‘Roseanne’ Revival: ‘Shameless’ Star Emma Kenney Cast As Darlene’s Lookalike Daughter


Roseanne Barr has finally found her TV granddaughter. Actress Emma Kenney has been cast to play David and Darlene’s (Sara Gilbert, Johnny Galecki) teen daughter Harris on the upcoming Roseanne revival. Kenney has signed on to the eight-episode reboot as a series regular, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Roseanne fans will recognize Emma Kenney from her work as Debbie Gallagher on Showtime’s Shameless. Kenney has been a regular on the Showtime hit for the past eight seasons.

Emma Kenney tweeted the news about her new gig on Roseanne, writing, that she feels “so blessed and excited” to join the cast of the ABC reboot. But Shameless fans shouldn’t worry that Debbie Gallagher is done. Kenney will be able to juggle both roles since Shameless predominantly shoots in the summer for a fall premiere and Roseanne won’t begin production until next month and is slated for a mid-season run.

Kenney’s Roseanne character, Harris, was first introduced in the ninth season of Roseanne when Darlene delivered her baby daughter prematurely. A now-teenaged Harris will reportedly reluctantly move back to the family’s Lanford, Ill. hometown after living in Chicago. According to THR, Harris is determined to do better than her blue-collar parents and grandparents as she strives to move up the socioeconomic ladder.

TV Line previously revealed that the original casting breakdown for the now 14-year-old Harris described her as a hellion and the spitting image of her mother in appearance and attitude. Kenney looks quite a bit like her TV mom Sara Gilbert.

Emma Kenney is the second new cast member to join ABC’s Roseanne revival. The series has already cast David and Darlene’s young son Mark (played by newcomer child actor Ames McNamara), who is named after his late uncle Mark Healy (originally played by actor Glenn Quinn, who died in 2002.)

In addition to Kenney and McNamara, the Roseanne revival will feature nearly all of the show’s original cast members. Galecki has not yet committed to the series, although the Big Bang Theory star has reportedly been in talks for the show. But Roseanne veterans Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Fishman, Lecy Goranson, and Sarah Chalke will all be back for the eight-episode Roseanne revival. Production for the Roseanne reboot is set to begin in early October and the show is slated to air midseason in early 2018 on ABC.

You can see newly announced Roseanne star Emma Kenney on the Shameless set in the video below.

[Fetured Image by Rich Fury/Getty Images for THR]

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