View Full Version : Comparing The Conners to The Hogan Family


TMC
02-04-2020, 05:33 AM
There are some similarities between these two shows. Granted what began as Valerie wasn't a reboot or sequel of a series that happened 20 years earlier, but still. Both started off as sitcoms that were meant to focus on the matriarch of the family (Roseanne Barr and Valerie Harper respectively). And then, the star gets fired, and the main character is killed off.

With that being said, how do those two sitcoms compare with the transition they had to make? Or is it simply a case of "apples and oranges"? I mean, Roseanne ran for 10 seasons (9 in the original run, 1 in this new run) with Season 9 being generally considered the worst season of the show.

Roseanne Barr had like Valerie Harper, many behind the scenes struggles with producers, but interestingly the only big cast change was Lecy Goranson/Sarah Chalke and that depending on who you ask, really didn't hurt the show. Roseanne in effect, was a pioneer in changing the family dynamics in sitcoms to a more realistic portrayal.

In the case of Valerie, it's pretty easy to imagine (at least for those who haven't seen it in the longest of time) that it was more of a traditional '80s sitcom. Especially a sitcom coming from the Miller-Boyett assembly line.