While we still have some months left to go in 2017, some TV fans already have their calendars flipped to 2018 in anticipation for the big primetime return of the classic sitcom Roseanne. And because ABC knows just how much hubbub is surrounding the comedy's big comeback, the network has released a smile-filled first look at the cast and crew together behind the scenes for a table read. Check it out!
There are some pretty big takeaways here, so let's start off with all the familiar faces we see. On the left side of the table, we have Roseanne vets Laurie "Aunt Jackie" Metcalf, Michael "D.J." Fishman and the star herself, Roseanne Barr. All three of them appear to be having a great time, smiling and laughing at what is hopefully dialogue from the show, and not just what Fishman's hair used to look like. And on the right side, we have John "Dan" Goodman, Lecy "Becky #1" Goranson, and the backs of Sara "Darlene" Gilbert and Sarah "Becky #2" Chalke, with the latter taking on a non-Becky role for the revival.
There are only a couple of new faces here -- as far as on-screen talent goes -- and those include Ames Mcnamara, who will be playing David and Darlene's son Mark, as well as Jayden Rey, who is reportedly going to play D.J.'s daughter. Though unseen in the pic above, other Roseanne newcomer (and Shameless star) Emma Kenney is also at the table read next to Metcalf. Kenney, who will play David and Darlene's daughter Harris, shared another pic of the group on social media, which you can see below, complete with Sarah Chalke and Sara Gilbert's faces.
There are obviously lots of other people at that table read that aren't show stars, including executive producers Bruce Helford, Tony Hernandez and Whitney Cummings (among others), but there's also a glaring absence that is impossible not to talk about. Missing from the table is Johnny "David Healy" Galecki, whose involvement with the eight-episode Roseanne revival is still not fully confirmed yet, seeing as how he has that other sitcom The Big Bang Theory taking up a lot of his time. Here's hoping that he'll get to make it to every other table read in the future. Or even that he's just hiding under the table.
The premiere episode for Roseanne's new mini-season will be called "20 Years to Life," and it'll be skipping over some of the plot points that were laid out in Season 9, particularly Dan's death-by-heart-attack, and the fact that the entire series was supposedly Roseanne Conner's memoirs. The new stories are set to shine a light on the trials and tribulations of modern day blue-collar families, and we can't wait to see what happens.
Roseanne doesn't yet have a locked-down debut, but fans can expect it to hit ABC at some point in early 2018. Until then, check out everything that is definitely coming to the small screen soon with our fall TV premiere schedule.
