The New Roseanne, Without Roseanne

I watched The Conners last night. My husband was home, and he wanted to see it.

Eh. Not the worst show I've ever seen. Certainly, not the best.

Mediocre. Not funny. Some mild smile moments. No outright guffaws.

The actors are doing their jobs, the main ones, decently. The script sucks, and I mean that most sincerely. Both the dialogue (eh), and the plot (horrible).

If you're thinking about watching it in re-runs, stop here.

Roseanne dies - the family believes that it is due to heart problems. It's been several weeks since the death, and they are still in shock. Later in the show, Dan and the family discover that Roseanne had been taking another woman's prescribed opiates, and drives around town, smearing her as a killer who used drugs as her weapon.

Darlene (Sara Gilbert) is the one that is holding everyone together. Roseanne's sister, Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), is working on rearranging the kitchen for perfect organized glory.

Her daughter is stereotypical Surly Teen. Her son dresses in - dresses. In the previous sitcom, he identified as a regular boy, but in skirts. He was a Boy with Fashion Flair!

Now, they've scrapped all that Pretend He's Just a Regular Kid stuff, and he talks to Grandpa Conner about which of two boys he should sit next to, as he is attracted to both.

Becky (Sarah Chalke) is self-centered, single, and alcoholic. She contributes the minimum to any family activity.

Her brother, DJ (Michael Fishman) plays the same role that he did in the original - he is ignored by virtually everyone. In this re-boot, he gets fewer lines than his wife, Geena (Xosha Roquemore is replaced by Maya Lynn Robinson), temporarily home from active duty in the service.

From some subtle hints in this first episode, Geena may be getting groomed to take over the role of Conner House Dissident from the removed Roseanne, although she is likely to be less confrontational. Still, a character with a military background will be a change from the all-Leftist LoveFest that the Conners is.

At the end, Dan is confronted by the woman who had given the pills to Roseanne (Mary Steenbergen). She convinces him that she is not the villain he wants her to be, as she was just providing drugs that the heartless drug companies would not. Roseanne is revealed as an addict.

But, a comedy that is not funny. I don't think it will last beyond the first few episodes. Don't waste your time watching.

RSS Feed