Season 1 Roseanne (
Roseanne Barr) is a line worker at Wellman Plastics, along with her sister Jackie (
Laurie Metcalf) and friend Crystal (
Natalie West). Jackie has a brief relationship with Booker (
George Clooney), the foreman at Wellman. Roseanne's husband Dan (
John Goodman) finds sporadic work as a construction contractor. Dan has a strained relationship with his divorced father, Ed (
Ned Beatty), a traveling salesman who was often absent during Dan's childhood. Roseanne and Jackie's meddlesome parents Beverly (
Estelle Parsons) and Al (
John Randolph), consider moving to Lanford, panicking both sisters, although this is quickly dismissed as just an "idea". Middle Conner child Darlene (
Sara Gilbert), a tomboy, often struggles with her femininity as she enters puberty and gets her first period. Eldest child Becky (
Lecy Goranson) faces dating problems with her first boyfriend Chip (
Jared Rushton), who is introduced in the "Lover's Lane" episode. Youngest child David Jacob, known as "D.J.", has to work hard to be noticed amid all the family's activities. Season one also finds the Conners experiencing, and surviving, a tornado. In the "Death and Stuff" episode a door-to-door salesman dies in the Conners' kitchen, and in the season finale Roseanne stands up to the new abusive foreman (
Fred Thompson) when she leads Jackie, Crystal, and other coworkers as they quit Wellman Plastics. D.J. is played by Sal Barone in the pilot episode, then by
Michael Fishman for the remainder of the series. This season includes a running gag where the word "corn" is used in every episode. Notable Season 1 guest stars include
Bill Sadler as Dan's friend Dwight,
Robert Harper as Chip's father, Andrea Walters as Chip's mother, and
Tony Crane as Becky's love interest "The Tongue Bandit". Bill Pentland, Roseanne Barr's first husband, made a cameo as one of Dan's friends in the "Saturday" episode.
Season 2 After quitting Wellman Plastics, Roseanne and Jackie must find new jobs. Jackie becomes a police officer. Roseanne cycles through numerous menial jobs including telemarketer, secretary for Dan's boss, bartender, a fast-food restaurant cashier, and, finally, sweeping floors at a beauty parlor. At home, Dan's poker buddy Arnie (
Tom Arnold) makes a startling debut when he plants a kiss on Roseanne. The Conners celebrate an outrageous Halloween that becomes an annual series feature. Roseanne wants ten relaxing minutes to herself in the bathtub; this turns into a bizarre dream sequence that has the entire cast singing parodies of songs from musical comedies. Later, at
Thanksgiving dinner, Roseanne unexpectedly discovers a budding romance between Dan's father, Ed, and Crystal. Jackie gets serious with her new boyfriend, Gary (
Brian Kerwin). Becky grows rebellious against Roseanne and Dan's parental authority, staying out late and breaking into the liquor cabinet and getting drunk with her friend, Dana. When old biker buddy, Ziggy (
Jay O. Sanders) reappears, it reminds Roseanne and Dan of their own rebellious past. Darlene shows writing talent after receiving recognition for her poem. Roseanne's own writing aspirations are given a boost after Dan builds her an office in the basement. This is the first season Roseanne is heard thinking out loud. Other notable guest stars during the season include
Stephen Dorff as Becky's boyfriend Jimmy,
Jenny Lewis as Becky's friend Diane,
Stephen Root as Roseanne's lawyer Peter, and
Bert Parks as a judge.
Ann Wedgeworth played Dan Conner's mother in the Thanksgiving episode.
Season 3 The season opens with the Conner family confronting Roseanne's possible pregnancy. The pregnancy turns up negative. Roseanne takes a waitress job in the luncheonette at Rodbell's Department Store, working with her boss, Leon (
Martin Mull), and co-worker, Bonnie (
Bonnie Sheridan). Jackie is injured on the job, resulting in her leaving the police force and breaking up with Gary. Becky begins dating Mark Healy (
Glenn Quinn); when her parents forbid her to see him, she temporarily moves in with Jackie. Dan is floored to learn his father, Ed and Crystal plan to marry; Crystal is pregnant with Ed's baby. Roseanne locks horns with snooty new neighbor Kathy Bowman (
Meagen Fay). Bev's mother, Nana Mary (
Shelley Winters) makes her first appearance at a family barbecue. In the season finale, Ziggy reappears, proposing to open a motorcycle repair shop with Dan. While they attempt to procure a loan for business, Ziggy backs out and leaves town, not wanting Dan and Roseanne to risk their house if the business fails. However, he leaves enough money behind for Dan to open it by himself. He is never heard about again. Other notable guest stars during the season include Dann Florek as Principal Hiller,
Leonardo DiCaprio as Darlene's classmate,
Brad Garrett as Doug,
Judy Gold as Amy,
Alyson Hannigan as Becky's friend Jan, and
Tobey Maguire as Jeff.
Season 4 The opening credits of Season 4 change from Season 3 and now shows "Roseanne Arnold" instead of "Roseanne Barr". Becky stuns Roseanne by asking for birth-control pills. Dan and Roseanne open their new motorcycle repair shop business, Lanford Custom Cycle, while Roseanne continues working at Rodbell's luncheonette. Darlene meets David Healy (
Johnny Galecki), Mark's younger brother (in his first appearance, the character was named Kevin). After a brief stint working at Rodbell's perfume counter, Jackie enrolls in truck driver school. Nancy (
Sandra Bernhard) is introduced as Arnie's fiancée. After a night of heavy drinking, Jackie wakes up in her bed with the newly engaged Arnie. Darlene's personality shifts into a sullen
goth teen. Jackie's former boyfriend, Booker, makes a surprise appearance at a Halloween party. Roseanne's neighbors, Kathy and Jerry Bowman, move back to Chicago. Roseanne gets
breast reduction surgery. Crystal gives birth to Dan's new half-brother, "Little Ed". Roseanne and Dan accompany Arnie and Nancy to their wedding in
Las Vegas. At the end of the season, Lanford Custom Cycle fails, and Rodbell's Luncheonette closes. Nancy is single again after Arnie leaves her and claims he was "abducted by aliens". Notable guest stars during the season include
Bob Hope,
Wayne Newton as himself,
David Crosby as Duke,
Bonnie Sheridan as Roseanne's coworker Bonnie,
Neil Patrick Harris as
Dr. Doogie Howser, and
Rick Dees as Ken.
Season 5 After Dan's bike shop closes, Mark accepts a job in
Minnesota. Becky secretly decides to go with him, and they elope. Jackie and Roseanne each receive $10,000 from their mother, Bev, after she divorces their father. They, along with Nancy, decide to open a diner but can only get the additional money they need from Bev, who becomes a partner. Nancy comes out as a lesbian. The Tildens, a single father, and his two teen daughters (
Wings Hauser,
Mara Hobel,
Danielle Harris), move in next door. Jackie dates Fisher (
Matt Roth), a much younger man she quickly moves in with. When Roseanne discovers Fisher physically abused Jackie, Dan beats him up (never shown onscreen) and is arrested. Roseanne and Jackie's father dies, and Roseanne confronts his longtime secret mistress only to discover her father blamed his daughters for his abusive behavior. Roseanne's rich, estranged cousin Ronnie (
Joan Collins) visits and encourages Darlene to get her
GED and apply to arts colleges. David applies as well. Darlene wants David to move in when his mother is moving to a new town. Roseanne and Dan initially refuse, but Roseanne relents after witnessing Mrs. Healey's abusive behavior, a decision partially based on her own father's abusiveness. Roger (Tim Curry) recruits Dan to renovate and sell a small
fixer-upper house, then skips town, leaving Dan with a looming debt; Jackie buys the house, saving the Conners from financial ruin. David is rejected from the Chicago arts college that he and Darlene applied to, while Darlene is accepted. Roseanne refuses to let Darlene attend before finishing high school. She fears Darlene might run away to Chicago, but Darlene decides to decline because David was rejected. Roseanne wants Darlene to go after learning David threatened to break up, though Darlene's real reason is fear she will fail. During this season, there is a running gag in which each of the Conners (save Becky) appears in a different scene in the same long-sleeved, egg-printed shirt with a large chicken on the front. Notable guest stars during the season include
Wings Hauser as Ty Tilden,
Danielle Harris as Molly Tilden,
Mara Hobel as Charlotte Tilden,
Loretta Lynn as herself,
Morgan Fairchild as Nancy's girlfriend Marla,
Bill Maher as Bob,
Ed Begley Jr. as Principal Alexander,
Blake Clark as Vic,
Red Buttons as Bev's lover Jake,
Sally Kirkland as Mark and David's mother Barbara,
Tim Curry as Nancy's lover Roger,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as DJ's annoying wannabe friend George,
Joan Collins as Roseanne and Jackie's cousin Ronnie,
Matt Roth as Jackie's boyfriend Fisher,
Steve Jones as a threatening diner patron, and in a very brief cameo,
Chris Farley as a customer trying on a too-small leather jacket.
Season 6 After Roseanne and Jackie force Bev into being a silent partner in the diner, Bev retaliates by selling her share to Roseanne's annoying former boss, Leon. David proposes marriage to Darlene, but she refuses. Roseanne discovers a marijuana stash in the basement, believing it is David's. After realizing it is her and Dan's old pot, they and Jackie get high. Roseanne's past as a child abuse victim arises when she reacts violently after DJ
joyrides and wrecks her car. She is left concerned she may be continuing the cycle. Becky (now played by
Sarah Chalke) and Mark return to Lanford and move into the Conners' house. Dan and Roseanne surprise Becky with tuition money to start college but are furious when Becky instead uses it for Mark to attend trade school, though he soon flunks out. Jackie becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with Fred (Michael O'Keefe), Dan's co-worker at the city garage. Though Jackie is initially resistant, she and Fred gradually develop a relationship. Roseanne discovers David secretly living with Darlene in Chicago. She brings him back to Lanford, but when Dan finds out the truth, he throws David out, but soon allows him to return. Roseanne visits a gay bar with Nancy, where she receives an unwanted kiss from Nancy's girlfriend. Jackie gives birth to a son, Andy. Dan, who always blamed his father, Ed, for his mother's problems, is forced to confront her mental illness. The season concludes with Fred and Jackie's wedding. Notable guest stars during the season include
Michael O'Keefe as Fred, the father of Jackie's baby;
Sandra Bernhard as Nancy, Roseanne and Jackie's co-worker;
Mariel Hemingway as Sharon, Nancy's girlfriend;
Vicki Lawrence as Phyllis, Dan's old high school flame;
Florence Henderson as Flo, a woman with whom Roseanne networks at a women's business club meeting;
Genie Francis and
Anthony Geary as
General Hospital's
Luke and
Laura Spencer;
Ahmet Zappa as Roy, Mark's handsome laconic roommate; and
Fabio as himself.
Season 7 The opening credits of Season 7 change from previous seasons in that the show now stars "Roseanne" instead of "Roseanne Arnold". On the September 21, 1994, Season 7 premiere, in acknowledging Roseanne's divorce and dropping her last name, all credits (opening and closing) included the cast and crew's first names only (except for creator Matt Williams, whose complete name was shown). This was the only time this occurred in an episode during its run. Season seven begins with Roseanne's pregnancy and goes on to tackle such issues as abortion, alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual dysfunction, and racial prejudice. Darlene and David break up after briefly maintaining an open relationship when Darlene begins dating Jimmy. This leads to some awkwardness for Roseanne and Dan as they deal with their daughter's ex-boyfriend living with them. David also dates other girls, but eventually, he and Darlene reunite. Mark and Becky move into a shabby trailer. D.J. plays a bigger role this season, most notably in an episode wherein he refuses to kiss a black girl in his school play. Episode 19 is a special hour-long broadcast that recounts all the previous seasons with Roseanne being "welcomed" by other sitcom moms. Notable guest stars during the season include
Sharon Stone as a trailer-park resident,
Ellen DeGeneres as Jackie and Fred's marriage counselor,
Danny Masterson as Darlene's boyfriend Jimmy,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as DJ's friend George, and
Traci Lords as Lanford Lunch Box busperson Stacy. In the season finale, a tribute is made to TV producer
Sherwood Schwartz. Uncredited appearances at the end of the ''
Gilligan's Island'' episode features former cast members playing Roseanne characters. These include
Dawn Wells,
Bob Denver,
Tina Louise, and
Russell Johnson, as well as Sherwood Schwartz. Also,
Isabel Sanford,
Alley Mills,
Barbara Billingsley,
June Lockhart, and
Pat Crowley appear as themselves in another episode.
Season 8 Season eight addresses Roseanne's pregnancy and subsequent arrival of her and Dan's son,
Jerry Garcia Conner. (In a
continuity change, the baby had been revealed to be a girl in season seven. Roseanne, in an after-credits out of character scene, explains that "the amnio was wrong"). The season starts with Dan deciding to leave his secure city job and rejoin his old construction crew to drywall the new prison being built outside of Lanford. With the pension money and final check Dan receives when leaving his job, he and Roseanne decide to take the entire family on vacation to
Walt Disney World. It is later revealed that while the clan was at Disney World, Darlene got pregnant. Darlene intends to have the baby and she and David become engaged. The season climaxes with the couple's rushed wedding. During the reception, Dan suffers a heart attack. In the next episode, it is revealed that he survived, with D.J. having saved his life by administering CPR. The season concludes with Dan and Roseanne having a bitter fight after Dan abandons his diet and exercise plan, rehashing many buried personality clashes and resentments of the entire series. They end up wrecking their living room in the process. The credits fade as Roseanne walks out on Dan.
Lecy Goranson returns in the role of Becky.
Sarah Chalke filled in as Becky for several episodes when Goranson had a scheduling conflict due to her academic studies. Notable guest stars during the season include
Fred Willard as Leon's husband, Scott,
Ed McMahon as himself,
John Popper (with
Blues Traveler) as an old friend of Dan's,
Pat Harrington Jr. as himself,
Jenna Elfman as hitchhiker Garland,
Shecky Greene as Bar Mitzvah guest Uncle Saul,
Norm Crosby as Reverend Crosley,
June Lockhart as Leon's mother,
Milton Berle as a transvestite, the cast of
Stomp as Lanford Lunch Box patrons,
Eric Dane as a Disney World bellhop, and
Tony Curtis as ballroom-dance instructor Hal.
Season 9 The opening titles of Season 9 still list the star as "Roseanne", but the first episode credits her as "Roseanne Barr Pentland Arnold Thomas". The ninth (and originally final) season features many changes. In previous seasons, the original theme song was played on saxophone, accompanied by drums and other instruments. For this final season, the theme was re-recorded and performed by
Blues Traveler with a distorted harmonica—one of the band's staples—playing in place of the saxophone. Lyrics were also added and sung into the theme by the band's lead vocalist,
John Popper. Episodes in this season exhibit a much more surreal style. Additionally, the "daily struggle" theme of previous episodes is abandoned, and the season focuses primarily on bringing the characters full circle emotionally.
Sarah Chalke returns in the role of Becky so
Lecy Goranson could resume her college studies. The Conners win the Illinois state
lottery jackpot of $108 million; Dan ponders the meaning of life, Jackie meets her (real-life) prince, DJ finds love, and Darlene, after pre-natal medical issues, gives birth to a daughter. John Goodman is absent for most of the season, as he was busy filming
The Big Lebowski; in later episodes, Goodman resembles his "Lebowski" character Walter Sobchak. In the season's final episode, Roseanne reveals the entire series itself is actually a fictional story written by Roseanne Conner, inspired by her real life. To cope, Roseanne twisted major elements of her life for the story, which the audience does not discover until the final moments of the season. In reality, Dan's heart attack near the end of Season 8 was fatal and the Conner family did not win the lottery. A story arc running through the final season that Dan betrayed Roseanne by having an affair is revealed to be false; Dan's betrayal was not having an affair, but dying. Roseanne could always take the worst life could throw at her with a laugh, but she was unable to cope with Dan's death. Also, Jackie is a lesbian and Beverly is straight. Scott is a probate lawyer whom Roseanne befriended, and set up with Leon—whom she claims is not as hip as the way she had written him; this seems a tad tongue in cheek. Becky is dating David and Darlene is with Mark. Guest stars during the season include
Edward Asner as
Lou Grant,
Heather Matarazzo as D.J.'s girlfriend, Dann Florek as Doctor Rudmen,
Jim Varney as Jackie's boyfriend Prince Carlos,
Tammy Faye Bakker as Roseanne's makeup consultant,
Dina Merrill as Doris,
Joanna Lumley as
Patsy Stone and
Jennifer Saunders as
Edina Monsoon (reprising their roles from
Absolutely Fabulous),
Arianna Huffington as Estree,
Marlo Thomas as Tina,
James Brolin as Roseanne's business partner/love interest Edgar Wellman Jr., and
Ann Wedgeworth and
Debbie Reynolds as Dan's mother Audrey, as well as
Hugh Hefner,
Milton Berle,
Robin Leach,
Todd Oldham,
Moon Unit and
Ahmet Zappa,
Tony Robbins,
Kathleen Sullivan,
Steven Seagal, and
Jerry Springer as themselves. == Revival ==