One of the many things “Roseanne” Season Six has going for it is the casting of Michael O’Keefe as Jackie’s love interest Fred, who is the often mild mannered and funny boyfriend who is mostly played to react off of the dysfunction and lunacy of the Conners most times. It’s a shame O’Keefe was never brought on to be a permanent cast member like Johnny Galecki or Glenn Quinn, since the character’s mild temperament makes for some instant laughs. This season is much more a shift as the series continues its glimpse in to dysfunction and family pain while also shifting the cast yet again.
Character Bev is more prominent in the cast, as well as producer Martin Mull who comes on the show to play adversary Leon Carp to Roseanne when he becomes a partner in Roseanne’s business. “Roseanne” thankfully receives a boost with some additions and not so much with others. Mull is a worthy rival to Roseanne providing a lot of friction and obstacles for the character while keeping her on her toes throughout the season, as Estelle Parsons plays her obnoxious character to perfection. Sarah Chalke has the unfortunate task of replacing Lecy Goranson as big sister Becky, and the character returns to the fold of the series with husband Mark to re-connect with her family, and figure out how to fix their struggling relationship. While Goranson was not my favorite character on the show, she had a Zeppo quality that made the series feel whole.
Chalke, while talented and resembling Goranson (I imagine that’s the main reason she was cast), isn’t quite as spastic or moody as the earlier iteration of Becky Conner, even if her personality is more pleasant. Yet again we see the focus on Darlene and David’s romance take a turn as they struggle with a break up, a secret living situation, and the aftermath, and even more glimpses at the oddly unmentioned in earlier seasons childhood pain Dan, Roseanne, and Jackie endured. When DJ steals a car, Roseanne loses her temper and strikes him prompting her to re-live her childhood with her dad and realize she has potential to be abusive, and Dan is forced to confront his mother’s fading mental stability. While heavy handed, the episodes involving Dan’s realization of his childhood that everything he thought he knew about his mom and dad were false, is compelling thanks to star Goodman’s fantastic acting.
Save for the heavy somewhat melodramatic themes, there are still some genuine comic gems in this season. “Stash from the Past” is probably the more iconic episode of the series where Dan, Jackie, and Roseanne discover an old stash of pot and decide to “relive the old days” cue raucous laughter, DJ and Darlene team up to drive Roseanne crazy, the annual Halloween episode rebounds from the weak season five entry with “Halloween V” involving Dan’s logical disliking of character Nancy and his refusal to play a prank on her, “Homeward Bound” features a hysterical sub-plot about DJ’s discovery of masturbation, and “I Pray the Lord My Stove to Keep” where DJ is discovered to be secretly religious which inevitably clashes with the family’s somewhat criminal side ad hilarity. Overall, season six is not as hit or miss as season five, and provides much more hilarious moments than heavy ones, and it’s definitely a purchase.