The brilliant Ms. Barr, or perhaps Mr. Werner, or Ms. Gilbert

This article had nothing to do with Hobbs, except that it is written by someone from Hobbs. Just a spin in this author's mind.

The last episode of the original series of Roseanne was very poignant. It's something I think about often.

The show was a product of it's time, even as it was a departure from other series that ran during that era. There were some After-School-Special aspects of a few episodes that I didn't appreciate. I lost weekly focus after they won the lottery. Whether that was due to lack of interest or the ability to watch more than three channels, I'm not certain. I don't even remember if I saw the last show when it originally aired, or in re-runs.

It was simple fare and ground-breaking at the same time, and easy enough to watch. It was also what I was watching when my kids were little. It's familiar and nostalgic for me.

When I heard there was going to be a 2018 continuance of the series, I had mixed feelings. I wanted to watch it (I needed a John Goodman fix), but I didn't see how the writers could resurrect Dan without ruining my affinity for that last episode. I went ahead and recorded the new show on my DVR, just in case I could see a way around it.

Then came the thing that Roseanne said that made everyone upset. I think comments made online are akin to passing notes in eighth-grade. I don't give much credence to them. On the other hand, I don't want to hear any political conversations or mentally involve myself in anything political. The articles that my eye could not avoid made the new show out to be very political. I think politics uses distraction to keep the everyman from looking at real data. With that, the new Roseanne was something I wouldn't even consider watching. I mulled over deleting the recordings after the show was cancelled.

One night last week or so, I was watching tv, one of those three original channels I used to watch in the old days, and a commercial came on and said that Goodman was going to be on the late night show after the news (I guess ALL ads aren't bad). I tuned in just to see him. He was talking about a new show called The Conners, a continuance of the continuance of Roseanne. I was struck by the way he spoke well of Roseanne and deflected any bashes that the host tried to lead. This piqued my interest in the newest show, and I wondered how they would deal with the disappearance of Roseanne. John didn't spoil it by giving details. I put the show on the DVR list, just in case.

Last night, I couldn't find anything to watch, so I pulled up the list and scrolled through. The second episode of The Conners was on there, but not the first. I thought I remembered seeing it on Hulu, so I went there and found it. After watching it, I was surprised and satisfied with the way the absence of Roseanne was dealt with. The new dynamics of old characters was interesting. I zoomed through the two episodes that have been on television so far.

There were some storylines I needed clarification on, though. Thankfully, I found the entire Roseanne reprise series tucked away in my DVR. Again, I was surprised and satisfied, this time with the way Dan's comeback was handled. "Of course!," I thought. I'm not going say exactly what I thought, because that's a spoiler. It was well-crafted and it didn't take anything away from that special last airing in 1997.


I don't think politics is what the show was about. I think it was about a family having the same types of conversations that I would find typical in my family. I heard the political stances from my parents over the years and learned to let it flow over my head, for the most part (Hah! I didn't talk to my mom for several weeks after a blow up over President Bush II). Learning to navigate all topics and not lose my mind is something I have striven for, not always successfully, in my familial dealings.

I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the second series, and I feel like I have found a jewel in the newest incarnation. I don't know if the grandstanding over the show was intentional or not, but the back and forth of emotions and opinions couldn't have been more carefully orchestrated to lead me to it. I have been drawn in.

I understand that all these shows can be watched somewhere on streaming television, but I think I'm going to go old-school, and enjoy The Conners one week at a time.

The names in the title of this article are all people who have been involved in the production of one or more of these various shows.