Roseanne (1988-1997)

Roseanne Barr in Roseanne. (Photo: ABC)

Starring: John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Alicia Goranson

The ABC series Roseanne was the first sitcom since I Love Lucy to feature the family matriarch as the main character. Unlike the fashionably urban Ricardos, however, the Conners represented working-class America in lovingly honest way seldom seen on network television. Referring to herself as a "Domestic Goddess," Roseanne exuded a style of brassy humor, tough love, and blue-collar sensibilities that deviated from the hyperfeminine history of TV moms. For almost a decade, the show portrayed an average working family in the Midwest handling their everyday problems with wisecracks, witty jabs, and classic sitcom togetherness. The series peaked by 1993 with multiple wins at the Emmy awards and the Golden Globes. Roseanne is fondly remembered in TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" and remains in syndication. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide