‘Roseanne’ Star Michael Fishman Reveals How Roseanne Barr Knee Injury Influenced Revival

Nearly three years before Roseanne returned to ABC, star Roseanne Barr suffered a gruesome knee injury in San Francisco. That injury surprisingly influenced the show’s revival, according to D.J. Conner actor Michael Fishman.

In a blog post for Entertainment Weekly, Fishman said the theme of ageing in the new episodes was inspired by Barr’s injury. The character Roseanne has trouble accepting that she is now older and cannot do everything she loves.

“Some of the most compelling and honest story lines this season center around aging,” Fishman wrote for the magazine. “For Roseanne and Dan, coming to grips with getting older while still facing financial uncertainty has a profound impact on every aspect of their lives. This often-overlooked truth in society was partially inspired by Roseanne’s real-life knee injury. As Roseanne Conner, her resistance to accept physical setbacks and limitations is something we all know all too well, but rarely see in entertainment.”

Fishman said this will be a major part of Tuesday’s new episode, “Roseanne Gets the Chair.”

According to ABC’s episode description, Dan (John Goodman) tries to help Roseanne by getting an elevator chair to help her get to the second floor of their home. However, Roseanne does not want to use it, since that would be like accepting defeat. The episode was written by Sid Youngers, who worked on the original Roseanne and wrote episodes of Last Man Standing.

Youngers “encapsulates the famed conflict between Roseanne and Darlene and escalates it as Darlene strives to be a different kind of parent,” Fishman wrote for EW.

“With humor and piercing authenticity, Sara Gilbert embodies every parent’s desire to provide our children with the strengths of our parents without any of the painful scars we remember. The dynamic between Roseanne and Darlene sparring over parenting techniques is exacerbated by the oppositional nature of Harris (Darlene’s daughter).”

Barr gave a more succinct preview of the episode.

“The next episode shows Harris (my tv granddaughter) calling me a stupid old hillbilly-watch how I handle her and her very liberal mother,” she tweeted on March 30.

Back in October 2016, Barr needed surgery after she broke her kneecap in three places during a trip to visit her son in San Francisco.

“Fell broke kneecap! Did Hillary drone me? Lol,” Barr wrote in a now-deleted tweet referring to then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. She also included a photo of her swollen knee.

Barr also told The Daily Beast in 2015 that she was losing her sight due to glaucoma and macular degeneration. She said she was using marijuana to fight the symptoms.

You can check out photos from “Roseanne Gets the Chair” by clicking here. The episode airs on ABC at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Photo Credit: ABC