For those of you who don’t know, Roseanne was a popular sitcom that thrived in the ’90s with its infamous lead star, Roseanne Barr. ABC decided to give it a fun spin in 2018, following its earlier commercialism and ratings that gave the network a huge boost. The revival show was, however canceled, with Roseanne’s death being scripted in the series. The quintessential question that once bugged the internet was: did Roseanne die in real life?
If you’ve ever wracked your brain wondering why ABC suddenly decided to axe Roseanne from the series (which quite literally had her name on it), you’re in the right place. We explore what brought Roseanne’s impromptu demise in the show and her popularity in real life.
What is “Roseanne”, the show, and why was it revived?
Roseanne was an immensely renowned American sitcom, airing on the ABC network from 1988 to 1997. With the likes of Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, and Sara Gilbert, the show garnered raving reviews and ratings from fans and critics alike. In 2002, TV Guide listed the show in its “50 Greatest TV Shows Of All Time”.
The Cast Roseanne. Credits: USA Today.
In 2017, ABC decided to surprise the fans with a Roseanne Revival. The show premiered on March 27th, 2018, in the 10th season, with the original cast intact. It soon gained 27.26 million viewers! ABC wanted to ride on the continued success of the show, which prompted it to announce the 11th season soon after.
So, what’s all the fuss about Roseanne “being dead”?
2018 was the time of the USA Presidential campaign, with Roseanne Barr being a staunch Donald Trump supporter. She was known for being racist, but the water went over the pot when she made a racist
Comment likening former senior advisor to Obama, Valerie Jarett to “Planet of the Apes”, in May of the same year. While Barr justified her stance stating it was a “bad joke”, ABC was quick to call out the “abhorrent, repugnant” remarks of Roseanne Barr, even stating that it was against their values. The network canceled the show, instead deciding to script and air a spin-off starring the Conner family from the original show Roseanne. ABC went ahead with this new show, titled “The Conners,” with a premiere on October 2018.
Roseanne Barr. Credits: Variety.
Modifying the storyline from the 10th season of the show, the writers on The Conners decided to kill the character Roseanne citing an opioid overdose. She was earlier shown to be addicted to painkillers, which gave the writers ample leeway to craft an exit for Roseanne Barr.
How did Roseanne Barr, the actor, respond?
Following the premiere and in her expression of her distaste towards the network, Roseanne Barr tweeted, in all-caps:
“I AIN’T DEAD, B*TCHES”
Perhaps, this was her final attempt to show her disappointment with the show or to salvage her lost reputation. But, whatever the intention, it sure did confuse the fans about her actual presence in the real world.
Furthermore, in her official statement, released together with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, her resentment of the show was clearly made known. It stated that the death of Roseanne Conner, brought forth by an opioid overdose,” lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an otherwise happy family show”. The statement, while expressing disappointment with the decision, still wished the best for the show, which had people “deeply dedicated to their craft and were Roseanne’s cherished colleagues”.
Roseanne Barr. Credits: WIRED
What is Roseanne up to now?
Earlier this year, Roseanne Barr confirmed a comeback comedy special for the year 2023. The special is slated to be a one-hour gig titled “A Roseanne Comedy Special”. It will be aired on the Fox Network. Expressing his excitement, Jason Klarman, president of Fox Nation, confirmed the news by stating:
“We are thrilled to add her comedy special exclusively to the Fox Nation catalog.”
The decision comes in light of Fox Nation deciding to take an avid interest in the direction of lifestyle programming, evident with its association with other celebrities such as Kevin Costner and Piers Morgan. Fox also promises that the show starring Barr would “feature Ms. Barr’s signature comedic take on a variety of topics, with no subject off limits.”
Seems like Roseanne did not die. And, she’ll be back for good pretty soon.
When the fourth Shinobi was a matter of time before Sasuke joined the war, however, his decisions that led up to it made for quite a journey and ended a long cycle of hate. This made his significance in the story even higher, but things have always been weird with the last Uchiha since his introduction. Sasuke is introduced in the first third episode/chapter of the anime/manga and was pivotal to the series. He is one of the two characters the series is based on and centered around.
Sasuke was one of the main antagonists in Naruto Shippuden. To be precise, he evolved to be one of the antagonists in Shippuden, and his participation in the war was seen by many as a great clash. However, the events did not unfold like that, for Sasuke was still a teenager at this stage and went through phases. He certainly went through a phase in Naruto after he abruptly decided to join Orochimaru, even after Kakashi’s speech. This also happened in Shippuden, where he learned many things about himself.
For one, he learned that Itachi wasn’t the only one who killed everyone in his clan; Obito was also involved. Moreover, he doesn’t remember that because Itachi put him under Genjutsu to omit Obito’s involvement. This had caused him great mental stress, but even after learning Obito was killing in his clan, through Obito himself, he decided to join him. Obito manipulated him into joining him.
CC: Naruto Franchise
Eventually, Sasuke Join The war, But Whose Side Was He On?
Sasuke had belonged to camp Obito before joining the war. So it was inevitable for him to become one of the main antagonists in the series down the line. However, his meeting with Itachi greatly affected his attitude and led to a great shift in the war.
While he had been harboring ill intent and meaning to destroy Konoha for good, Itachi left him confused. But what did Itachi do to him? Sasuke had been under someone else’s influence since he was little. He became aware of that at some point but didn’t care. He was willing to get used by Tobi and be a tool for him if it meant destroying Konoha. But Tobi ignored one important detail that led to his downfall.
Itachi was one of the people who also got reincarnated as part of the people’s mass reanimation Jutsu. However, it didn’t take him long to get out of its influence and break free of the restraints placed on him. With the crow placed on Naruto, he put himself under Genjutsu to break the restraints of Reanimation’s control on him. Naruto informed him Sasuke had gone rogue and wouldn’t listen to anyone, no matter what anyone said. Itachi made way for Sasuke as soon as he heard what his little brother had been doing.
CC: Naruto Franchise
Itachi states he still wished to save Konoha even after he had come to life, for the village gave him meaning. Not understanding what his big brother meant, Sasuke went on to revive Orochimaru and, in turn, revive the past Hokages. He wanted to know what being a shinobi of Konoha, and there was no one better to answer than them.
After their revival, the second Hokage turned out to be the one who had done the most damage to Uchiha, while the third and fourth failed to clean up his mess. But the whole thing started with Hashirama, the first Hokage and the wood user telling the story of his time to help him understand what it meant to be Shinobi.
After learning about Konoha came to be, Sasuke made up his decision and joined the war with the four Hokages on his side. We saw a touching reunion between Naruto and Minato that was broken by Sakura’s short temper. And when Sasuke does show up in the war, it is in Naruto Shippuden Episode 370. And from there begins the war that would put an end to everything before leading to the last showdown of the series.
“Naruto: Shippuden” chronicles Naruto Uzumaki’s journey as he seeks recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage. Alongside his friends, he faces challenges, confronts his dark past, and battles formidable enemies from the Akatsuki organization. The series explores themes of friendship, perseverance, and the undying spirit to overcome adversity.
