Revealing mistake: Shortly after the fight with Becky, Roseanne asks Jackie to go across the street to get her something to drink, so she can smoke in secret. After Roseanne lights the cigarette and walks near the register, Jackie's plaid coat can be seen in the door's window as she waits for the next scene.
Roseanne (1988)
Starring: John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Johnny Galecki, Sarah Chalke, Roseanne Barr, Michael Fishman
Continuity mistake: When Roseanne & Jackie talk about Arnie, they act like they haven't known him long. Jackie even states, "I don't know him." Yet, in episode "Why Jackie Becomes a Trucker," Jackie sleeps with Arnie. Roseanne says all the girls made a pact in high school that none of them would ever sleep with him.
Other mistake: When the opening credits are shown, the door to the basement is in the kitchen. In the beginning of the series the door is still in the kitchen, but in later seasons the basement door is in the laundry room, but in the opening credits it is still in the kitchen.
Suggested correction: I had noticed the same thing and thought it was a continuity mistake. However, in Season 3, Dan mentioned building the back service porch where Roseanne does the laundry. There are two basement accesses, the one in the kitchen, and what was probably the outside entrance in the backyard that is now enclosed inside the service porch. The family prefers using that one. Most houses, mine own included, have multiple basement access, one inside the house and one outside. In my state, it's a building code requirement.
Trivia: Roseanne's three ex-husbands have appeared or worked on the show during its run. Her first husband, Bill Pentland, wrote a few episodes for the show and played Dan's friend, Freddy, in a season one episode. Tom Arnold, her second husband, played Arnie and was an executive producer. Finally, her third husband, Ben Thomas, had a cameo as a police officer who pulled her and Jackie over in an episode later in the show's run.
The Courtship of Eddie, Dan's Father - S3-E13
Trivia: Ned Beatty plays Ed Conner, the father of Dan Conner (John Goodman). In real life, Beatty is only fifteen years older than Goodman.
Trivia: Shelley Winters plays Estelle Parsons' mother in the series, even though in real life she's only seven years older than Parsons.
Question: In the episode where Jackie goes to Roseanne's house and complains that she is overdue, she says something along the lines of she will be 80 years old with a 35 year old kid inside her. Well she lifts up her shirt and that pregnant belly looks real. Here's the question, was Jackie pregnant in real life?
Answer: Yes she was. When Laurie Metcalf, who played Jackie, became pregnant during the series, her pregnancy was written into the storyline; her pregnant belly is real. At the end of the episode where Jackie gives birth, there is a photo of Laurie Metcalf in the hospital just after she had her baby.
Question: The original couch changes skirts somewhere along the line. The new skirt is beige (does not match the overall material like the original) and appears to be a couple of inches taller than the original. I surmise either Rosanne or John have back issues and the couch legs were increased so to raise the level of the seating. What was the reason?
Answer: Clearly, the only person who could truly answer this question would be a set designer for the series, or someone else directly connected to the series who would have this kind of detailed information. I looked on IMDb.com and Cheryl Lanner is credited as set designer through 1997. I quickly found her Facebook page, and I directed your question to her. After some time, Ms. Lanner has replied as follows: "I decorated the last season 1/2 but after 9 seasons the sofa just plain got worn out and had to be repaired from 8 years of usage. There was a board put on the sofa but as I've said, it was due to so much usage. If they had back problems I was unaware of them, but you can be assured that if that was the problem it would have been fixed immediately. Take care Michael!"
Answer: One episode of season seven has a moment when Dan hops over the couch and breaks one end of it. The board was probably added so they could keep using it like nothing happened.
Question: Was Sara Gilbert (Darlene) pregnant in real life when she was pregnant on the show?
Answer: No. Sara Gilbert has given birth to one child (so far) and that was in 2007.
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