‘Roseanne’ Star Michael Fishman Says Muslim Episode Will ‘Open Eyes’

One of Roseanne‘s signature storylines through its original run was how she interacted with her neighbors. In the revival, that interaction will also tackle political themes.

Ahead of Tuesday’s episode of the revived sitcom, titled “Go Cubs”, cast member Michael Fishman, who plays D.J. Conner, blogged about how the installment, in which a Muslim family living next door to the Conners elicits fear in the matriarch’s eyes. The episode, Fishman writes, serves to teach people tolerance and compassion.

“This episode will open eyes,” Fishman writes for Entertainment Weekly, “as Roseanne is faced with a situation that prompts her to speak up in a way befitting of Roseanne Conner’s legacy.”

The storyline, which Barr comissioned the writers to explore during the revival’s first season, will introduce the Conners new neighbors, played by Alain Washnevsky and Anne Bedia.

“Both of them have tremendous performances, which ideally will lead to many future interactions with Roseanne and Jackie (Laurie Metcalf),” Fishman writes.

Speaking of the episode, co-executive producer David Caplan explained the
reasoning behind the storyline.

“Roseanne said, ‘what if a Muslim family lives next door?’ And all of the writers looked at each other for like five seconds and we said, ‘yeah… we’re doing that,” Caplan said.

“She’s frightened of living next to the Muslims because she has heard so many things on the news,” Barr said in an interview released by ABC. “So she has a lot of preconceived notions.”

The storyline, which involves Roseanne having to ask her neighbors for their Wi-Fi password so her granddaughter Mary can talk to her mother Geena who is stationed in Afghanistan, will bring the character from a place of fear to one of understanding.

“Once she gets to know them she realizes, there’s probably more similarities than differences,” Caplan said.

“I want people to laugh, that’s my main focus in that it’s funny, and in the funny it’s kind of heartwarming,” Barr said. “I don’t think about, ‘oh, how can I break new territory,’ I just thought it would be really relevant to a show about immigrants and prejudice.”

“Go Cubs” was filmed long before the revival started on March 27. Although the show started off really well in the ratings, it has since lost 43 percent of its audience. Last week’s episode drew 10.3 million viewers and a 2.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Those are still impressive numbers for any network sitcom, but pales in comparison with the show’s premiere.

Roseanne airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.