The Cast of 'Roseanne': Where Have They Been?

A reboot of the hit sitcom debuts next week on ABC.

Roseanne, a No. 1 hit series that ran on ABC, revolutionized comedy television. 

The saga of the Conners, a blue-collar family struggling to make ends meet in the fictional Illinois town of Lanford, was at turns crazy, loving and smart-mouthed while dealing with sticky social issues including coming out as gay — long before such TV routinely offered gay characters.

The show originally ran from 1988 to 1997, and next week, a revival of the beloved comedy will debut on ABC with the original cast resuming their roles as the Conners. Here is a look back at what those actors have been doing since the show went off the air.

IMDb

Roseanne Barr, who played matriarch Roseanne Conner, hosted a talk show "The Roseanne Show," before returning to stand-up comedy. She was a judge on "Last Comic Standing" and did an HBO special. The outspoken comic and political activist even ran for president in 2012 as a Green Party candidate, but lost the nomination to Jill Stein.

Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi and John Goodman in 'The Big Lebowski.' - IMDb

John Goodman, aka Dan Conner, went on to have an impressive film career, appearing in cult classic The Big Lebowski and providing the voice of Sully in Monsters Inc. He also had recurring roles in TV series, including The West Wing.

Laurie Metcalf in 2017's 'Lady Bird.' - IMDb

Laurie Metcalf, who played Roseanne's sister, Jackie Harris, was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar this year for her portrayal of mother Marion McPherson in Lady Bird. Also an accomplished stage actress, she won a Tony last year for her role in "A Doll's House, Part 2."

Sara Gilbert, left, with Roseanne Barr in a 1988 'Roseanne' episode. - IMDb

Sara Gilbert, who portrayed Roseanne's acerbic daughter Darlene, is a panelist on the CBS daytime show The Talk, which she created in 2010 and is listed as executive producer.  

Alicia Goranson with Roseanne Barr in 1988 'Roseanne' episode. - IMDb

Alicia Goranson was the original actress to play Roseanne's eldest daughter Becky. She left the show at one point to attend Vassar College, and returned to the role upon her graduation in 1995. Since the Roseanne days, she has had several guest roles in such TV series as Sex and the City and Inside Amy Schumer. She also appeared in the film Boys Don't Cry.

Sarah Chalke in a 2001 'Scrubs' episode. - IMDb

Sarah Chalke played Becky while Goranson was away at college. She went on to play Dr. Elliot Reid on NBC's Scrubs for nine years. She also had a guest arc on 10 episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

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