The double life of Becky Conner.
On a long-running television show, it’s common for a character to be played by different actors. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Aunt Viv was originally played by Janet Hubert until Daphne Maxwell Reid took over in Season 4 till the series finale. Reggie Mantle of Riverdale was played by Ross Butler for the first season, with Charles Melton taking over the role from Season 2 onward. And for Roseanne, Becky was brought to life by two different actors: Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke. However, unlike other shows, keeping track of who played Becky at what point in the series can be a challenge.
Goranson was the original Becky from Season 1 to Season 5. But due to Goranson leaving the show to attend Vassar College, Goranson isn’t in many episodes of the fifth season. In order to write Becky out of the show so Goranson could attend college, Becky and Mark (Glenn Quinn) elope and move to Minneapolis, Minnesota, as Mark has been offered a good job there. Goranson’s departure from the series created a pivotal character change for Becky. Before the fifth season, Becky was an academically-minded pupil who planned on eventually attending college, so her sudden decision to drop out of high school and move to another state felt out of line with the girl who used to care so much about getting A’s.
A revival of the popular 1990s sitcom “Roseanne”, which centered on the everyday life of an American working-class family.
Sarah Chalke Became the New Becky in Season 6 of ‘Roseanne’
After the fifth season, the producers decided that they would need someone to replace Goranson. The new Becky would eventually be Sarah Chalke. For Chalke, her ascension from an actor just starting out to being a main character on one of the biggest shows on television happened quickly. Before landing the role of Becky, Chalke had limited acting experience, mainly in small roles in TV, films and in Canadian shows. On an episode of the podcast, Life Is Short with Justin Long, Chalke went into detail about what it was like being cast as Becky.
She was only 16 when she got the role, beating out six other actors for the part. When the actors in contention for the role were dwindling, Tom Arnold called Chalke and asked her if she had plans to attend college — a concern for the producers since Goranson left her role to go to school. Even though Chalke wanted to go to college, she told Arnold no, knowing that she would have jeopardized her chances had she said yes. Ironically, Goranson went to college with Justin Long.
When she read with Roseanne Barr for her audition, Barr was surprised to learn that Chalke was actually 16, thinking that Chalke was lying about her age. The following Monday, after Chalke had landed the role, her entire high school knew that she would be the new Becky Conner. Come Tuesday, Chalke received a call from the producers telling her that they were going to pause bringing her on the show and wait four months because they were still uncertain if they wanted to replace Becky. Chalke was paid $10,000 to wait four months to see if her entering the show as Becky would be finalized. And since you’re reading this article about the show having two actors play Becky, we know that things worked out for Chalke.
Chalke made her first appearance as Becky in the ninth episode of Season 6, “Homecoming.” At the end of the episode, the Conners are watching television together when Roseanne says, “I cannot believe they replaced that Darrin.” (Referencing Bewitched). Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) interjects, “It was a hit show. They knew they could get away with anything.” Then Chalke’s Becky responds with “Well, I like the second Darrin much better,” being met with suspicious glances from across the living room. Chalke would go on to play Becky for the rest of Seasons 6 and 7.
Goranson and Chalke Swapped As Becky Multiple Times
For Roseanne’s eighth season, Goranson was brought back to play Becky, but Chalke would still fill in for the role when Goranson had a scheduling conflict with college. Chalke also appeared in an episode of the eighth season as a different character. The episode was one of the Halloween ones the series was known for, “Halloween: The Final Chapter.” The Conners are gathered in the living room playing with a Ouija board when trick-or-treaters come to the door. Their chaperone is none other than Chalke. When Mark sees Chalke as a character other than Becky, he proclaims, “This is like déjà vu all over again.” When Chalke’s character leaves, Roseanne says, “Gee, I wish we had a daughter that sweet.” However, Goranson did not reprise her role as Becky for the ninth season, which led to Chalke coming back to play Becky for the rest of the series’ original run.
The constant shuffling of Beckys became a joke for the series to play with. There was an episode where a grown-up DJ played by John Goodman is talking to a psychiatrist about Becky, “They say she’s the same, but she isn’t the same.” At the end of the first episode of the eighth season, “Shower the People You Love with Stuff,” Roseanne made a reference to The Patty Duke Show, a show with a premise of two cousins who are identical. For the Roseanne version, both Goranson and Chalke recreated the intro of The Patty Duke Show but changed the lyrics:
“Meet Lecy, the one you use to see”/ “From ‘88 to ‘93”/ “But Sarah came and took her place”/ “Because she had a similar face”/ “That’s like on TV”/ “But they’re Beckys”/ “Nearly identical Beckys”/ “All the way”/ “One pair of matching actors”/ “But only one part to play”/ “Where Sarah loved the dopey Mark”/ “And wound up in a trailer park”/ “Ou Lecy showed some Lecy skills”/ “She wants a house that’s not on wheels”/ “What a crazy pair”/ “Still, they’re Beckys”/ “Nearly identical Beckys”/ “And you’ll find”/ “They walk alike, they talk alike”/ “Abruptly leave the show alike”/ “You could lose your mind”/ “When Becky make two of a kind”. William Schallert, who played the fathers on The Patty Duke Show, even made an appearance in the Roseanne version.
For the 2018 reboot, Roseanne brought back both of the actors. However, Goranson was cast as Becky, and Chalke was cast as Andrea, a woman who wants to hire Becky for surrogacy. With Goranson as Becky, the series cemented her status as Becky. After Barr’s infamous tweet, which led to the cancelation of Roseanne which created the spin-off The Conners, Goranson continued her role as Becky, and Chalke made a guest appearance as Andrea.
Becky Wasn’t the Only ‘Roseanne’ Role To Be Recast
However, Becky wasn’t the only main character who was recast on Roseanne. The pilot episode had a different actor playing DJ. Originally, Sal Barone was DJ for the first episode until Michael Fishman took over for the rest of the series. The pilot episode was filmed in 1988, but then the writers’ strike took place. By the time the strike ended and shows were being produced, Barone looked noticeably older. According to Sara Gilbert, she did not get along with Barone, so when Fishman was cast in his place, she made an effort to make sure they worked well together. Fishman also bares more of a resemblance to Roseanne than Barone did.
Though Chalke had the difficult task of being the second actor to portray a character, with audiences usually preferring the original, she has gone on to have a fruitful acting career. She was a main character on Scrubs, is the voice for Beth on Rick and Morty, and is currently starring on Firefly Lane. And Goranson continues to be the last Becky standing on The Conners. Both Beckys contributed something special to a series that was cherished by millions.
Roseanne is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
