early episode has Crystal lamenting her dead husband, Sonny, and wondering what her life would have been like if he'd lived. Once she leaves the room, Roseanne hugs Dan tenderly, and [[FunnyAnyeurysmMoment jokingly ponders what her life would have been like if Dan had lived.]]

** An early episode has Crystal lamenting her dead husband, Sonny, and wondering what her life would have been like if he'd lived. Once she leaves the room, Roseanne hugs Dan tenderly, and [[FunnyAnyeurismMoment jokingly ponders what her life would have been like if Dan had lived.]]

** Mother and daughter are ''both'' bitches about their POV on the issue. Darlene interfering with the operation of Roseanne's diner (the chief source of income for the family) doesn't help her case at all.

-->Becky (Chalke), while watching ''{{Bewitched}}'': I like the ''second'' Darrin much better.

Popular sitcom that ran from 1988 to 1997 on {{ABC}}. It focused on the trials of the working-class Conner family. There was mother Roseanne (Roseanne Barr); father Dan (John Goodman in [[StarMakingRole the role that made him famous]]); preppy daughter Becky (originally played by Lecy Goranson, and taken over by Sarah Chalke -- one of the most famous instances of TheOtherDarrin outside of [[{{Bewitched}} Darrin]] himself); sarcastic daughter Darlene (Sara Gilbert); son D.J. (Michael Fishman); and Roseanne's younger sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf).