Lecy Goranson leaving the show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Edward216 · 02-12-2015, 04:55 AM

Has anybody ever heard why during Roseanne's run Lecy Goranson who played Becky left the show and was replaced by Sarah Chalke? Only for Sarah Chalke to be replaced by Lecy Goranson when she later returned? I've never heard why that happened and I'm just curious about it, thanks.

Sarah Chalke of course would later become better known as Elliott on the long running sitcom Scrubs.

Ed.

McGillicuddy · 02-12-2015, 08:44 AM

I think Lecy wanted to go to college.

Will and Grace Fanatic · 02-16-2015, 04:29 PM

Yes she did want to go to college, but unlike Gilbert. Lecy's scheduled was not as open as Gilbert's. So she decided to leave the show at the time. I personally wish they would have written her character off instead of recasting her. She could have came on and do at least one episode a season.

FuriosityShell · 02-17-2015, 11:05 PM

Yeah, Lecy left the series in season five to go to college, and when Sara Gilbert left as well, they realized that they needed to fill the void with Sara only appearing part-time and with Lecy gone period, so they hired Sarah Chalke to replace her. The eighth season of Roseanne was originally going to be the final season, so because of that, Lecy got her schedule re-arranged so that she could come back part-time to do that season, but when the show was renewed for season nine, Lecy couldn't get her schedule to open up, so that's why she left the series permanently after season eight.

visaman666 · 02-18-2015, 04:59 AM

I heard a rumour that Lecy was been sexually harassed by a crew member, that's why she left. No wait it was Chalke.

FuriosityShell · 02-20-2015, 02:54 AM

I remember hearing a rumor about Lecy having an affair with a 30-something year old crew member but I never heard about Sarah Chalke being sexually harassed. She never left the show. When Lecy returned in season eight, Sarah Chalke occasionally substituted for her in season eight whenever Lecy was unavailable and Sarah Chalke returned in season nine permanently, so I think that's just a rumor.

Hughsgirl · 02-24-2015, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuriosityShell

I remember hearing a rumor about Lecy having an affair with a 30-something year old crew member but I never heard about Sarah Chalke being sexually harassed. She never left the show. When Lecy returned in season eight, Sarah Chalke occasionally substituted for her in season eight whenever Lecy was unavailable and Sarah Chalke returned in season nine permanently, so I think that's just a rumor.

I think that if a 30 somehing year old was to even entertain the idea of trying to mess with one of Rosanne's girls, she would have ripped his you know what off! They may not have been her real kids, but I'm willing to bet they became like daughters to her.

me1981 · 04-27-2016, 11:34 PM

Mark Rosewater who worked on the show in season 4 said that Lecy wanted to go to College and Roseanne was not happy about it. Lecy said she would be okay to do a small amount of episodes per season (schedule permitted) but Roseanne basically gave her an ultimatum, all in or all out. Lecy chose all out.

Lecy recounted this same story to Huffington Post in 2013, but didn't use Roseanne's name, instead saying "the producers" well Roseanne was a producer as was Tom Arnold at the time.

I do wonder if Roseanne realized her mistake (and I wonder how much Tom influenced her decision at the time) and that is why she bent over backwards to accommodate Sara when she left for Yale. Sara had actually differed a year, as she was ready to go to College in season 5 as well.

Apparently they even built sets in New York during season 6 so Sara could film the show, Sarah Chalke confirmed this on The Talk, and stated she remembers flying to NYC to tape episodes. Sara also confirmed this on Huffington Post and stated it only happened for one season (season 6) then she would fly to LA to tape.

Since Becky never appeared in Chicago (where Darlene went to school), I assume they must have built a replica of the house and or diner in NYC as Becky only appeared in scenes involving the house during season 6.

The reason Lecy returned for season 8 was partially for the money and partially because it was supposed to be the last season of the show. In April 1995 right up to Jul 1995 Roseanne had announced she was ending the show, and had already written the final episode. The cast returned to work on season 8 a month early (in July) and taped 4 episodes before going on hiatus while Roseanne had her baby. Before the season ended, Roseanne decided to do one more year.

Sarah replaced Lecy for three episodes in Season 8 as Lecy had college work and refused to go to Disneyworld instead of getting assignments completed (she herself stated this on Huffington Post Live) Once again Lecy chose school over the show and left again when they couldn't accommodate her schedule.

owenrock · 04-23-2019, 03:47 AM

I actually just rewatched a Howard Stern interview with Roseanne back when this happened in 1994 and they talked about that...Robin says "What happened with the older sister and the affair with the producer" Roseanne says "Oh I didnt know that story was out, how did you find out about that" So there might be truth to it

TMC · 05-22-2022, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenrock

I actually just rewatched a Howard Stern interview with Roseanne back when this happened in 1994 and they talked about that...Robin says "What happened with the older sister and the affair with the producer" Roseanne says "Oh I didnt know that story was out, how did you find out about that" So there might be truth to it

Here's the exchange from Roseanne's September 1994 Howard Stern appearance. Howard asks who her friends are and she says they're mostly people she works with. Then he confuses Lecy with Sara Gilbert and Robin Quivers steps in.

Robin: Oh, you mean the other one who's running around with the producer!
Roseanne: Oh! How did you hear that story?
Robin: I know everything.
Roseanne: Oh my God!
Then Howard interrupts to take a call from a veteran offended by Roseanne's national anthem performance. They get off track for several minutes before Robin steers it back to the producer story at 32:51.
Robin: Well, what did happen with that young girl and your producer?
Roseanne: Well, I didn't know --
Howard: What do you mean?
Roseanne: I didn't even know that story was out.
Howard: What story?
Robin: The girl who played the oldest daughter --
Roseanne: How did you find out about that?
Robin: I know everything.
Roseanne: But tell me how you found out.
Howard (joking): Tom called us.
Robin: I cannot give out my sources.
Roseanne: It was real, it was a sad thing, I hope she's doing well.
Howard: Tell me what happened.
Roseanne: Well, I shouldn't get into that either.
Howard: What happened?
Roseanne: I don't wanna get sued, I've got enough lawsuits.

principehomura · 10-09-2022, 03:18 PM

Rode the title thread, had a shock, then I realized I am on the Roseanne forum, not The Conners

^^''

TMC · 06-02-2023, 05:41 AM

Why Did Two Actors Play the Same Role on 'Roseanne'?

The double life of Becky Conner.

TMC · 02-21-2026, 09:15 PM

Sarah Chalke Says She Was 'Young and Naive' to Think Taking Over Becky Role on “Roseanne” Wouldn’t Come with Backlash

The sitcom first aired on ABC in 1988, with Chalke replacing Lecy Goranson in season 6.

TMC · 03-28-2026, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Sarah Chalke joins us for a candid and layered conversation about stepping into Roseanne as a teenager and the emotional toll of replacing a beloved character. She reflects on the Scrubs years, the freedom of comedy, and how that chemistry shaped her career. We also get into Firefly Lane, motherhood, advocacy for her son, and what it takes to protect your identity after growing up in front of millions.

02-12-2015, 04:55 AM	#1
Edward216 Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 18, 2014 Location: Central Time Zone Posts: 4,625	Lecy Goranson leaving the show Has anybody ever heard why during Roseanne's run Lecy Goranson who played Becky left the show and was replaced by Sarah Chalke? Only for Sarah Chalke to be replaced by Lecy Goranson when she later returned? I've never heard why that happened and I'm just curious about it, thanks. Sarah Chalke of course would later become better known as Elliott on the long running sitcom Scrubs. Ed.

02-16-2015, 04:29 PM	#3
Will and Grace Fanatic be happy Senior Member Join Date: Feb 15, 2002 Location: seattle, washington Posts: 2,746	Yes she did want to go to college, but unlike Gilbert. Lecy's scheduled was not as open as Gilbert's. So she decided to leave the show at the time. I personally wish they would have written her character off instead of recasting her. She could have came on and do at least one episode a season.
	__________________ love is love

02-17-2015, 11:05 PM	#4
FuriosityShell PharaohSnell Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 03, 2013 Location: Lanford, Illinois Posts: 275	Yeah, Lecy left the series in season five to go to college, and when Sara Gilbert left as well, they realized that they needed to fill the void with Sara only appearing part-time and with Lecy gone period, so they hired Sarah Chalke to replace her. The eighth season of Roseanne was originally going to be the final season, so because of that, Lecy got her schedule re-arranged so that she could come back part-time to do that season, but when the show was renewed for season nine, Lecy couldn't get her schedule to open up, so that's why she left the series permanently after season eight.
	__________________ "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have."

04-27-2016, 11:34 PM	#8
me1981 Member Forum Hawk Join Date: Apr 27, 2016 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4	Mark Rosewater who worked on the show in season 4 said that Lecy wanted to go to College and Roseanne was not happy about it. Lecy said she would be okay to do a small amount of episodes per season (schedule permitted) but Roseanne basically gave her an ultimatum, all in or all out. Lecy chose all out. Lecy recounted this same story to Huffington Post in 2013, but didn't use Roseanne's name, instead saying "the producers" well Roseanne was a producer as was Tom Arnold at the time. I do wonder if Roseanne realized her mistake (and I wonder how much Tom influenced her decision at the time) and that is why she bent over backwards to accommodate Sara when she left for Yale. Sara had actually differed a year, as she was ready to go to College in season 5 as well. Apparently they even built sets in New York during season 6 so Sara could film the show, Sarah Chalke confirmed this on The Talk, and stated she remembers flying to NYC to tape episodes. Sara also confirmed this on Huffington Post and stated it only happened for one season (season 6) then she would fly to LA to tape. Since Becky never appeared in Chicago (where Darlene went to school), I assume they must have built a replica of the house and or diner in NYC as Becky only appeared in scenes involving the house during season 6. The reason Lecy returned for season 8 was partially for the money and partially because it was supposed to be the last season of the show. In April 1995 right up to Jul 1995 Roseanne had announced she was ending the show, and had already written the final episode. The cast returned to work on season 8 a month early (in July) and taped 4 episodes before going on hiatus while Roseanne had her baby. Before the season ended, Roseanne decided to do one more year. Sarah replaced Lecy for three episodes in Season 8 as Lecy had college work and refused to go to Disneyworld instead of getting assignments completed (she herself stated this on Huffington Post Live) Once again Lecy chose school over the show and left again when they couldn't accommodate her schedule.
	Last edited by me1981; 04-28-2016 at 09:40 PM. Reason: incorrect name at beginning

10-09-2022, 03:18 PM	#11
principehomura Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 24, 2010 Location: SEA, Napa, Lanford, NY \| Rome (WI), Coeur d'Coeurs, Stars Hollow, Sunnydale \| Twin Peaks, BAL, Deadwood, WA \| Tardis, Galactica Posts: 757	Rode the title thread, had a shock, then I realized I am on the Roseanne forum, not The Conners ^^''
	__________________ Frasier, Mom, Roseanne, The Conners Picket Fences, Pushing Daisies, Buffy, Gilmore Girls Twin Peaks, The Wire, Deadwood, X-Files - Frasier, Niles and Martin Crane, Dale Cooper, Fox Mulder Christy Plunkett, Buffy Summers, Rory Gilmore, Becky Conner, Dana Scully - Roseanne Barr, David E. Kelley, David Milch, Amy Sherman, Bryan Fuller, Steven Bochco - Anna Faris, Marlee Matlin, Jane Levy, Lecy Goranson, Jennifer Esposito, Melissa J. Hart - Kelsey Grammer, David H. Pierce, Michael J. Fox

02-12-2015, 08:44 AM	#2
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	I think Lecy wanted to go to college.

02-18-2015, 04:59 AM	#5
visaman666 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 818	I heard a rumour that Lecy was been sexually harassed by a crew member, that's why she left. No wait it was Chalke.

02-20-2015, 02:54 AM	#6
FuriosityShell PharaohSnell Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 03, 2013 Location: Lanford, Illinois Posts: 275	I remember hearing a rumor about Lecy having an affair with a 30-something year old crew member but I never heard about Sarah Chalke being sexually harassed. She never left the show. When Lecy returned in season eight, Sarah Chalke occasionally substituted for her in season eight whenever Lecy was unavailable and Sarah Chalke returned in season nine permanently, so I think that's just a rumor.

04-23-2019, 03:47 AM	#9
owenrock Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 08, 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 55	I actually just rewatched a Howard Stern interview with Roseanne back when this happened in 1994 and they talked about that...Robin says "What happened with the older sister and the affair with the producer" Roseanne says "Oh I didnt know that story was out, how did you find out about that" So there might be truth to it

06-02-2023, 05:41 AM	#12
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,380	Why Did Two Actors Play the Same Role on 'Roseanne'? The double life of Becky Conner.

02-21-2026, 09:15 PM	#13
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,380	Sarah Chalke Says She Was 'Young and Naive' to Think Taking Over Becky Role on “Roseanne” Wouldn’t Come with Backlash The sitcom first aired on ABC in 1988, with Chalke replacing Lecy Goranson in season 6.