What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T10 WHATS UP! March 25 - 31, 2018 1999) returns as eldest daugh- ter Becky. Sarah Chalke ("Scrubs"), who portrayed Becky in later seasons of the original series, also appears in the new show as a different character, Andrea. Michael Fishman ("Undrafted," 2016) reprises his role as Roseanne and Dan's son, D.J., and Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf ("Lady Bird," 2017) steps back into the role of Roseanne's sister, Jack- ie Harris. Fans of the original series might have been surprised to see Goodman's name on the roster, as his death was re- vealed at the end of the origi- nal series run. Goodman seemed satisfied with how Dan's death is addressed when we spoke at the TCA Press Tour: "I thought it was a clever way to do it, handle it and get it out of the way," the actor said. In addition to the main cast, other favorites from the show's first run are also slated to return. American Theatre Hall of Famer Estelle Parsons ("Bonnie and Clyde," 1967) stars as Roseanne's mother, Beverly Harris. Comedian Sandra Bernhard ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine") reprises her role as Roseanne's friend, Nancy Bartlett. Natalie West ("Nate and Margaret," 2012) once again appears as Roseanne's friend and Dan's stepmother, Crystal Anderson. "Grey's Anatomy's" James Pickens Jr. stars as Chuck Mitchell, and Adilah Barnes ("Tracy Takes On...") returns as his wife, Anne-Marie. Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory") re- turns for one episode to re- prise his role as David. Also of note is Christopher Lloyd's ("Back to the Future," 1985) guest-starring role as Bev's boyfriend, Lou. He won't be the only new face in Lan- ford. The revival welcomes new cast members Emma Kenney ("Shameless") as Har- ris Conner, Ames McNamara ("At Home With Amy Sedar- is") as Mark, and Jayden Rey ("Unforgettable") as Mary. Beyond the familiar and new faces, "Roseanne" fans can also look forward to the intri- cately recreated set. From the plaid sofa to the crocheted af- ghan, things haven't changed much in the Conner house — even the dated wallpaper was recreated from photos from the original series. Goodman recalled that walking onto the set for the first time felt like coming home, and that's ex- actly how viewers are sure to feel when the show returns. The original series was im- mensely popular in its heyday and has graced many presti- gious "best of " lists over the years as a result. The show and its stars won Emmys, Golden Globes, People's Choice Awards and even a Peabody Award for Excellence in Television Broadcasting. Not only that, it reached the No. 1 spot in the Nielsen rat- ings in its second season, and often ranked in the top 20 throughout its run. It remains to be seen wheth- er ABC's new version will live up to the original, but millions of TV viewers are eager to find out. If there's one thing fans can be sure of, it's that, much like the original, the new "Roseanne" won't shy away from controversial top- ics. The show is expected to address topics such as health care, the opioid crisis, gender and illegal immigration. Many TV comedies tend to avoid such hot-button issues, but Barr will tackle them head on in an effort to represent the many different opinions held by Americans, just as she did in the '80s and '90s. Check out the special one- hour premiere of "Roseanne," airing Tuesday, March 27, on ABC. John Goodman stars in "Roseanne" continued from page T2 Roll out the welcome mat: Conner family returns to the airwaves in 'Roseanne' reboot TV FEATURE