The reboot of the popular sitcom “Roseanne” returned to ABC on Tuesday night and, judging by the enormous ratings it got, it’s probably here to stay.
After nearly 20 years off the air, “Roseanne” came back better and stronger than ever. Early ratings indicated that 18.2 million households tuned in, and the show received a 5.1 rating among adults ages 18-49. This could make “Roseanne” the highest rated sitcom in recent seasons if it maintains numbers this high.
“Roseanne” somehow even beat out the much-hyped adult demo of the “60 Minutes” interview with former porn star Stormy Daniels on CBS this Sunday.
ABC has only committed to eight episodes of “Roseanne,” which makes sense. It seeks to compete with other heavy hitting shows like “The Voice” on NBC and “Splitting Up Together.”
Other sitcom revivals have hit primetime television this year, including NBC’s “Will And Grace,” which has enjoyed pretty strong ratings as well. The premier of this season got a 3.0 rating in the key demo and a little over 10 million viewers.
But many are hoping “Roseanne” will offer a fresher take on politics in 2018 America. Roseanne is supposed to portray a Trump supporter and deliver “a more varied take on Trump’s America.” Producers have remained pretty silent on what exactly that means, so for now, we’ll just have to tune in to find out.
Follow Jena on Twitter.