50 Fun Facts About Roseanne

In which fictional Illinois town do the Conners live?

Establishing shots of the house were filmed in Evansville, Indiana, hometown of first-season producer Matt Williams.

Which actor plays Dan Conner?

He was nominated for seven Emmys for the role without winning, but did take home a Golden Globe.

Who plays Roseanne's sister Jackie Harris?

She won the supporting-actress Emmy three years running, 1992 to 1994, and later voiced Andy's mom in Toy Story.

On what date did Roseanne premiere on ABC?

The pilot, 'Life and Stuff', drew 36.2 million viewers.

Who is credited as the creator of Roseanne?

Carsey-Werner Productions had wanted a show about the working mother and built it around Barr's stand-up persona.

What phrase did Roseanne Barr popularise in her stand-up act, which became the basis for the character?

She began doing stand-up in clubs around Denver, Colorado, before the show.

Where does Roseanne work when the series begins?

Jackie and their friend Crystal work the same line; Jackie briefly dates the foreman, Booker, played by a future movie star.

Which future movie star played Booker Brooks, the Wellman foreman, in season one?

He was still five years away from ER when he left the show.

What is the Conners' home address?

The exterior was a real house in Evansville, Indiana.

What does D.J. stand for in D.J. Conner's name?

Michael Fishman played him from the pilot through the revival, and was written out of The Conners after season four.

Which two actresses played Becky Conner over the course of the series?

Chalke stepped in when Goranson's college schedule clashed with filming; the show later joked openly about the swaps.

Which actress plays Darlene Conner?

She later became a producer and driving force behind the 2018 revival and The Conners.

Which future Big Bang Theory star played Darlene's boyfriend David Healy?

Laurie Metcalf, his TV mother-in-law, later played his co-star Sheldon's mother on that show.

Who plays Roseanne and Jackie's overbearing mother, Beverly Harris?

She had won an Oscar in 1968 for Bonnie and Clyde long before joining the show.

Which comedian played Roseanne's boss Leon Carp?

Sandra Bernhard played Nancy Bartlett, who comes out as a lesbian in one of the show's landmark storylines.

In which season did Roseanne reach number one in the Nielsen ratings?

It stayed in the top four for six of its nine original seasons.

What business do Dan and Roseanne open in season four?

Lanford Custom Cycle did not last; Dan later went back to drywalling a new prison outside town.

Which of these jobs does Jackie take up in season two?

She later enrols in truck-driving school as well.

What is the first name of the baby boy Roseanne has in season eight?

Roseanne Barr's real-life pregnancy was written into the show.

Whose baby is Crystal expecting when she marries in season three?

Dan is floored to learn his father and his wife's best friend plan to marry.

In 'A Stash from the Past', whose 20-year-old marijuana does Roseanne find in the basement?

TV Guide ranked the episode number 21 on its list of the 100 greatest episodes.

In the season two episode 'Boo!', what do the Conners turn their house into?

Roseanne and Dan compete for the title Master of Horror, and Halloween episodes became an annual tradition.

How much do the Conners win in the Illinois state lottery in season nine?

Ratings sank to 16.2 million viewers as the family mixed with high society.

What does the original 1997 finale reveal about the series?

Time called the two-parter 'off-the-rails loopy'; the 2018 revival quietly undid it.

According to the original finale, what had really happened to Dan?

The revival brought him back alive, with Dan reappearing after 'faking his death'.

Which band re-recorded the theme song, with added lyrics, for the ninth season?

John Popper's distorted harmonica and vocals replaced the instrumental used for eight seasons.

What is draped over the Conners' living-room sofa in every episode?

The other signature prop is the octagonal kitchen table seen in the opening titles.

Despite 27 Emmy nominations, in which major category was Roseanne never once nominated?

It did win a Peabody Award in 1992 and the Golden Globe for best comedy series.

In which year did both Barr and the actress playing Jackie win Emmys for the show?

Barr and John Goodman both won Golden Globes the same year.

Roseanne Barr's notorious July 1990 anthem came before a game of which baseball team?

She finished by spitting and grabbing her crotch in imitation of the players.

Which comedian did Roseanne Barr marry in January 1990, taking his surname for a time?

He also appeared on the show as Dan's poker buddy Arnie, who once planted a kiss on Roseanne.

Where was Roseanne Barr born?

She grew up in a Jewish family in Utah before starting stand-up in Colorado.

In 2012 Roseanne Barr ran for president as the nominee of which group?

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was her running mate.

How many viewers watched the 2018 revival premiere live and same-day?

Delayed viewing pushed the total past 27 million and ABC renewed the show three days later.

In the revival, what causes the year-long feud between the sisters?

Darlene engineers the reunion in the premiere.

In the revival, Sarah Chalke returns not as Becky but as Andrea. What is Andrea's relationship to Becky?

Becky, widowed and waitressing at a Mexican restaurant, is offered $50,000 for the surrogacy.

In the revival, D.J. is a military veteran with a young daughter. What is her name?

His wife Gina is still serving overseas.

On what date did ABC cancel Roseanne over Barr's tweet about Valerie Jarrett?

ABC had renewed the show for an eleventh season on March 30, three days after the premiere; the axe fell the same day the tweet went out.

How did The Conners explain the absence of Roseanne Conner?

Barr complained the choice 'lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an otherwise happy family show'.

In which month and year did The Conners premiere on ABC?

It ran seven seasons, ending in April 2025.

Exterior shots of the Conner house were filmed in which Indiana city?

It was the hometown of first-season producer Matt Williams, and the real house sits a few blocks from his alma mater, the University of Evansville.

Who played D.J. Conner in the pilot before Michael Fishman took over the role?

Gordon-Levitt did later turn up on the show, but as D.J.'s annoying wannabe friend George, and Masterson played Darlene's boyfriend Jimmy.

What does Jackie name the son she gives birth to in season six?

The father is Fred, played by Michael O'Keefe. Ellen DeGeneres later turned up as the couple's marriage counselor.

Which Oscar-winning actress played Bev's mother, Nana Mary?

She first appeared at a family barbecue in season three. The show loved stunt casting, from Loretta Lynn and Fabio to a blink-and-miss-it Chris Farley cameo.

What is the name of the diner Roseanne, Jackie and Nancy open in season five?

Bev bankrolled it as a partner, then sold her share to Roseanne's old boss Leon out of spite. ABC recreated the diner as a pop-up at SXSW to promote the 2018 revival.

How did Dan's poker buddy Arnie make his startling debut on the show?

Arnie later married Nancy in Las Vegas, then left her claiming he had been abducted by aliens.

In season eight, Dan spends his pension money taking the whole family where?

The trip had consequences: it was later revealed Darlene got pregnant while the family was there. Eric Dane appeared as a hotel bellhop.

How were the cast and crew credited on the September 1994 season seven premiere?

It acknowledged the star's divorce and dropping of her surname; only creator Matt Williams kept his full name. The opening titles billed her simply as 'Roseanne'.

Which prestigious broadcasting award did the series win in 1992?

It had already taken a People's Choice Award for Favorite New Comedy in 1989, and in 1993 won the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy Series.

In 2018, Barr said the show's fictional town was based on which real Illinois city?

Early episodes nominally placed it in Fulton County, three hours from Chicago, but later references moved it within an hour of the city.