‘Roseanne’ Revival Gets Increased Episode Order Ahead Of ABC Premiere

The Roseanne revival is already a hit—with ABC executives, that is. The reboot of Roseanne Barr’s long-running 1980-90’s sitcom has received an increase in the number of episodes ordered. In a long-awaited reboot announcement earlier this year, ABC originally ordered eight new episodes of Roseanne, but the network has now upped the order to nine, according to TV Line. Five episodes of the Roseanne revival have already been shot.

While there have been few spoilers for the Roseanne reboot, fans of the series know that nearly all of the show’s original players will be back, including John Goodman, whose character, Dan Conner, died on the series finale 20 years ago. Dan won’t be dead in the original, but sadly, the real-life death of actor Glenn Quinn (Mark Healy on the original show) will alter the family dynamic for Becky Conner (Lecy Goranson).

In addition, there is still no word if Johnny Galecki will return as Darlene Conner’s (Sara Gilbert) husband David Healy, but the surprise episode increase can only be a good sign on that front. While The Wrap has confirmed that Galecki has not yet finalized a deal to return to the Roseanne reboot to play David, an extra episode means an increase in production time for the series as they engage in talks with the actor. What better way to end the revived Roseanne run than with a cameo by The Big Bang Theory star?

ABC president Channing Dungey recently told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour that executives have “heard the broad strokes of the creative” for the eight initial Roseanne episodes and they “feel very confident that it is going to be a return to the show everyone knew and loved.”

Earlier this month, the Roseanne cast took a break from filming to sing “Happy Birthday” to series star Roseanne Barr, who turned 65 on Nov. 3. In a video posted to Instagram, viewers can see not much has changed in the Conner kitchen in the 20 years since Roseanne has been off the air. Neither has the Conner clan’s living room, which can be seen below.

#Roseanne Revival: ABC Increases Episode Order Ahead of 2018 Premiere (Exclusive) https://t.co/xXdxIWydep pic.twitter.com/mldKY2xVOK

— Michael Ausiello (@MichaelAusiello) November 13, 2017

Roseanne ran for nine seasons on ABC and was embraced for its portrayal of a working-class family, the Conners, who lived in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. The hit sitcom received many Emmy Awards, including one for series star Roseanne Barr and three for supporting actress Laurie Metcalf, who plays her sister, Jackie, on the series. The original Roseanne series signed off on May 20, 1997.

Take a look at a trailer for ABC’s upcoming Roseanne revival below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDMhiFGls48&t=99s

The Roseanne revival is set to make its debut in early 2018 on ABC.

[Featured Image by ABC]