After the surprisingly huge success earned by NBC's Will & Grace revival, which has already been twice renewed for Seasons 2 and 3, the pressure is on ABC to deliver an equally enjoyable and nostalgic voyage with Roseanne's long-awaited return to primetime. ABC initially gave Roseanne an eight-episode order, later upping that count to nine, but fans are already eager to learn whether or not the sitcom will continue on for more seasons beyond this limited batch. According to Roseanne Barr herself, everyone would be down for another round or two, if not more.
We all want to definitely [do more seasons]. We had such a blast. And it was just so fun to be together again. We remember all the old jokes and all the old things that we used to do, and they were so funny and still fun.
You're not going to find a bigger seal of approval for more Roseanne seasons than the star herself saying she and other are ready and willing to make the Conner family a more permanent TV fixture again. Every story and detail that has come out about the Roseanne revival's production has been imbued with joy and appreciation, and it's clear that bringing these nine episodes to life was an honor for the entire cast and crew. So it's only natural that they would want to keep that streak of laugh-filled happiness going for as long as possible.
Of course, just because the sitcom's namesake wants more seasons doesn't mean that ABC is going to start handing out renewals willy nilly. TV is a business, after all, and the dollar signs involved are the kinds that the Conner family would only see in a now-mostly-retconned ninth season in which they won the lottery. Roseanne Barr shared her desire for more seasons during the sitcom's panel at Paley Fest. There, THR caught up with executive producer Tom Werner, who was equally positive about Roseanne lasting longer than just a single revival season.
I'll let the audience decide that. But the cast had a really great time. I'm hopeful that the audience will respond to the episodes and I think that it would be a pleasure to do more episodes.
Basically, Tom Werner is implying that the more people there are watching Roseanne's revival on a weekly basis, the more likely ABC execs will be to engage in season renewal conversations. There are plenty of places for this series to go in the future (where we might get to see some of the revival's missing faces), so no one should skip out on watching and then try to complain when ABC cites low ratings before canceling it.
Roseanne will make its grand return to ABC's primetime lineup on Tuesday, March 27, at 8:00 p.m. ET, and it's a one-hour special presentation, so don't go changing the channel at 8:30. To see when all the other new and returning shows are popping up, head to our midseason premiere schedule.
