A Hilarious Laurie Metcalf Scene From ‘Roseanne’ Just Resurfaced

It may be 26 years since Roseanne‘s original run ended, but that isn’t stopping a clip of Laurie Metcalf from going viral. In 1993, during the sitcom’s fifth season, Metcalf’s Jackie Harris had to break the news to distant relatives via phone that her and Roseanne’s dad had died. While the episode and storyline itself are heavy due to what the sisters deal with, especially because of their father’s physical abuse when they were kids, the writers still found a pretty great moment to mix in a bit of comedy.

In the midst of Jackie’s many phone calls, she gets to one relative who seems to be hard of hearing. She has to repeat herself numerous times when it comes to her name, how she’s doing, and even more so when she has to say that her dad died. Between the different variations she’s used to say that he’s passed away, the growing frustration, and the audience cracking up in the background, Laurie Metcalf’s delivery is pretty great. H. Alan Scott on Twitter agrees as he says it’s “one of the greatest line deliveries in the history of television.” And I can’t say I disagree.

Perhaps what makes the scene even better is the way it ends. After trying to say multiple times that her father is dead, Jackie instead says that “he’s fine” and “he sends his love” so to get off the phone with them. Roseanne, meanwhile, is just at the table watching it all go down, clearly amused. It’s always hard to balance seriousness with comedy on a comedy or any series. Laurie Metcalf was able to do both, and that performance remains as one of the best.

Fans have been able to get even more Jackie moments with The Conners. While it would be hard to top such a perfect scene, Laurie Metcalf has not missed with the revival. Since The Conners, fans will be able to look forward to more of Metcalf as Jackie. It’s unknown when the series will come back because of the strikes. With the WGA strike done and SAG-AFTRA seemingly nearing the end of their strike, hopefully, the sitcom will be back soon.

All 10 seasons of Roseanne are streaming on Peacock. So fans will be able to watch Laurie Metcalf’s perfect delivery and more great performances. It’s also a great way to keep occupied until The Conners comes back sometime next year.