Last Night 18.6 MILLION People Tuned In To Watch The Debut Of Roseanne And Her Gender Creative Grandson On ABC
Source – Roseanne is a hit—again. The reboot of the beloved ABC sitcom barreled through ratings expectations for Tuesday night’s two-episode premiere. The first episode pulled in 17.7 million people and landed a 4.9 rating in adults 18-49, according to Deadline, while the second episode climbed up to 18.6 million viewers and a 5.3 in the 18-49 range.
These massive debut ratings even outpaced the original Roseanne’s finale-episode numbers. Back in 1997 (remember the old days?), that showing drew about 16.6 million viewers. Its relatively weak numbers can likely be blamed on the divisive nature of Roseanne’s final season, which the reboot quickly addressed and tried to wave away.
Roseanne has also been drumming up priceless hype and headlines in the last few weeks as the show grapples with the tricky political landscape that made ABC decide to bring the series back in the first place.
Barr herself has made it clear she’s interested in another season, speaking openly about her ideas for future episodes should the show get renewed. And with numbers like these, why wouldn’t it?
To be honest, I wasn’t going to watch the Roseanne premier but I was whitening my teeth (#fireislandszn) and couldn’t do anything else so I decided to give it a try. Despite the original series popularity my expectations were low. With the exception of Kojak, TV remakes are almost always terrible. I got five minutes in and was about ready to shut it off but for some reason decided to stick it out…and I’m glad I did. Does it make me white trash that I enjoyed an episode of Rosanne? Probably. But I wasn’t the only one, 18.6 million people tuned in. Which is a MASSIVE number for any show let alone a remake.
They touched on a lot of the issues that people don’t like to talk about. Politics, unemployment, abortion. They even had a ‘gender creative’ kid with a questionable fashion sense.
Which is NOT a good look for the LGBT community. Don’t get me wrong, the message is great. Any time you can have a nontraditional character portrayed in a positive light on network television it’s a good thing. I just wish he had chosen a different outfit. That scarf/shirt combo is a disaster. He didn’t even change his wig to match it. It’s like he’s never heard of Gigi Gorgeous, although I guess that’s not the point.
As embarrassed as I am to say, there was something refreshing about the show. Scripted shows don’t talk about the things that Roseanne brought up last night. I’m sure I’ll hate it after next week once I remember that Roseanne is Roseanne, but for now I’m into it. Job well done.
Never Forget: