‘Roseanne’ Revival Debuts to Massive Audience of 18 Million Viewers

The Roseanne revival debuted on Tuesday night and, as many may have expected, it brought in a massive 18 million viewers.

According to EW, the premiere episode scored a rating of 5.1 in the 18-49 demographic, which apparently beats the Stormy Daniels interview on 60 Minutes at the beginning of the week.

While the complete Tuesday night ratings are not in at the time of this writing, there is a pretty good chance no other show was able to come close that 18 million number.

The outlet also notes that this appears to be the biggest rating for a TV comedy in recent years, and indicated that it even topped any ratings on a regularly scheduled episode of the hit drama This is Us.

The star of the show, Roseanne Barr, will surely be thrilled to hear how well received the debut episode was, as she previously spoke about how much anxiety she dealt with during the series’ initial run.

In a recent interview, Barr opened up about suffering “several nervous breakdowns” during her rise to stardom.

The interview is from a 20/20 special titled, “Roseanne: The Return,” which details the comedienne’s career. In a clip from the show Barr revealed she had “several nervous breakdowns, but fortunately, no one noticed. That was what I always thought.”

Eventually, though, the actress did seek medical treatment for her mental health issues, as reported by Page Six.

“I did have a few nervous breakdowns and was hospitalized several times. It was very difficult,” Barr added. “Fame was difficult, too, but this time I’m like, ‘OK, I’m 65. Thank God I’ve got Social Security now so I don’t have to worry.”

The revival of Barr’s hit ’90s sitcom Roseanne quickly emerged as one of the most anticipated series of 2018, and the cast of the show previously opened up about how “all the chemistry came back” when they reunited on set.

In a behind-the-scenes clip from EW, Laurie Metcalf, who plays Roseanne’s sister Jackie Harris, spoke about the connection.

“All the chemistry came back [as did] the history, and I knew that the fans would be really curious to see this family that they knew, and see what they’re up to again. Why not revisit these people that were so funny and close, and had such crazy dynamics between them, and see what they’re up to,” Metcalf said.

“I think two pages in we all kinda felt like everybody was kinda… like everybody just fits,” added Michael Fishman, who plays D.J. Conner.

“It was like we wrapped last week instead of 20 years ago,” John Goodman said, later adding, “The hair on my arms stands up. It’s like if I was going to put my Boy Scouts uniform on again and it still fit.”