ABC’s ‘Roseanne’ revival continues to draw viewers, ratings soar
Despite Roseanne Barr’s controversial pro-Trump leanings, ABC’s revival of “Roseanne” continues to resonate with viewers. The latest episode drew in over 15 million.
The "Roseanne" reboot continues to be a success for the struggling ABC television network.
According to delayed ratings obtained by Variety, the reboot earned an additional 8.8 million viewers, bringing the two-part premiere's total to 27.3 million viewers in Live+7 in delayed ratings.
Those numbers are record-setting for a seven-day bump for any series, Variety reported. The previous title holder was "The Good Doctor," which premiered in September.
Variety also reported that "Roseanne" rose to an 8.1 rating in adults 18-49.
The show’s revival proved that the Conners are not immune to the changing political times. The show, starring a pro-Trump title character, drew plenty of eyeballs when it premiered on March 27.
The show's star Roseanne Barr revealed to reporters back in January it was important to her to showcase her character as a pro-Trump American.
“It’s just realistic,” she explained. “I have always … attempted to portray a realistic portrait of the American people and working class people. And, in fact, it was working class people that elected Trump so I felt that was very real and something that needed to be discussed.”
Having a fictional character who supports Trump is rare these days, and ABC has been criticized for being too liberal in the past. The network’s chief anchor, George Stephanopoulos, was forced to recuse himself from moderating presidential debates for not disclosing a substantial donation to Clinton’s charitable organization back in 2015
ABC’s entertainment division also has come under fire for canceling Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing,” which focused on conservative views, although ABC president of Entertainment Channing Dungey told reporters that “politics had absolutely nothing to do with it.” The network also has been criticized for several shows that mock traditional values such as "The Real O'Neals" which made fun of Irish Catholics and "When We Rise" which was widely criticized for portraying Middle America as homophobic.
This all comes as ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” has transitioned from a late-night comedy program to a talk show that frequently pushes liberal and anti-Trump talking points. During a recent shareholder meeting for ABC’s parent company, Disney, a frustrated investor told CEO Bob Iger that Disney-owned ESPN had become a “24/7 anti-Trump tirade channel.”
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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