Entertainment NOW

November 10, 2018

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TV Media Weekly | November 10 - 16, 2018 By Kyla Brewer TV Media S itcoms are a staple of prime time, peppering just about every night of the week. But few of this season's sitcoms have generat- ed as much buzz as "The Conners." Since losing his wife, Dan Conner (John Goodman, "The Big Lebowski," 1998) has been soldiering on as the head of the household in "The Conners," which airs Tuesday, Nov. 13, on ABC. The show is a spinoff of ABC's "Roseanne," a comedy about a working-class family in the fictional small town of Lan - ford, Illinois, which aired from 1988 to 1997, and again last spring in a much lauded revival. "Roseanne" centered on Conner family matriarch Rose- anne (Roseanne Barr, "The Roseanne Barr Show"), but a now-famous racist Tweet from the comedian about Valerie Jar - rett, senior adviser to former president Barack Obama, prompted ABC to cancel that show in May, despite its stellar ratings. Three weeks after Barr was ousted from the series, the network announced plans for a spinoff featuring all of the origi- nal cast with the exception of Barr. Fans and critics wondered how "The Conners" would fare without the actress, but so far, things are looking good for the comedy. In a review of the show's debut episode on roll- ingstone.com, TV critic Alan Sepinwall expressed hope for the new incarnation of the se- ries sans the controversial co- median. "There are enough sturdy characters and performances here to move on without her," wrote Sepinwall, "and the pre- miere felt more focused than many of the episodes from the spring." In addition to Goodman, Sara Gilbert ("The Talk") returns as Dan and Roseanne's youngest daughter, Darlene, who's set to take on an even larger role in "The Conners." Original series star Alicia Goranson ("Boys Don't Cry," 1999) is back as the eldest, Becky, and Michael Fish- man ("Undrafted," 2016) once again appears as Roseanne and Dan's son, D.J. Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf ("The Big Bang Theory"), who was a breakout star of the original show, repris- es her role as Roseanne's flighty sister, Jackie, in "The Conners." The cast of the new comedy also includes a number of per- formers who weren't part of the original series but appeared in last spring's revival. Emma Ken- ney ("Shameless") portrays Darlene's daughter, Harris Con- ner-Healy. Ames McNamara ("At Home With Amy Sedaris") por- trays Darlene's son, Mark. Their father is Darlene's ex, David, played by Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory"), who will guest star in the show. Young actress Jayden Rey ("Unforget- table") plays D.J.'s daughter, Mary, while Maya Lynne Robin- son ("Mom") stars as D.J.'s wife, Geena. As far as the ratings go, the debut of "The Conners" per- formed fairly well against the competition, drawing more than 10 million viewers. The show may not have reached the peak of the revival's debut ratings last spring, which attracted 18.44 million initial viewers, but the premiere was still among the top-rated shows of the night, behind only CBS's "NCIS" in its time-slot. Interestingly, the spinoff's premiere was on par with the spring finale of "Rose- anne," so it looks as if plenty of fans are still interested in the Conners' story. Just like its predecessor, "The Conners" is set to tackle hard- hitting subjects as the Conners work through their grief after the death of Roseanne from an accidental opioid overdose. The debut addressed not only the subject of opioid addiction and abuse in America but also the desperate lengths underin- sured, financially strapped peo- ple may go to as they try to compensate for their lack of coverage. Roseanne, as it was discovered in the premiere, was part of a neighborhood net- work of people who would trade and share medicine. After the show's debut, Barr was crit- ical of how her character was killed off, saying the opioid overdose "lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an otherwise happy family show," in an official statement on Facebook with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. During its 10-episode first season, "The Conners" is ex- pected to continue the conver- sation about a variety of issues facing working-class Americans. Along with typical family dilem- mas such as financial strain and co-parenting tensions, the show will look at gender issues through the eyes of Dan's gen- der non-conforming grandson, Mark. The future success of the se- ries rests very much on the shoulders of the cast, particular- ly the very capable shoulders of Goodman. He won a Best Actor Golden Globe for his work as Dan during the original series run and went on to enjoy a suc- cessful film career, often collab- orating with acclaimed filmmak- ers the Coen Brothers. His cred- its include "O Brother, Where Art Thou" (2000), "Monsters, Inc." (2001) and "10 Cloverfield Lane" (2016). Recurring characters from the original series will also appear in the show's debut season, in- cluding stage legend Estelle Par- sons ("Bonnie & Clyde," 1967) as Roseanne and Jackie's moth- er, Beverly. Natalie West ("The Poker House," 2008) reprises her role as Roseanne's friend Crystal and James Pickens Jr. ("Grey's Anatomy") is expected to appear as family friend Chuck Mitchell. As the Conners and their friends forge ahead through their grief, life will go on in Lan- ford, and the family will once again tackle challenges with love and laughter. Check in with Dan and his brood in a new epi- sode of "The Conners," airing Tuesday, Nov. 13, on ABC. "The Conners" star John Goodman Life goes on in Lanford: 'The Conners' brings back beloved characters 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" Encompass Credit Union 5 x 2"

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