San Diego Comic-Con inches further away from its purest comic book and sci-fi roots each year with the inclusion of shows and movies spanning every genre, but one showcase at this year’s fan event was particularly head-scratching: a tribute to 1990s sitcom Roseanne, starring controversial comedian Roseanne Barr.
Outside the convention center where the bulk of panels take place during the four-day event, there are activations — industry speak for brand promotional displays — that pop up all over the neighborhood. There are activations for Jurassic Park, NBC’s Quantum Leap, Disney’s Haunted Mansion movie, and even a celebration of the 25th anniversary of That ’70s Show. But while the latter nearly erased the presence of problematic star Danny Masterson, several blocks up the street Cozi TV was fully leaning into another with its ode to Barr, who just last month had a podcast episode removed from YouTube for violating the streamer’s anti-hate speech policy.
Cozi TV, a multicast network owned by NBCUniversal, put on a free outdoor interactive display to celebrate “30 years of Roseanne,” which premiered 35 years ago although the exhibition mostly focused on one particular episode that did air 30 years ago.
Roseanne season 5, episode 15, “Lanford Daze,” which aired on Jan. 26, 1993, centered around the Lanford Days celebration and featured late country legend Loretta Lynn, who performed a duet with Barr over the closing credits. The replica of Roseanne’s local hometown festival in San Diego was complete with carnival games, the Lunch Box Diner’s signature loose meat sandwiches, and a giant inflatable replica of the show’s iconic couch.
Roseanne premiered in 1988 on ABC and ran for nine seasons, earning four Emmy Awards (one for Barr and three for costar Laurie Metcalf), three Golden Globes (one for Barr, one for costar John Goodman, and one for the series itself), and even a Peabody.
Although Barr herself remained a controversial figure over the years, ABC launched a revival of the sitcom in 2018 with Barr and Goodman among those reprising their roles, but canceled it after a successful season in response to its star posting a racist tweet attacking former President Barack Obama’s senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Months later, the network announced a spin-off sitcom, The Conners, with all the same cast members except Barr, whose character was killed off via opioid overdose in the season premiere. The Conners has been renewed for a sixth season.
