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by R.J. Carter Published: August 13, 2005
In 1987, Americans were invited to 714 Delaware Street, Lanford, Illinois. It's the home of a typical middle-class family, struggling with two jobs, three kids, and one day at a time. Dan and Roseanne Conner were people you felt you knew: you worked with them, bowled with them, barbecued with them. But they were far from Ozzie and Harriet -- in fact, it was their massive bundle of imperfections that so endeared them to viewers. The pilot episode of the series, "Life and Stuff," was the originally proposed series title and features Sal Barone, the original D.J. in his only appearance before Michael Fishman permanently took the role. It's a look into time management problems and the standard domestic chaos that results when Roseanne has to leave work early to handle kid-related matters only to find out that Dan had the entire afternoon unexpectedly available. By the time the series was over, we began to get an idea of the darker days that formed this family. Dan's father (NED BEATTY, "Deliverance") comes to visit, not even scratching the surface of the resentment Dan holds toward him for their shared past. And when Roseanne's Mom and Dad drop in later on in the series, the entire house is rattled as Roseanne and Jackie secretly rage at the way they're treated, but consistently back down when things come to confrontation. Appearing regularly in this first season is a young George Clooney as Booker, the foreman at Wellman Plastics; but when the season finale rolls around, it's goodbye to the factory when Roseanne organizes a walkout when the new supervisor proves to be an overbearing jerk. This set consists of four discs, packed in two slimline snaptite cases that fit in the thematically designed slipcase. The episode guides are printed on the back of each case. There are no setup options or captions, and no commentaries on the episodes. Special Features on this set are disappointing. While there's a nine minute interview with Roseanne about the creation of the show, as well as a seven minute chat with John Goodman on the same, both of these segments are mostly clips. And two other features are nothing more than extended clip showings as well. Only the "Bloopers" segment seems to be wholly original material. Previews on this set include Anchor Bay television boxed set releases of 3rd Rock From the Sun and Grounded for Life. Grade: Content: A- Bonus Material: C
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