Last week, I noted the epic ratings that the comedy series Roseanne received after its revival with the lead actress and her character both being supporters of President Trump.
Everyone agreed that the following week’s viewership would be key to determining the true success of the program. It seems that the second week was strong.
ABC’s Roseanne revival settled in last night with a slice-of-life episode focused on parenting after last week’s headline-grabbing premiere tackled President Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the election. The ratings took the inevitable dip but remained impressive — 15.4 million viewers and a 3.9 rating among adults 18-49 in Live+same day at 8 PM last night. Vs. the 8-8:30 PM part of the double premiere episode last week (17.7 million, 4.9/21), Roseanne retained 87% of the audience and 80% of the adults 18-49 rating. It was once again the top program of the night by a mile in both adults 18-49 and total viewers.. . . . Last night’s Roseanne posted the highest Adult 18-49 rating for any non-premiere comedy telecast in more than two years, since the 12/17/15 episode of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory.
Legal Insurrection readers will recall my disdain for actress Debra Messing after her anti-Trump advertisement in the wake of the 2016 election trying to undo the results. Messing’s revived Will & Grace comedy show had substantially less initial viewers for its first show, and dropped off over 30% in its second week.
Interestingly, the comparisons between the two shows were such that the producers of Will & Grace had to make a statement that they weren’t envious of Roseanne.
“There’s not one part of us that’s jealous of anyone else’s success,” Mutchnick said. “And the more that sitcoms do better on network television, the better for us. That’s about as much of a line as we can draw to meeting our own needs. We love the idea that sitcoms are being made and that they do well. That’s only a good thing.”
Another sign of the Roseanne reboot’s success is the dripping scorn being heaped on it by elite television critics. This chestnut from Julie Hinds of the Detroit Free Press is a good example:
Will you be watching “Roseanne” next week? After seeing the first three episodes of the ABC reboot, I’ll be taking a pass from now on.For TV comedy with working-class realism, I still think ABC’s “The Middle” and NBC’s “Superstore” do a much better job. Also, like some viewers, I’ve been disappointed by the reboot’s lack of relevance and bite.
Perhaps it isn’t relevant in the media’s bubble, but plenty of people thought Roseanne’s approach to handling a special snowflake was excellent.
Perhaps the best news for those of us who like comedy without a side of social justice virtue signalling is that Tim Allen’s cancelled show, Last Man Standing, will soon be back on TV. Not only is WGN going to run existing episodes, but Fox is looking to bring back the comedy that was unexpectedly dropped by ABC.
According to TMZ, FOX is reportedly considering a reboot of Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing.” The show was canceled last year following rumors that it had to do with Allen’s conservative-leaning beliefs….In addition to “Last Man Standing,” the show most likely to be revived is “How I Met Your Dad.”FOX is also reportedly considering reboots of “That 70’s Show” and “Malcolm in the Middle.”
Last Man Standing was my go-to shows for laughter after a long week of science and politics. Given the extreme news cycle I cover as part of the Legal Insurrection team, I would be grateful for its return.
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