TV Time Capsule

Bev Comes Out, ‘Roseanne’ Falls Further Downhill

“Thanksgiving Week” continues.

On November 26, 1996, ABC aired “Home is Where the Afghan Is,” the “Roseanne” episode in which Roseanne Conner’s drunken mother Bev (Estelle Parsons) made a shocking confession during Thanksgiving dinner.

“To sleep with a man is to know how much you hate them,” Bev declared. “By the end of my marriage, the only way I could have sex with my husband was if I stopped off at the store and bought myself a Playboy first!”

Critics saw Bev’s coming-out as another example of how “Roseanne” had lost its way during its final season, in which the Conners won the lottery and became super-rich.

USA Today’s Matt Roush called the episode “unconvincing” and “tawdry” – a rejection of the “barbed satire against hypocrisy” that became “Roseanne’s” signature during its working-class heyday.

“Home is Where the Afghan Is” was also a ratings flop: It was seen in just 9.9 million homes, finishing third in it time slot and ranking 31st for the week.

See for yourself: “Home is Where the Afghan Is” is part of the “Roseanne: The Complete Ninth Season” DVD set.

 

On TV

Here’s the prime-time lineup for Tuesday, November 26, 1996:

8: “Roseanne” (ABC), “Promised Land” (CBS), “Cliffhanger” (Fox), “Mad About You” (NBC), “Moesha” (UPN)

8:30: “Life’s Work” (ABC), “Something So Right” (NBC), “Homeboys in Outer Space” (UPN)

9: “Home Improvement” (ABC), “In Cold Blood” (CBS), “Frasier” (NBC), “The Burning Zone” (UPN) 

9:30: “Spin City” (ABC), “Caroline in the City” (NBC)

10: “NYPD Blue” (ABC), “Dateline NBC”

 

The Record

For the week of November 24, 1996:

Top novel: “The Deep End of the Ocean” by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Top song: “No Diggity” by BlackStreet

Top movie: “Star Trek: First Contact”

Top TV show: “Monday Night Football” (ABC)

In the news: North Korea freed a jailed American

 

 

Captions: Bev, played by Estelle Parsons, declares her attraction to women during Thanksgiving dinner in the “Home is Where the Afghan Is” episode of ABC’s “Roseanne” (top); sisters Roseanne and Jackie – played by Roseanne Barr and Laurie Metcalf – react when Al Roker appears on the Conner’s new big-screen TV (bottom).

‘George & Leo’ and All Their Old Friends

“Reunions & Revivals Week” continues.

On November 3, 1997, CBS’s “George & Leo” reunited stars Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch with actors from their previous sitcoms.

“George & Leo,” which lasted a single season, chronicled the travails of George (Newhart), a fussy bookstore owner whose son (Jason Bateman) married the daughter (Bess Meyer) of loud-mouthed ex-mobster Leo (Judd Hirsch).

“The Cameo Show’s” 19 guest stars included Bill Daily from “The Bob Newhart Show;” Julia Duffy and Peter Scolari from “Newhart;” Marilu Henner from “Taxi;” and Billie Bird from “Dear John.”

(TVSeriesFinale.com offers a fuller summary.)

The Boston Globe’s Matthew Gilbert called the episode an “absurdist kick” but others found it uneven. The Newark Star-Ledger’s Alan Sepinwall noted that one of Bob’s old cohorts – “Newhart’s” Tom Poston – had to be loaned out for one of Hirsch’s scenes.

Viewers in 10.8 million homes watched “The Cameo Show,” making it the week’s 23rd most-watched broadcast.

See for yourself: “George & Leo” and “Dear John” aren’t available on DVD, but various seasons of “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Newhart” and “Taxi” are.

 

On TV

Here’s the prime-time lineup for Monday, November 3, 1997:

8: “Primetime Live” (ABC), “Cosby” (CBS), “Melrose Place” (Fox), “Suddenly Susan” (NBC), “In the House” (UPN), “7th Heaven” (WB)

8:30: “Everybody Loves Raymond” (CBS), “Caroline in the City” (NBC), “Malcolm & Eddie” (UPN) 

9: “Monday Night Football” (ABC), “George & Leo” (CBS), “Ally McBeal” (Fox), “House of Frankenstein 1997” (NBC), “Good News” (UPN), “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (WB)

9:30: “Cybill” (CBS), “Sparks” (UPN)

10: “Brooklyn South” (CBS)

 

The Record

For the week of November 2, 1997:

Top novel: “Cold Mountain” by Charles Frazier

Top song: “Candle in the Wind 1997” by Elton John

Top movie: “I Know What You Did Last Summer”

Top TV show: “ER” (NBC)

In the news: What’s this Internet thing all about?

 

 

Captions: Peter Scolari, Bob Newhart and Julia Duffy in a photograph from “The Cameo Show” that appeared in TV Guide’s November 1, 1997, issue (top, photo by Ron Tom for Paramount Pictures); CBS’s advertisement for the episode, also from that edition of the magazine.