Politics and Roseanne

Now, I don't usually tease with upcoming blog entries, but I do want you to stay tuned for the next one to come after this one.  I don't even know what it is going to be about, but I can guarantee that it is going to be a huge one.  It is a blog entry almost seven years in the making, and I hope that it will be worth it.  Again, I can't reveal too much about what the special blog is going to be about, but I can tell you about a special feature that is set to debut later this month.  I'll give you a hint though.  You know the cartoon reviews that I have done the last couple of years?  I'm going to be doing something a little bit different, but similar.

I'll have more information on the special blog that will come after this one.

For now, I want to talk about Roseanne.

No, seriously.  I want to talk about Roseanne.  In an era of everything old becoming new again, it's no secret that the television series "Roseanne" is coming back to television.  On March 27, 2018, the series is set to come back on ABC - the network where the show began thirty years ago.

The whole cast (minus Glenn Quinn who passed away in 2002) is returning for the continuation of the show.  Roseanne Barr, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, Lecy Goranson, Sarah Chalke, and John Goodman.  It's going to be hard to explain how both actresses who played Becky will feature (though I'm predicting that Becky has turned into a lesbian and Sarah Chalke is playing her lover).  EDT TO ADD:  Actually, Sarah Chalke is playing the surrogate who is carrying Becky's baby - thanks to Railyn M. for the info! 

And it's going to be next to impossible to explain how they plan on resurrecting Dan who reportedly died at the end of the show's ninth and final season.  But then again, I try to forget that whole ninth season existed.  When I bought the Roseanne series on DVD, I purposely hid the season nine discs because I found that season to be a complete travesty.

There is a part of me that is curious to check out the new series of "Roseanne".  I was only seven when the original show debuted, but as I grew older I really appreciated the concept of the show.  It stood out from all of the other sitcoms that debuted in the 1980s because it featured a blue collar, working class family as the stars.  I could relate to the struggles of the Connor family more because they were experiencing the same struggles that my family endured being of a similar background.  It was really interesting that the set up of the Connor family was exactly the same as my family - two parents, two girls, and a boy (and the actor Michael Fishman who played D.J. was born the same year that I was made it even more surreal).

Naturally, I'm not the only one who is interested in tuning in for the reboot.  There's reportedly a lot of interest in the show's return, and I am sure that the true fans of the series are definitely looking forward to it.

However, for all of the people who are willing to welcome "Roseanne" back into their homes, there are people who are very vocal in wanting to boycott the show entirely.

Why?

I think it might have to do with a recent interview that Roseanne Barr gave as part of the promotion for the upcoming show.  Roseanne states that when it comes down to the show's political views, they will be addressing politics in the new show.  And to nobody's surprise, Roseanne Connor will be a Trump supporter.  I say this because Roseanne Barr has also made it clear that she voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.

Of course, this has prompted some anti-Trump people to boycott her show, claiming that she's helping the enemy and so on and so forth.  And certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion.  They have every right to choose to watch or not to watch.  And they can certainly disagree with Roseanne supporting Donald Trump.  I personally have aired my thoughts on Trump myself here, and I must say that I am not very impressed with his "leadership" at all.  Perhaps if he put the cell phone away, deactivated his Twitter account, and stopped using his potty mouth to insult entire nations, maybe I would stop putting the word "leadership" in quotation marks.  And maybe I'll win eighty million bucks in the lottery.

But would I boycott the show because I disagree with Roseanne?  No.  And truth be told, you shouldn't either.  Well, unless you hated the show the first time around - in which case that would be a solid excuse not to watch.

The thing is, "Roseanne" was always about a family with low income trying to find a way to make it in a world that seemingly treats them like they are dirt.  I've lost count of how many times Dan and Roseanne changed jobs - it's been a long time.  But they took on whatever job they could to provide food for their family and pay the bills.  I suspect that nothing has changed in that regard and that the stupid lottery win plot that kicked off season nine will be just a forgotten memory. 

And Roseanne Barr is correct about one thing.  It was blue collar people and working class people who were key in electing Donald Trump into office.  Whether or not they have buyer's remorse now, that's another topic for another day.  The point is that as a blue collar character, it would seem out of character for Roseanne to cast a vote for Hillary Clinton instead of Donald Trump.  And one thing that "Roseanne" prided itself in during the first few seasons of the show was the gritty realism mixed in with the comedic punchlines.  So, I do appreciate the fact that the show in 2018 is trying to reflect the current times in that regard.

But perhaps what is really interesting is that Roseanne Barr and Sara Gilbert have stated that there will be at least one episode in the new series in which there will be some political divide in the Connor household.  I'm guessing that at least one member of the Connor family did NOT vote for Trump, and just putting it out there, I'm thinking it might be Becky - though that's just my prediction.  But again, the show is portraying a real issue that is currently happening, as the 2016 elections have caused a lot of divide between American citizens and some families have ceased communication with each other because of it.  Both Barr and Gilbert have stated that it was an episode that needed to be filmed.  Gilbert has stated that it would be a great thing for loving families to disagree on political issues and yet somehow overcome those disagreements to be a family.  The thing is, I agree with Gilbert.  If there's any family - dysfunctional as they may be - who can tell this story idea with the honesty and bluntness that it needs, it's the Connors.

So, no...I won't boycott the show.  Truth be told, I'm interested in seeing what will happen.