Official Synopsis:
Eight top-rated seasons, over 40 major awards and more than 200 classic episodes have all led here. In this in=famous final season. The Conners' win the lottery, Roseanne battles terrorists, Dan ponders the meaning of life, Jackie meets her prince, DJ finds love and Darlene gives birth. For millions of Roseanne fans, it was the unforgettable year of secrets, surprises, new romance and bittersweet memories in which we said goodbye to one of the greatest comedies in television history.
Our Take:
One could say that Roseanne as we all knew and loved it ended after its eighth season. Season Nine was such a deviation from the original series that it is at times unrecognizable. The Connors, who had always flirted with foreclosure and were constantly behind on all their bills, had finally come into wealth and no longer had to worry about money. Financial woes aren't funny, but Roseanne had used her brand of comedy and fused it with realism to make us all laugh at the absurd. Without this constant theme of poverty, it seems as if the characters could just run hog-wild. From another point of view, though, it was nice to see them have money and see how they reacted to a new life of luxury and ease, a stark contrast to how they had lived before. Everyone wants to win the lottery, so to see Roseanne and the Connors finally have money… well, perhaps the audience could live that dream vicariously through the show.
The Ninth Season saw Roseanne herself at the creative helm and nobody at the Network told her “no” on anything. One episode features her daydreaming about being on the Jerry Springer show with her family, and the next minute she is on a sexy Playboy photo shoot with her sister Jackie and Hugh Heffner is thanking her for her appearance. In another episode, Jackie and Roseanne go to an exclusive beauty spa and are met with distain, so of course she reacts in the typical Roseanne way. It gets pretty ludicrous, but at times it does also resemble the old show that we all knew and loved: a pregnant Darlene goes into labor prematurely, and Roseanne’s mother Bev has a surprising revelation!
The Ninth Season of Roseanne on DVD serves up better features than we've gotten before, but still leaves you wanting more. It would have been nice to have everyone get together or at least hear from each of the cast members and see where they are now. All we get to hear from are Roseanne Barr and Michael Fishman (D.J.).
* Episode Commentary – Roseanne and Michael Fishman sit down for a commentary for the episode “The Truth Be Told.” This is done as a video commentary, so while the episode plays out we get to see the two of them discuss the show.
* A Legacy of Class (6 minutes) - An interview with Roseanne where she talks about the ninth season and how she had satirized the division of class in America.
* Breaking the Sitcom Mold (6 minutes) - Roseanne continues discussing the themes which are explored in Season Nine, and how Roseanne the character going from rags to riches was much like her own experiences once the sitcom was picked up and everyone knew her name.
When it comes down to it, Roseanne: Season Nine is strictly for the fans. There is too much of a deviation from the series previous to it that it makes it almost unbelievable. By the same token it is fun, but too many outrageous things make the show implausible and not as funny. With the show ending on a surprise that is still bothersome, one can either deny its existence or find some peace with it. Season Nine is a must for hardcore fans, but proceed with caution, because once you’ve watched it all, you can’t take it back.
Overall Picture
Show: B
DVD: B+
- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer
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