Product Description

Roseanne, a show which comedically celebrated the ups and downs of a working class American family, was one of the most successful series of the late '80s and early '90s.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6057 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-08-30
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 505 minutes

Amazon.com
Roseanne burst onto the screen in 1988, when top-rated sitcom The Cosby Show exuded a smug Father Knows Best glossiness. In contrast, the blue-collar Conner family bickered with the offhand nastiness of real families, which didn't mean they loved each other any less. Front and center was Roseanne Barr (now known by the single name Roseanne), a former stand-up comedian who wasn't afraid to rock the boat (her fights with producers were legendary). When even the fat guys on sitcoms have svelte, hottie wives, it's hard to believe that this woman--overweight, abrasive, with a voice like a wood chipper--became top of the television heap. Roseanne spoke up for a kind of lower-class feminism; she didn't concern herself much with politics, but within the family she just as much in charge as her husband Dan (the ever-dependable John Goodman, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski)--though in the final episode of the first season, she took a stand at her factory job that was half Norma Rae, half Cool Hand Luke. But most often the show turned the ordinary rituals of domestic life (putting the kids to bed, coping with visiting parents) into sharp comic scenarios. The stories were smartly hidden in a series of scenes that felt organic and unforced. The entire cast--one of the best ensembles ever, including theater veteran Laurie Metcalf (Scream 2) as Roseanne's sister Jackie; Lecy Goranson as eldest daughter Becky; Michael Fishman as youngest child D.J.; and especially Sara Gilbert (Poison Ivy, ER) as middle daughter Darlene--swiftly cultivated the mixture of comfort and tension that marks most family relationships. The result was a portrait of American family life that rang achingly, hilariously true.

Roseanne's first season was solid from the start; few shows have had such an immediate grasp of their ideal tone and rhythm. Roseanne may have been a little stiff in the first few episodes, but she developed her chops quickly. By only the third episode, in which Roseanne and Dan run into a divorced friend at a restaurant and do some impromptu evaluating of their own married life, Roseanne was already exploring the psychology behind the wisecracks. By episode 6, set in a bowling alley, Roseanne begins to truly inhabit her character, growing more physically and emotionally expansive (she herself singles out this episode as the one where she started to have fun). Roseanne was never afraid to share the spotlight; Goodman, Metcalf, and the kids all had central roles in one episode or another, and one of the most striking episodes focused on Roseanne's coworker Crystal (the underrated Natalie West), whose husband had been embedded in concrete while working on a bridge. This black comic premise gave way to surprisingly touching grief when old secrets emerged. Guest performers like George Clooney (a semi-regular in the first season), Ned Beatty (as Dan's father), Estelle Parsons (an insidious turn as Roseanne's mother), and Fred Thompson (as a domineering supervisor) always had meaty material to work with. Simply one of the best sitcoms of all time. Caveat: the set uses the episodes as they were shortened for syndication, not the originally broadcast versions that were 2-3 minutes longer.--Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

one of the best tv shows
I absolutely love this show. This is basically a lower middle working class family. Also, you know when tv shows get released on dvd, they usually change some background music or cut out a little bit of the show. Not this case. I watched the shows on Nick At Nite, and after I watched this on dvd, on each episode, I noticed they had a little bit more on the show. Also, usually on the last disc, you have a couple of the cast members talk about the show. George Clooney has a guest staring role on the majority of the shows

Roseanne
love watching the conner's family
it's cool.

I like all the people that made a
good sitcom and made me laugh

thank's again

Beware: edited episodes, otherwise it's cool
Pay regular price for a season of edited, not uncut episodes of a popular series? I don't know; I'd rather get uncut versions if I can, so I'd been holding out for either when it's on sale at a very low price or when it's re-released in an uncut edition. I found out unexpectedly that it's on sale with a price so low I decided to order it. This set arrived within days, all ready to play. I enjoyed the episodes, all under 22 minutes each, especially one I don't ever remember seeing before: 'Father's Day' (ep. 14 on disc 2).

It's true that all episodes here are edited similar to what's been shown in syndication. There's a scene I remember in the one with Darlene finding her newspaper job more than she can handle that was omitted ('The Monday Thru Friday Show', ep. 12 on disc 2): if I remember right, after the commercial fadeout midway through, Darlene reports to her boss for not delivering all the newspapers. The boss goes into lecture mode, but before he's finished Darlene interrupts him and asks him point-blank if she's fired. The boss says yes... Anyway, I don't remember everything from this season as I wasn't into back then. Nonetheless, I got to see everything and enjoyed it.

Box art dressed in McDonald's colors look nice. I like the trivia questions listed inside the cases. Ditto for the extras included. Not just that but the extras as well as the commentaries are closed-captioned (no subtitles). Most other shows on DVD can't claim this fact. Thank you, Roseanne and everyone responsible for putting it together.

Would I recommend this product? Yes, but considering the edited content you might want to wait until it's on sale or when it's re-released in uncut form. Don't know about the latter, but at least it's an idea. Enjoy...