Written Expecting Roseanne's Classiest Undertones by Bridger Cunningham
Per TVLine, the next casting is for David and Darlene's "14 Year old daughter", Harris Connor Healy. Does the math add up? Harris was born premature in February 1997, meaning she should be due to drink cosmos with her girlfriends at the local club. Instead, this retcon will leave her stealing liquor out of the cabinet like her 15-year old Aunt Becky did in 1990. Harris will be Darlene's clone down to the look per casting request, and will be joined by a younger brother under the age of 10. Still in question is the appearance of David (Johnny Galecki), as Galecki is contracted into a lucrative 2-year deal to appear starring in The Big Bang Theory's 11th and 12th seasons.
This announcement confirms the bittersweet finale will be undone, as the writing stated Darlene and Mark were an item, and Becky and David coupled as well. This may seem far-fetched, yet if anyone can pull it off, it is the queen of crass herself, Roseanne Barr. Barr had a history of jerking the wheel with continuity, dating back to 1994-95's season 7 when her sudden September 1994 pregnancy gestated all the way to Halloween 1995. Barr also took the ever-steady season 8 and strayed into the outlandish season 9 after a last-minute renewal was announced. Shall viewers ponder how this twist including Harris' aging down be rewritten? Will the series date back to 2011 to make the continuity fit, or will Harris' age be explained as another outlandish deviation in Roseanne's writing?
The bigger question remains where Roseanne would be suitable to schedule. A ratings juggernaut throughout most of its run, it anchored Tuesdays and placed in the top 10 for its first 7 seasons, falling to 16th for 1995-96's season 8 and disintegrating to 35th day by the end of 1997. Given ABC's tenuous state on Tuesdays with mixed fortunes for its comedies, Roseanne may fit in any of its sitcom spaces. Should upcoming pilot The Mayor suffer the same fate as 9:30 predecessors Imaginary Mary and The Real O'Neal's, it may plug the hole in ABC's weakest slot on the night. Or perhaps push blackish to 9:30. How will Roseanne play out? Or better yet where will it anchor for showing? Give us your feedback.