Sara Gilbert Says The Roseanne Revival Isn’t As Political As Many Think It Will Be

Published on February 22, 2018.

ABC

With just over a month to go before Roseanne makes its return to TV with the highly anticipated revival series, the cast is opening up more and more about what to expect from the “new” Roseanne.

With a lot of talk about Roseanne Barr’s personal political beliefs influencing the show with her character, like the actress, supporting President Donald Trump, many fans were hesitant to get excited about the revival because they thought would it be too politic-heavy, but Sara Gilbert is here to reassure them it will still be the same Roseanne and Conner family they know and love.

Gilbert, who is returning as Darlene Conner as well as serving as an executive producer, admitted that the first episode does include a dig at Hillary Clinton, but fans shouldn’t expect nothing but talk and arguments about politics. “People think this show is more political than it is,” she said during a roundtable discussion with The Hollywood Reporter. Gilbert did add that politics obviously will play a part thought, “It’s more about how a family deals with a disagreement like that.”

Roseanne Barr added that making her character a Trump supporter helped further their story and continue the tradition of the Conner family being relatable to middle-class Americans. “I wanted to do it this way. It’s the conversation everybody is having,” she said. “Families are not speaking to each other. People are still shocked and upset about it. It’s the state of our country.”

Of course political disagreements is only one small issue they will tackle, as Roseanne has always been known to take on difficult subject matter that most other sitcoms avoid. “We wanted to make sure that all sides were represented in the show, which seems to be taboo today,” co-showrunner Bruce Helford said. “We did an episode about a Muslim neighbor. I can tell you that the hair of the standards and practices people went on end.”

Co-showrunner Whitney Cummings revealed that another recent social issue the show will be tackling is the opioid crisis which promises to be one of the season’s most dramatic episodes. “But what I’ve always loved about Roseanne is the show’s ability to have these incredible dramatic moments in a multicamera sitcom with an audience sitting there, not laughing ’cause an incredible dramatic moment is playing out, whether it was when DJ wouldn’t kiss the black girl at the school play or Jackie’s domestic abuse,” she said. “We thought maybe this could be one of those episodes.”

At the end of the day John Goodman reassured fans, the revival will continue to be the Conner family simply trying to stay afloat amid the turmoil of the world around them. “The Conners are good people, though, and they’re also trying to adapt to the world,” Goodman noted. “They’re learning.”

Roseanne returns with a special hour-long premiere on Tuesday, March 27 at 8 p.m on ABC.