Roseanne, an iconic hit sitcom that ran on ABC from 1988 to 1997, could be coming back to TV with its original cast and producers.
Deadline Hollywood first reported Friday that a revival of Roseanne Barr’s comedy is being shopped in Hollywood as a limited series. USA TODAY has confirmed that news with a person familiar with the situation but unauthorized to speak publicly about it
ABC and Netflix, the home of original-cast updates of Gilmore Girls and Full House, are said to be among the potential bidders for the show, according to Deadline.
Star and executive producer Barr and fellow cast members John Goodman and Sara Gilbert are reportedly on board, with others are in talks, Deadline says. Barr would be joined by two original executive producers, Tom Werner and Bruce Helford, with Helford and Whitney Cummings handling day-to-day oversight of the show.
One original star, Johnny Galecki, has his contemporary top-rated sitcom, CBS’s The Big Bang Theory.
Roseanne drew big ratings and critical praise for its groundbreaking look at a working-class Illinois family, the Conners, at a time when affluent clans were more the rule for sitcoms. A revival would seem to dovetail with increased talk about the entertainment industry reaching out more to middle-class and blue-collar audiences in the wake of the 2016 presidential election.
Another pioneering hit sitcom, Will & Grace, is set to return at NBC next season as a limited series featuring the original cast.
