Roseanne Barr, the 65-year-old comedian, told Roseanne co-star Sara Gilbert that she personally felt “way too old to be fighting.” Gilbert reached out in the spring of 2017 about jumping in on TV’s current reboot craze and reviving their iconic sitcom. Barr said she would return it Gilbert could reassemble the entire Conner family, including Roseanne’s husband Dan (John Goodman), and sister, Jackie (Laurie Metcalf). But her only stipulation was that Gilbert, who would be executive producer as well as her onscreen daughter Darlene, had to take on any battles that arose, whether it was with the series’ writers or its host network ABC. This is different from when the series originally ran. From 1988 to 1997, Barr took pleasure in firing writers (whom she referred to by number, not name) and the series’ creator, Matt Williams. She also regularly fought with the series’ producers. But this time around has been different. Though Barr’s vocal support of Trump has sometimes fanned flames, she says she has learned to control her anger better. The staff of the revived show is politically diverse and led by co-showrunners Bruce Helford and Whitney Cummings. It has tackled topics like immigration, health care, drugs and gender fluidity. Next season, if it gets one, Barr would like to lean more heavily on topics like race and religion. The Hollywood Reporter talked to Barr as well as Roseanne’s highest-profile off-camera talent including Helford and Cummings, writer Wanda Sykes, as well as Gilbert and Goodman, to talk about old battle scars, storylines, and the Hillary Clinton barb Barr insisted on having in the show.
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