“Roseanne” airs ahead of “Black-ish” on ABC. (ABC)
The reboot of the 1980s sitcom “Roseanne” premiered it’s second episode of the season Tuesday night, but not without an apparent dig at one of ABC’s blackest shows.
After Roseanne Connor, played by Roseanne Barr Roseanne Connor and Dan Conner, played by John Goodman awaken from an unplanned evening nap, the two disoriented elders are trying to make sense of the time.
Dan asked his longtime wife, “What time is it? Did I miss dinner?”
“It’s 11,” Roseanne responded. “We slept from ‘Wheel’ to ‘Kimmel.’”
“We missed all the shows about Black and Asian families,” Dan replied.
“They’re just like us,” she said. “There, now you’re all caught up.”
The two shows in question are “Black-ish,” which follows “Roseanne” in that 9 p.m. Tuesday slot, and “Fresh Off the Boat.” Both are ABC programs that can appeal to white audiences but are still very much focused on the Black and Asian experience.
“Black-ish” especially has made no qualms about episodes featuring topics such as police brutality and the harsh realities of the election of President Donald Trump — whom TV and real-life Roseanne support — for Black Americans.
In addition to the apparent swipe at the Anthony Anderson/Tracee Ellis Ross-starring show, TV Roseanne wrongly claimed that the Connors, who live in a low-income dwelling in fictional Lanford, Ill., compared to the Johnsons’ colonial suburban California, upper-middle-class home is “just like us.”
At home, viewers were displeased by the dig.
The funniest thing about the “They’re just like us” crack about “black-ish” (and “Fresh off the Boat”) on last night’s “Roseanne” was how VERY specific and distinctive last night night’s HBCU “black-ish” was.
— Daniel Fienberg (@TheFienPrint) April 4, 2018
the nerve of roseanne to take potshots at black-ish and fresh off the boat. we never needed another roseanne. we DO need diversity on television.
— paddington said abolish prisons (@zoenone0none) April 4, 2018
So… Roseanne can agressively turn of the TV when faced with "blacks and asians" and proclaim in a nasty ass tone "They're just like us! Now you're all caught up." But Black-ish can't even acknowledge Kap & modern day social injustice protests?
Mmmm? K? @ABC
— 🇺🇸My Football Team Sucks🇺🇸 (@Liberal_family) April 4, 2018
Additionally, Variety reported “Roseanne” ratings took a tumble this week following the stunning numbers it pulled during the premiere. Tuesday night’s episode had 15.2 million viewers compared to the 18.4 million viewers it pulled in last week.
