ABC has wasted no time securing a second season of its “new” hit comedy. The broadcaster announced Friday that it has renewed Roseanne for what it’s calling the show’s 11th season. The move comes just three days after the multi-cam revival starring Roseanne Barr debuted to massive ratings that shocked the industry and observers and drove national news.
“We’re thrilled that America has welcomed the Conner family back into their homes,” ABC president Channing Dungey. “The show is as fresh and relevant today as it was when it left the air 21 years ago. We can’t wait to see what the ‘Roseanne’ team has in store for next year.”
Returning to TV this week 21 years after ending its initial nine-season run on ABC, Roseanne averaged a 5.1 rating and 18.2 million viewers over an hour with back-to-back episodes. Those numbers out-distanced the ratings for the original season series finale in 1997. They also were the best for any scripted broadcast program this season — with the exception of the episode of NBC’s This Is Us that immediately followed the Super Bowl. Roseanne well outperformed other freshman comedy debuts this season.
Produced by Carsey-Werner Television, Roseanne reunites the original cast of the long-running sitcom about a working class Illinois family, including Barr, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert, and Laurie Metcalf. Executive producers are Barr, Gilbert, Tom Werner, Bruce Helford, Whitney Cummings, and Tony Hernandez.
