‘Roseanne' Is a Hit for Many Reasons — Trump-loving Politics Is Just One of Them

Before last Wednesday, I'd never seen a single episode of Roseanne. But in the interest of cultural commentary, I cranked up my ABC.com app to see what all the fuss — and the extraordinarily high ratings — was about. Here's what I learned.It's knowing.From the moment Dan Conner (John Goodman) wakes with a start, we're in a familiar world rarely seen on TV. His face is covered by a plastic mask with a breathing tube. The show assumes the audience recognizes what it is: a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine to treat sleep apnea. Back when the original Roseanne was on the air, from 1988 to 1997, I'd never heard of sleep apnea, which afflicts an estimated one in 15 Americans, particularly overweight men over 40 like Dan. Twenty years later, I have friends and relatives who sleep in similar get-ups. It's a common phenomenon in American life. But you wouldn't know that from watching TV.It's funny.The writing is equally knowing in its satire of the foibles of what sociologist Elizabeth Currid-Halkett calls the "aspirational class" and reverse snobs call "coastal elites" — even though some of them apparently live in Lanford, Ill. "I brought you some ionized water in glass bottles," says the polished professional who's considering Roseanne's daughter Becky as a surrogate mother. "Thank you," says Becky (Alicia Goranson). "I love water!"  Continue reading...