When it was announced that ABC was going to revive the former hit series "Roseanne," some wondered if the show could maintain the same level of success. That question, at least for the moment, has been answered. Roseanne debuted to massive ratings, garnering more than 18 million viewers in the premier episode.
The ratings win earned Roseanne Barr not only 'atta girls, but also a congratulatory call from President Trump. He is a big fan of the show whose characters, at least many of them, seem to be huge fans of him.
Instead of shying away from the political controversy dividing the nation, Barr put it front and center, depicting several conversations about Trump and other political issues allowing her to spar with other characters, presenting what Barr called a fair and honest look at the conversations many in middle America have these days.
The comedian and star, personally, is an outspoken Trump supporter, though she does admit she hasn’t seen eye-to-eye on everything this president has said and done. But how does the premier compare to the show in its original heyday? Turns out, it did even better.
Ratings for the premier were up 10 percent when compared to the 1997 finale of the original sitcom.
Many on the right side of the political spectrum loved seeing "Roseanne," both the person and the show, doing so well. Some considered the success of the program vindication for what they view as bias in Hollywood. A bias that hushes up viewpoints similar to their own. Many fans felt this keenly, they expressed it both in viewership and in praising the show on social media.
The question, now, is can "Roseanne" build on this momentum?
So far, all the indications are that, yes, the show will continue to do well. It wasn’t just the huge audience, but the fact that many people reacted very positively to the programming. It hit them where they live.
There are millions who are looking for that kind of entertainment.
Some compared "Roseanne" to "Home Improvement," another program that celebrated working class people and what they see as traditional American values.
While "Roseanne" is a little rougher and more plainly spoken than "Home Improvement" star, Tim Allen, there’s no doubt the two comedians turned sitcom stars have a large crossover audience.
For Roseanne, the recipe for success has always been understanding her audience and knowing how to connect with them — how to talk with them rather than talking down to them. How to mirror the conversations they were having and the questions they were asking.
That connection was front and center in the marketing in the run up to the series premier, and, according to viewer reactions, the payoff was there.
Ronn Torossian is one of America’s foremost Public Relations executives as founder/CEO of 5WPR, a leading independent public relations Agency. The firm was honored as PR Firm of the Year by The American Business Awards, and has been named to the Inc. 500 List. Torossian is author of the best-selling "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations." For more of Ronn Torossian's reports, Go Here Now.
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