Critical Condition: Roseanne

Roseanne | Three, 7.30 Thursday

➢ “Roseanne returns looking much as you probably remember it. There’s that couch. There’s that quilt. And there are Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan Conner (John Goodman), lovingly busting each others’ chops … But the new Roseanne also has the potential to do something a little deeper and more ambitious than your average nostalgia-fest … By resetting, the new season does more than hark back to the show’s better years. It re-establishes a continuity in which life has gone on, yet no one’s life has really panned out.” — New York Times.

➢ “The writing is sharp, the performances skilled. Ms. Barr and Mr. Goodman are their splendidly seasoned comic selves, and that’s more than enough reason to welcome the return of Roseanne.” — Wall Street Journal.

➢ “Through three episodes sent to critics, the 10th season of Roseanne has put itself squarely in the camp of revivals that have no trouble justifying their purpose in 2018. Barr and showrunners Bruce Helford and Whitney Cummings have made a show that has its own recognisable perspective on the 2016 election, exploding health care costs, the opioid epidemic, changing perspectives on gender and sexuality and more.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

➢ “The revived series is a bit rough around the edges. Not in terms of its humour or content, which are remarkably well-adapted for a modern audience, but in terms of its pure execution; it’s undoubtedly quite difficult to return to the rhythms of a sitcom that debuted 29 years ago. The timing all feels a little off; the transitions are abrupt, the dialogue layers unevenly, and the punch lines don’t land.” — Variety.

➢ “The series feels as though it’s frozen in time. The cast is the same. The house is the same. The fat jokes are the same. The struggle is the same. All that’s changed is their ages … Roseanne  is never quite as laugh-out-loud funny as before,  but it rides nostalgia as far as it can. It’s still a series about family and love and acceptance, and if you’re looking for familiar faces and easy watching, Roseanne will probably satisfy.” — USA Today.