Roseanne (1988)
The first family that made you feel better about your own!
A working-class family struggles to get by on a limited income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 18 October 1988 |
| Status | Canceled |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Matt Williams |
| Starring | Roseanne Barr, John Goodman and Alicia Goranson |
| Seasons | 10 seasons, 231 episodes |
| Episode length | about 23 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 89 hours |
| Rated | TV-PG |
| Scores | TMDB users 6.8/10 |
Where to watch Roseanne
Roseanne is streaming on Peacock ($16.99 a month) in the US. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 3 months of Peacock, or $50.97 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 30 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Roseanne is a 1988-era comedy that found its groove by refusing to look away from the kitchen table. It runs 23 minutes per episode, totaling 89 hours of unpolished domestic chaos. The hook is the Conners, a blue-collar family in Lanford, Illinois, where both parents work outside the home and nobody is hiding their flaws. Critics noted it was one of the first sitcoms to portray a working-class family with realistic weight, without turning those bodies into punchlines. Matt Williams created it, and the drabness of the setting makes the warmth of the family land harder. It is a show about paying bills and arguing about them, which is probably the most honest comedy of its time.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes gives season 10 a 69% approval rating, based on 80 reviews. Metacritic lands on 69 out of 100, a score that signals generally favorable reviews. The consensus notes the classic format and timely humor remain intact, though execution is sporadically uneven. Tom Arnold praised Laurie Metcalf’s performance. Donald Trump even called to congratulate Barr on the premiere. She found the call "pretty exciting" and noted he "really knows ratings." That is either a significant endorsement or a significant red flag, depending on how you measure things.
How it did with audiences
On TMDB, users rate the original run 6.8 out of 10. The Nielsen numbers tell a longer story. It took the No. 1 spot in its second season, narrowly beating The Cosby Show. The first six seasons all landed in the top 5. Ratings slipped after that, falling to 35th place in the ninth season. The revival changed the math. Its premiere drew 18.45 million live and same-day viewers. Delayed viewing added significant numbers, setting a record for the largest gain from Live+7 viewership. The final season ranked in the top 5.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Roseanne.
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Sources
- Roseanne on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q575373 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Roseanne” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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