ABC’s reboot of the sitcom Roseanne continues to be the surprise hit of the season. Per data from analytics firm Samba TV shows that the number of households who are fans of Fox News that watch Roseanne have skyrocketed 65% meanwhile viewership among households who are fans of cable shows like MLB Channel, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and BET, which tend to attract younger and more diverse audiences, have fallen by around 40%. This has to do with Roseanne Barr continuing to promote President Donald Trump and her right-wing conspiracy theories on Twitter. This has struck a nerve among many conservatives who had previously felt their views were being underrepresented in the media. ABC has already renewed Roseanne for another season, which they are proud of due to the immense negative publicity surrounding ABC’s reboot of American Idol.

Another issue being brought up regarding the renewal of Roseanne is the fact that the reboot is straying from the original characters and plot. While the original focused on Roseanne coming to terms with the physical abuse she suffered for years due to her father, and why she was against corporal punishment. However, in an episode this season she is seen pinning her “bratty teenage daughter Harris” and spraying her with a kitchen sink hose.

Barr, Jonathan. Is ABC’s Monster Hit ‘Roseanne’ Scaring Away Liberal Viewers? Forbes.com. April 14, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanberr/2018/04/14/is-abcs-monster-hit-roseanne-scaring-away-liberal-viewers/#45ac5245750f. Received April 15, 2018.