Members KMan101 Posted January 13, 2013 Members Share Posted January 13, 2013 Seasons 3 and 4 are probably my favorite. Season 5 had some great episodes though. Season 1 was nice, I liked it. Season 2 is more about it moving in the right direction. Sarah's Becky definitely had chemistry with David and Mark. I kinda hated how they wrote Sarah's Becky. I much prefer Lecy's version. I never thought I'd see Becky living in a trailer or working at a Hooter's knock-off. But, it was in a way realistic because the "perfect child" doesn't always turn out the way you "plan" them to be. I loved Darlene. Sara Gilbert played that role so great. Sara had chemistry with everyone. I think they might have dragged out the 'dead to the world' Darlene a little too long but, again, it was realistic. It was great seeing Darlene evolve so much as the series went on: tomboy, rebellion, goth phase, independence (loved her going toe-to-toe with Roseanne trying to one-up each other), to mother. It was great. I remember really disliking Darlene for just a little while. I remember just there being this brief period of really ugly sarcasm, much like the tone of the show itself when Roseanne let her mood dictate the seasons. Seasons 6, 7, 8 and 9 are SO guilty of this. Roseanne at times came off as so hard, bitter, entitled. I still loved the hell out of her but I didn't exactly love how things were going. As hilarious as Jackie was, making her a total basket case DID make sense after all she had been through but I missed the earlier Jackie. Same for Dan. I much prefered how it was "known" Rosie was running the show but they still co-parented. It became Roseanne always hiding things from Dan, etc. I loved this show for tackling so many relatable things. They felt realistic. I loved the jabs they took at their own show, the fondness she had for classic sitcoms. The show holds up very well now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Y&RWorldTurner Posted January 13, 2013 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2013 I think Roseanne peaked in quality in the middle season, whereas many shows peak in the beginning years. Seasons 4, 5, and 6 were the funniest and the best blend of the warmth of the earlier years and the sassy and sometimes outrageous humour of the latter years (without going too over the top). Season 5 in particular was the best season, IMO, and one of the best seasons any sitcom has ever had. The episode where Roseanne's father died and she and Jackie had to face the terrible childhood he put them through is a textbook example of what this show did best - it managed to blend humor and serious issues intelligently without going over into "A Very Special Episode" territory, and never telling the audience this is how they should all feel. When it was good, the characters all felt like people I knew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KMan101 Posted January 13, 2013 Members Share Posted January 13, 2013 Boy. You summed it up so well for me. That's why the last couple of seasons are so hard for me to watch, even though I'm still such a fan of the show. I never even thought of the show changing after Tom left and the divorce. I knew it was Roseanne's personal life that often affected the show towards the last few years, but yeah, that makes sense. And I'm with Carl, I missed a lot of the supporting characters Roseanne had around her. It really did lose a lot of it's charm but was still a great show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dragonflies Posted January 13, 2013 Members Share Posted January 13, 2013 She was good until she basically started playing herself and Roseanne(the character) became utterly unlikeable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KMan101 Posted January 13, 2013 Members Share Posted January 13, 2013 Yeah, I probably don't give 5 and 6 enough credit but I do really like them as well. Season 5 actually had a pretty great blend when I really think about it. I watch the reruns so much a lot of the seasons really do kind of blur together for me, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MissLlanviewPA Posted January 17, 2013 Members Share Posted January 17, 2013 I got Season 2 on DVD today! YAY! I've already watched the first one, "Inherit the Wind." "Becky. cut. the cheese." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KMan101 Posted January 17, 2013 Members Share Posted January 17, 2013 DVDs are so much better but you can probably find torrents and burn them yourself. Just a thought. I just downloaded Season 2 and Season 3. Love Roseanne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MissLlanviewPA Posted January 17, 2013 Members Share Posted January 17, 2013 Oh yeah, I watch the show on YouTube all the time, I just collect a lot of shows on DVD. I already had Season 1 and had been wantingto get season 2, and I finally did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dragonflies Posted January 17, 2013 Members Share Posted January 17, 2013 Aren't the original DVD's the syndicated versions? I remember alot of outrage about that, then they re-released them recently as the full versions if I remember right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MissLlanviewPA Posted January 17, 2013 Members Share Posted January 17, 2013 Only the 2005 edition of the first season. I have the new versions released again last year. Uncut and unedited . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gray Bunny Posted January 17, 2013 Members Share Posted January 17, 2013 So, so agree. And yes, that is so right... the mood and tone of the show changed in season 7 when Roseanne divorced Tom in real life. And like someone else said, the humor became bitter, sarcastic, put-downs from the likes of Roseanne, Darlene, etc. while Jackie became the female Don Knotts. This show does hold up SO well though. There's so many sitcoms I grew up with and/or grew up watching reruns of, and now they're so dated, cheesy, and not funny at all when I watch them in present day. But Roseanne is STILL funny. Still makes me laugh out loud. I've seen all the episodes from seasons 1-6 dozens of times and I still watch them like they're brand new. I've heard that the re-releases of the DVD's have additional footage that is cut in syndication, but I have 1-6 seasons from when they were originally released, and it seems every episode has additional footage that has otherwise been cut out ever since it when into syndication in the mid-90's. (I'll never understand why syndicated reruns cut out the part from the Halloween episode where Roseanne, dressed as a man, goes into the mens bathroom and pretends to use the urinal... HILARIOUS! "Oh I get it, it's like being in an elevator.") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MissLlanviewPA Posted January 18, 2013 Members Share Posted January 18, 2013 From what I understand, the original round of releases in 2005 had uncut episodes--all, that is, except season 1 (this also happened with The Cosby Show's first season--another Carsey-Werner show, oddly enough), which had the syndicated versions. When fans realized this, the original production company, Anchor Bay, was able to make sure that the rest of the series was released uncut, although they couldn't do it for season 1. And yet, apparently some scenes in later seasons (usually tag scenes--like the Nearly Identical Beckys parody in season 8) were cut anyway, for whatever reason. Eventually those DVDs went out of print, which led to the new round of DVDs released in 2011--and this time, season 1 is completely uncut and unedited (and these are the copies I have on DVD). The special features on the new ones are the same as the ones from the original DVDs, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Y&RWorldTurner Posted January 18, 2013 Author Members Share Posted January 18, 2013 I agree, I'm always amazed by how well the show has aged overall. It doesn't feel like a relic of the late 80's/90's (and in the early 90's, it was the most popular and highest rated show on television), the show still has a very contemporary feel and the overall content and characters are probably more relevant than they've ever been. I too can re-watch the episodes from seasons 1 through 6 a million times and still laugh at the same jokes/scenes. I don't think a sitcom like this, and especially one starring someone who looks like Roseanne, would make it on the air today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gray Bunny Posted January 18, 2013 Members Share Posted January 18, 2013 Agreed. And that's a shame. Family sitcoms --- good family sitcoms --- are a thing of the past. For those looking to purchase Roseanne on DVD, I've seen Target package Seasons 1&2 and 3&4 together, for $14.99 for each double season pack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MissLlanviewPA Posted January 25, 2013 Members Share Posted January 25, 2013 TV Land is running a marathon this upcoming Super Bowl weekend: the Battle of the Beckys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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