I heard from a few sources that Roseanne actually wanted one more season, but ratings were bad enough and costs were too expensive for season 9, that ABC decided not to

However, thinking back, I would've loved it had the "series finale" really been just the season 9 finale, and there would've been a "normal" wrap-up season where things were the way they really were, and no Dan (except in flashbacks, unless they could write in a lookalike brother to take care of Rosey also played by John Goodman). Granted, the show was well past it's prime, but I think a really good final season would've saved the image that it took years after the fact that Roseanne had lost in seasons 8 and 9.

I think that season 9 ruined the whole show. I love the show and watch it on N@N or other channels when I have a chance, and would have liked there to be more episodes or another season made just to explain the finale.
I like your idea of what should have happened!
I think season 9 should have been turned down by ABC and they should have told Roseanne if you want a season 9 and 10 you need season 9 to lead up to the plot of the entire story being all fabrication and a book and more about the effects of Dan's death, and have season 10 a season that shows the viewers why she thought her daughters had the wrong boyfriends, her life after Dan, Jackie being gay, DJ showing a real interest in directing etc...

i didnt se all of season 9 but some of the episodes were really bad the theme was not the way it was and it got a little boring. th loved the first 4 seasons. :)

With a few amusing exceptions, it was basically rediculous. It showed a once brilliantly written program in its death throes, casting about desperately for some new way to draw in an audience. This began with the lottery and ended with the last episode, the lamest of all of them. In a bid to take the show to new heights of "cutting edge" realism, all they succeeded in doing was betraying a legion of fans with the old "it was all a dream" con game that Dallas and St. Elsewhere pulled. The only show this was actually cute on was the Bob Newhart show, because the characters weren't that involving, in fact, the original show was better, and you didn't mind it all being a dream. Roseanne commited the sin of making you care about the characters and then telling you they weren't real. Well duh! Thanks for the news flash. Show went to hell in a handbasket so they say thanks to bored fans with a slap in the face to cover their own flagging writing skills, whose inconsistencies were never more present than in that last episode. Thank God they didn't do a 10th season - it would have been like watching a wounded animal floundering around in a lake full of crocodiles...

Here is what I think and it is a few opinions that some of you already had mentioned. During the coure of "Roseanne" the show had from season 1-7 stayed in the top 5. (I think season 7 was still in the top 5) Then in season 8 it slipped to the top 20 and by season 9 it was in the top 40. It was 30 something in the ratings by then. ABC figured that after 9 seasons the show had lost it's value and it's large audience and the show at that time was expensive to produce. And ABC didn't want to pay a huge amount of money for a 10th season when the show was only in the top 40 for a 9th season. They probably figured it would do even worse in the 10th season.
Plus the fact that John Goodman hardly wanted to do a 9th season and the only reason he did come back for a 9th season was he felt committed to the show. He may have never come back for a 10th season.

Originally posted by Will and Grace Fanatic
Plus the fact that John Goodman hardly wanted to do a 9th season and the only reason he did come back for a 9th season was he felt committed to the show. He may have never come back for a 10th season.

I thought the only reason he was missing from so many season 9 episodes is because everyone thought season 8 was going to be the last one, and so he commited to several projects before learning the show would continue?

The 9th season was HORRIBLE. If Roseanne wanted a Season 10, she should have made Season 9 better. I watched at one time one of the best shows on television go down the tubes starting in 1995.

I love Season 9, just because it's such an oddity.
And it was interesting to see Roseanne (the character) without Dan for a change.

That's why I love seaosn 9, it was odd. It was so out of character for the series. What other successful series out there completely upended its premise and tried something radically different. You have to love the show and Roseanne for the sheer balls she had to do what she did.

Roseanne was number 1 in it's first two seasons, then slipped down to 5th in its third after the "anthem" incident. But as a credit to how good the show really was, viewers did come back and it ranked second in its fourth and fifth season. It slipped to 4th in its sixth season, 9th in its 7th (alot due to timeslot changes), 18th in the 8th and 32nd in the 9th. Considering that it was the most expensive series on tv in it's 8th and 9th seasons, it clearly was not worht doing a 10th season for the network. Especially considering that the series finale drew only 16.6mil viewers, not even in the top 15 for the week and lower than what the series had averaged just a year before.

I'm not going to respect Roseanne just for doing something different...the point is IMO that Season 9 was absolutely awful quality and she only made a fool of herself and tarnished the show. The lottery plot wasn't even the worst part, did it go against what the show was supposed to stand for, yes; but it still could have done something clever with it. It was the writing and general direction that was just painful to watch.

I do respect Roseanne for going out the way she did, but I agree with you, the 9th season had alot of squandered opportunities. So many episode could have been so great, but they weren't. Many episode were missing that "something."

Well I'm not saying that season 9 was the best season, but you had to give Roseanne some credit for trying to work around the situation going on behind the scenes. I mean think about it. Didn't all of you feel something was different in the plots of the show after Tom Arnold left as he was heavily involved in the writing. After that alot of the producers and original people left. Roseanne didn't have as many creative minds on the crew as she did therefore the show was automaticlly gonna be different. By season 9, it was probably hard to keep up the standard the show had set as far as its plots when most of the orginal producers and such had been there so she had to change it up. Plus, since that was the last season, it kinda felt like the Connors work as parents and their many trials were finally gonna pay off. Thats why they let them with the lottery to show that goods thing will come around eventually. And as for changing the show's message it really didn't. It just showed that money tears you apart and messes things up. Besides, season 9 wasn't all that bad it was kinda funny seeing the connors bring working class concepts to the rich people, although I have to agree some of the episodes did seem unrealistic.

Personally, I think season 9 is one of my favorites now. I just saw "The Miracle", and it knocked my breath out (Johnny Galecki is good at crying). It maybe wasn't the funniest season, but it was still just as entertaining as it ever was.

Except for the period when Dan was in California. Those episodes stunk.

Originally posted by Karras
Thank God they didn't do a 10th season - it would have been like watching a wounded animal floundering around in a lake full of crocodiles...
Well said, and this would be that floundering animal.

I would have loved a 10th Season. Even if John Goodman didn't participate.

I am a really big fan of the 9th Season, I thought it was absolutely brilliant, and I loved the new spin it put on the show. All of the episodes were funny, even if they were way out there, or had nothing to do with reality. Roseanne took a gamble, and she came out a winner... she produced one of the best seasons of Roseanne, and took risks that came out being worth it.

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
I heard from a few sources that Roseanne actually wanted one more season, but ratings were bad enough and costs were too expensive for season 9, that ABC decided not to

However, thinking back, I would've loved it had the "series finale" really been just the season 9 finale, and there would've been a "normal" wrap-up season where things were the way they really were, and no Dan (except in flashbacks, unless they could write in a lookalike brother to take care of Rosey also played by John Goodman). Granted, the show was well past it's prime, but I think a really good final season would've saved the image that it took years after the fact that Roseanne had lost in seasons 8 and 9.
yeah i totally agree

Originally posted by Montanya427
Jackie being gay

Jackie is gay? I know there mother is, but not Jackie. :eek:

Originally posted by - Snake Eyez -
Jackie is gay? I know there mother is, but not Jackie. :eek:

In the final monologue, Roseanne said that in 'real life' Jackie was a lesbian and that in her writing (the show) Jackie frequently had man troubles because this was Roseanne's way of dealing with it.

There was a great post on here some time ago describing how by the final episode everyone around Roseanne was either dumbed down or gay.

A 10th season? No way!
I dont think that I could have watched another season of non-sense. I personnaly dont like season 9 with the exception of the episode that Darlene gives birth and the finale. I dont care for the way she did the finale, but I am glad to see that the lottery deal was not real at least.
By season 10 there would be no smart or straight people left in Lanford, with the exception of Roseanne and her family. Jackie would have to be placed in a mental ward along with Dan's mother since the both of them were really out there by the end of the show.
I couldnt see there being much else left to do with the show for there to be a season 10, unless like classic TV you had little Jerry and Andy age 10 years in a years so there was some new story lines to deal with.
I respect Roseanne for trying to do new things on TV but I could think of others ways to do it, I mean didnt she bring new things to TV before season 9 without ruining her show?.

"The Miracle" knocked my breath out too- so I haven't thought Season 9 was all that bad- from what I've seen of it, which doesn't include the finale. One really stupid episode in my opinion, though, was the episode where Jerry was born. Does anyone know what season that was? Was it season 9? I just think that the whole Charles Dickens Christmas Carol theme is way overused, and looks really dumb with ghosts of haloween past, etc. I actually couldn't watch that episode all the way through, but I probably could now since I'm more into the show.

Jerry Is born on Halloween in eighth season. If you watch it when you are not a huge fan it seems really odd but then if you go back and watch again when you love the show it seems cool

Really I am a huge fan have been for a long time, but I still think that the birth of Jerry is stupid and one of the stupidest episodes Roseanne did. You can hate an episode and still be a very big fan of the show. Reason I think that I hate it so much is cause I am such a fan and it was just so stupid after seeing her other Halloween episodes and the show in general and I think the show had better potential then that episode of Jerrys birth

Well maybe that was only me.

I think that was the problem with the 8th and 9th season too- it had alot of potential, but it was wasted. Had the show some money for better writer and if it didn't all go into Roseanne's bank account....

Originally posted by Heather987
Really I am a huge fan have been for a long time, but I still think that the birth of Jerry is stupid and one of the stupidest episodes Roseanne did. You can hate an episode and still be a very big fan of the show. Reason I think that I hate it so much is cause I am such a fan and it was just so stupid after seeing her other Halloween episodes and the show in general and I think the show had better potential then that episode of Jerrys birth

That episode was just plain stupid. Dreaming about Jerry Garcia and junk... I can't stand that episode! That was where the series went into a nosedive IMO. It still had good moments though into Season 9.

yeah it's funny how the epidodes where both Roseanne and Darlene have babies are so different in style. Only one is really worth watching, in my opinion.

I wouldn't have watched season 10, the show lost its edge after season 4, I liked a few of the episodes after that, but the only season after 4 that i particularly cared for was 8. I know alot of peole wouldn't agree, but it was nice to see the old cast back together again. (But I hated the episode "Ballrom blitz")

Originally posted by stephy
I wouldn't have watched season 10, the show lost its edge after season 4, I liked a few of the episodes after that, but the only season after 4 that i particularly cared for was 8. I know alot of peole wouldn't agree, but it was nice to see the old cast back together again. (But I hated the episode "Ballrom blitz")

by any chance, were you a big Lecy fan? I think 4 and 5 were the best seasons, and 6 was just about as good.

I'd rank them like this.

5, 4, 6, 3, 7, 9, 8, 2, 1

this is how i think the 10th season should have gone:
roseanne wakes up on jackies couch realising all of season nine was a dream. then, thinking about the dan cheating on her thing, she decides that this marrage is too good to throw away over a fight. (season 8ths final was the huge fight w/ dan & roseanne, i think) anyways, her and danpatch things up, and things get back to normal. do you guys have anything to add?
(excuse the spelling, im very tired)

I would've only watched the 10 season if Becky became part of the main cast and actually had a storyline. I admitt that I only like seasons 1-5 only because of Lecy but even when she returned in the 8th season she was barely there, maybe 2 lines here and there and I only hate part of season 8 but i like it in a way that it goes back to season 1(dan and rosie fight and flip furniture, becky and darlene always fighting, etc.). But overall I would've only watched the 10 season if there were GOOD storylines.

To me, no seasons were BAD. Although I love Lecy and prefer her, my favorite seasons were around the time she married Mark to Jackie's divorce from Fred.

The 9th season was, as someone said, so brave in that it was so different and just re-enforced. I loved it. They didn't try to keep it like '88.

Last night I watched THE MIRACLE and literally cried when Becky said "Your mom and I had a cool aunt growing up; I hope I can be the same to you." to when Darlene jsut broke down and started crying in Roseanne's shoulder. It was brilliant.

And I actually loved Jerry's birth. I mean--it's Roseanne! By the time that episode aired, she could do anything she wanted! And if she wanted to honor Jerry Garcia the way she did, she would. And she did. I thought it was awesome and so risky, but worked SO well. Just like season 9 was risky.

And I'm 99% sure Roseanne didn't want a 10th episode. From all the 7th season interviews I've seen, she's said the 8th season would be the last; that she was tired and bored and thought the message was clear to the public and they had no more to speak about. So it seems VERY unlikely she would go for a decade.

None of you can honestly say that you wouldn't have watched the 10th season. If you watched the entire 9th season, you would have continued watching it. You probably wouldn't like it, but you WOULD watch it, just to see what direction it went in...


In my opinion, the show just lost its touch after season 6. Although there are some moments in seasons 7-9 that I enjoy.

It was fun reading this now thread now that season 10 is actually happening. So, has anyone's mind changed since the show will be re-surfacing?

Season 10 is ok so far, I lost it when I saw Jackie's cop photo

I heard from a few sources that Roseanne actually wanted one more season, but ratings were bad enough and costs were too expensive for season 9, that ABC decided not to

However, thinking back, I would've loved it had the "series finale" really been just the season 9 finale, and there would've been a "normal" wrap-up season where things were the way they really were, and no Dan (except in flashbacks, unless they could write in a lookalike brother to take care of Rosey also played by John Goodman). Granted, the show was well past it's prime, but I think a really good final season would've saved the image that it took years after the fact that Roseanne had lost in seasons 8 and 9.

On the DVDs, there's an interview where she says she thought the last couple of years (?) were going to be the last so she threw in the kitchen sink.

Ratings being low is one thing ("All in the Family"'s first season had low ratings initially but had some amazing stories) but the TV show itself had already been burnt out.Season 9 was just an awkward feeling farce. Had it the same feel and strength of season 3, that wouldn't mean viewers would tune back in.