IS THERE A MESSAGE FROM THE AUDIENCE? – AT 12:19 P.M. ET:  Roseanne Barr's new sitcom has just premiered with huge audience ratings – this after it became well known that Roseanne is a Trump fan.  Is the audience sending a message?  From Entertainment Weekly: 

The revival of Roseanne premiered to massive ratings Tuesday night.

The return delivered an incredible 18.2 million viewers along with an equally impressive 5.1 rating among adults 18-49.

According to ABC, this is the highest-rated comedy telecast on any network in nearly four years (since a premiere episode of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory from 2014).

So, yes, even bigger than NBC’s mega-hit This Is Us during any of its regularly scheduled episodes, where the weepy dramedy usually tops out around a 3.0 adult demo rating (the special This Is Us post-Super Bowl episode was bigger, but that’s to be expected).

In the adult demo, it also trumps Sunday’s blockbuster 60 Minutes episode which featured an interview with Stormy Daniels.

Also kinda incredible, given how ratings have declined over the years: Roseanne’s return was actually higher among total viewers than its 1997 finale 21 years ago! 

The Roseanne premiere audience also grew slightly from its first quarter to its second, which is a good sign.

A couple other data points: This is Tuesday’s highest-rated entertainment telecast in six years among young adults and ABC’s best results in the time slot since 2006.

And from Roger L. Simon at PJ Media: 

Yes, there were a fair number of funny lines.  But forget writing, acting, directing, and the rest, it was positively thrilling to see something fictional transpiring on the television screen that reflected the half of America that has been so consistently and deliberately hidden from view or reviled by Hollywood. You almost couldn't believe your eyes.  Was this actually happening?  When were Matt Damon or George Clooney going to walk in to set these people to rights?  It had to be coming after the commercial. But it didn't.

The show reminded me of how much I liked the real "Deplorables" while covering the presidential campaign.  They were the furthest thing from the caricature promulgated by Obama, Hillary, and other elites, but kind and decent people with normal struggles as portrayed in this new Roseanne series.  Not that the producer-star doesn't give the other side their innings.  Her sister Jackie, who comes back as a life coach in a "Nasty Woman" sweatshirt, has her moments and is usually shown sympathetically, if a little goofily, in the show.

COMMENT:  Absolutely fascinating.  We'll be following this show (I didn't see the premiere) and watch what develops.  Will Hollywood get the message?  Well, that depends on what's important.  It's a choice between attracting the largest audience and being invited to A-list liberal Hollywood parties.

The parties will probably win, but ya never know.

March 28, 2018