h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm glad to see an article on this programme. I'm about the same age as the character Becky (who was 14 in the first season) and i remember religiously watching this from the late eighties til about 1994. Recently i bought the box-sets of seasons 1 and 2 out of curiosity (and because they're ridiculously cheap on play.com at the moment). What struck me, once the initial buzz of nostalgia had cleared, was just how funny i was finding it, and just how involved in the story arcs i was becoming. In addition to the sharp humour and witty one-liners, the leftfield saccharine-free sweetness creates a melodrama which is taken seriously enough by the writers to stand on its own feet. It could even be described as a piquant blue collar soap.

This really is a classic show and i have been disheartened by the blank stares or outright guffaws i've received since mentioning this to friends. So my thanks to the author of this article.

Roseanne outstrips most if not all other sitcoms from the past 20 years. It is as endearing as it is witty and if you remember liking it when it was first broadcast, i'd recommend purchasing the outrageously cheap box sets. You'll be taken aback by how funny it still is, it really does not feel dated.

deliberate mistake, i am not the same as becky (that would make me about -3 when the show started). i, of course, WAS the same age as becky.

I was staying the the US for a few months, and there were generally 2 episodes of Roseanne on late at night.

Lot more than that nowadays. Must be because all the new stuff is crap so they're going back to the old stuff that they know is good.