The Moderation of Roseanne

Essay by John J. LoftinCollege, UndergraduateA+, October 1996

download word file, 5 pages 4.7 4 reviews

Downloaded 170 times

short 3.5 page essay on the television show Roseanne

The Moderation of Roseanne

With this year being an election year, the topic of family values is near and dear to us all. With Hollywood getting a left jab from the liberals, and a right cross from the conservatives, about the lack of values in television today: it only intensifies the debate of what is normal, functional, and abnormal, dysfunctional, in television today. The hit television series Roseanne is a perfect portrait of an American family in today's society. Although the family is portrayed as somewhat dysfunctional, when compared to other televisions shows being aired today, the true balance and meaning of the family come from the functional aspects of their lives.

The Connor family consists of father Dan, mother Roseanne, and three children - Becky, Darlene, and D.J.. The show is set in the suburbs of Chicago, Ill., in a middle class neighborhood.

The main character, Roseanne, carries her family through the trials and tribulations of everyday life in middle class suburbia. The show attempts to interject humor with serious topics, not only to help project realism to the viewing audience, but to keep the audience's interest in something that they deal with on a daily basis.

There are many difference messages that the show attempts to present to the audience. There are social, economical, and even political messages, but family unity has to be the most significant of these messages. Each member of the family is mired in their own problems, but the final action to the problem is ultimately solved by the family as a whole. Although it is blurred by the moderate levels of sarcasm in the show, the Connor family is enriched in strong family values.

Unlike situation comedies like Married With Children and...