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2 • November 11 - 17, 2018 • Brainerd Dispatch 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 generated as much buzz as "The Conners." Since losing his wife, Dan Con- ner (John Goodman, "The Big Leb- owski," 1998) has been soldiering on as the head of the household in "The Conners," which airs Tues- day, 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 Lanford, Illinois, which aired from 1988 to 1997, and again last spring in a much lauded revival. "Roseanne" centered on Con- ner family matriarch Roseanne (Roseanne Barr, "The Roseanne Barr Show"), but a now-famous racist Tweet from the comedian about Valerie Jarrett, senior advis- er to former president Barack Obama, prompted ABC to cancel that show in May, despite its stel- lar ratings. Three weeks after Barr was ousted from the series, the network announced plans for a spinoff featuring all of the original 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 rollingstone.com, TV critic Alan Sepinwall expressed hope for the new incarnation of the series sans the controversial comedian. "There are enough sturdy char- acters and performances here to move on without her," wrote Sep- inwall, "and the premiere felt more focused than many of the episodes from the spring." In addition to Goodman, Sara Gil- bert ("The Talk") returns as Dan and Roseanne's youngest daughter, Dar- lene, 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 el- dest, Becky, and Michael Fishman ("Undrafted," 2016) once again ap- pears as Roseanne and Dan's son, D.J. Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf ("The Big Bang Theory"), who was a break- out star of the original show, reprises her role as Roseanne's flighty sister, Jackie, in "The Conners." The cast of the new comedy also includes a number of performers who weren't part of the origi- nal series but appeared in last spring's revival. Emma Kenney ("Shameless") por- trays Darlene's daughter, Harris Con- ner-Healy. Ames McNamara ("At Home With Amy Sedaris") portrays Darlene's son, Mark. Their father is Darlene's ex, David, played by John- ny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory"), who will guest star in the show. Young actress Jayden Rey ("Unfor- gettable") plays D.J.'s daughter, Mary, while Maya Lynne Robinson ("Mom") stars as D.J.'s wife, Geena. As far as the ratings go, the de- but of "The Conners" performed 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 at- tracted 18.44 million initial view- ers, 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 fina- le of "Roseanne," so it looks as if plenty of fans are still inter- ested in the Con- ners' story. Just like its predecessor, "The Conners" is set to tackle hard-hitting sub- jects as the Conners work through their grief after the death of Rose- anne from an accidental opioid overdose. The debut addressed not only the subject of opioid addic- tion and abuse in America but also the desperate lengths underin- sured, financially strapped people may go to as they try to compen- sate for their lack of coverage. Roseanne, as it was discovered in the premiere, was part of a neigh- borhood network of people who would trade and share medicine. After the show's debut, Barr was critical of how her character was killed off, saying the opioid over- dose "lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an oth- erwise happy family show," in an official statement on Facebook with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. During its 10-episode first sea- son, "The Conners" is expected to continue the conversation about a variety of issues facing working- class Americans. Along with typical family dilemmas such as financial strain and co-parenting tensions, the show will look at gender issues through the eyes of Dan's gender non-conforming grandson, Mark. The future success of the series rests very much on the shoulders of the cast, particularly the very capa- ble shoulders of Goodman. He won a Best Actor Golden Globe for his work as Dan during the original se- ries run and went on to enjoy a successful film career, often collab- orating with acclaimed filmmakers the Coen Brothers. His credits in- clude "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, including stage legend Estelle Parsons ("Bonnie & Clyde," 1967) as Roseanne and Jack- ie's mother, Beverly. Natalie West ("The Poker House," 2008) reprises her role as Roseanne's friend Crystal and James Pickens Jr. ("Grey's Anato- my") 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 Lanford, and the family will once again tackle chal- lenges with love and laughter. Check in with Dan and his brood in a new episode of "The Conners," airing Tuesday, Nov. 13, on ABC. Life goes on in Lanford 'The Conners' brings back beloved characters Cover Story this week The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon (repeat) Today, President Trump met with Kanye West at the White House. Incredible. If you told me 10 years ago that Trump and Kanye would be meeting at the White House, I would've said, "Oh my God — Kanye becomes president?!" That's right, Trump met with Kanye West at the White House. And while they spoke, both Trump and Kanye's assistants looked at each other and said, "Man, I thought MY boss was nuts." Facebook will now let you launch group chats with 250 people at once. The feature even has a new name: Hell. Jimmy Kimmel Live We are on the road this week, coming to you from the Howard Gilman Opera House at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I'm glad to be back. I had to come back. I still had $8 left on my Metrocard. You know, there's a perception that New Yorkers are rude, and that really isn't true. There's just not a lot of phony chitchat that goes on in other places. We are here for a week — until Friday night. This is a limited engagement. Just like Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande. Late Night With Seth Meyers (repeat) According to a former Yale classmate, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh once set off a bar fight in college after confusing another patron for the lead singer of the band UB40. And if you have any idea who that is, you also be 40. The White House announced today that President Trump will donate his second quarter salary to the Small Business Administration. And Trump knows a thing or two about how to run a small business. "Step one: start by inheriting a large business." Weekend Update With Colin Jost and Michael Che (repeat) You know, if you have calendars from 1982, it does not prove you're innocent. It proves you're a hoarder. You know when most people throw out their calendars from 1982? 1983. Speaking of drinking games, if you took a shot for every time Kavanaugh lied about his yearbook, you'd be as drunk as Brett Kavanaugh was in the summer of '82. Kavanaugh could be the deciding vote on issues concerning the very people he makes feel unsafe. It'd be like letting the Coyote decide on Road Runner's rights. Late Laughs "The Conners" star John Goodman Meet a Match Photo by: Jen Salvevold of Photojenic Studio, Pequot Lakes Why not start your own friendship journey? Jennifer met Jessa at Harrison Elementary when she was her music teacher. They made a special connection and so in the spring of 2014, they became Kinship Partners. These two like going to movies, spending time at Jennifer's house just "hanging out" and spending a lot of time playing board games. There is a lot of laughter when they are together and they genuinely enjoy each other's company. Jennifer says "Jessa is incredibly good natured and has the most delightful giggle! It's been a perfect match!" For more information about Kinship Partners, please call (218)-829-4606 or visit our website at www.kinshippartners.org 001789034r1

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