‘Roseanne’ Showrunner Hopes Viewers Will Ignore Barr’s Political Views And Focus On The TV Series

After last week’s mega-debut for the latest TV revival, “Roseanne,” everyone was curious how a series that has been off the air for two decades suddenly became the biggest sitcom around. Many chalked the huge ratings up to the nostalgia for the ‘90s series, while others, including our President, said that politics seemed to be the motivating factor for those who watched.

The reason why the current divisive political climate could be affecting the show’s ratings is because of the content of the revival, which seems to focus on the plight of the mid-western lower-middle class family with a Trump supporter as the matriarch, and the very outspoken lead actress Roseanne Barr. The comedienne definitely doesn’t hide the fact that she is a Trump supporter, and regularly spews her political thinking on social media.

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Barr’s political leanings have ramped up in the last couple weeks due to the success of the revival, and questions have been asked about whether or not this is going to drive more eyeballs to the series or scare people away. One person who has thoughts about this is none other than Bruce Helford, co-showrunner of the revival.

In a recent interview with Helford, The Hollywood Reporter asks about Barr’s politics affecting the series, and if he’s worried about the political messages dominating the conversation around the sitcom. Ultimately, Helford wants to stress the idea that the artist needs to be viewed separately from the art.

First, Helford was asked about Barr’s politics. “I really don’t know. I don’t discuss her politics, that’s her private business. There’s Roseanne Barr and then there’s Roseanne Conner. There are some similarities and plenty of differences. I honestly think this really was about the show come back into people’s lives. There is a nostalgia factor and the feeling of being accepted among the Conners,” said the co-showrunner.

While he’s definitely right, to some extent, that nostalgia played a factor in the show’s success, there’s no denying that a large number of viewers are watching based on the political controversy. In fact, there are some that claim the show pushes their political agenda, to the point where people who disagree are just going to boycott the series.

“We never set out to be a show about politics. We set out to be a show about the Conners and how the current political climate affects the family…There is no agenda here, in any direction. The idea is to present all sides of the dialogue,” Helford continued. “And the show, aside from the fact that Roseanne Barr and Roseanne Conner both happen to be Trump supporters, has been borne out to be pretty realistic, in terms of the demographics of that area [the Midwest]. But aside from that, there’s a big difference between anyone’s personal politics and what the show is about. They’re not meant to be interrelated in any way.”

It’s difficult to read these comments and not view them as a bit of damage control. One of the benefits of having a controversial TV series is that ratings will be big. The rubber-necking is bound to happen when all the watercooler conversation revolves around the series. However, the side effect of this controversy is that “Roseanne,” especially with the political divisiveness that is rampant in today’s society, is bound to be too political for some viewers. That could mean that, ultimately, ratings will potentially suffer, after all the buzz has worn off.

For Helford, and probably most of the cast and crew, they hope that viewers tune out to the real-life drama and only focus on the story presented in the series.

“There should be an understanding that there is a difference between people’s personal politics and what you present onscreen. We’re hopefully presenting a wonderful, balanced show that doesn’t have an agenda,” Helford concludes.

With only two episodes airing, both with great ratings, it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for “Roseanne.” Perhaps, Barr will quiet down a little bit and the conversation can be steered more toward the content on the screen, and less about the conversation on social media.