Beyond their sheer numbers, the “Roseanne” revival’s ratings are telling for where viewership was highest.
Figures show “Roseanne’s” top markets were between the coasts, and its 18.2 million total viewers came even amid underperformance in the country’s major markets. Per Deadline’s report:
Not only that, but “Roseanne” managed to earn the highest ratings for a comedy telecast in years, all while “the top market of the country, New York, was not in the Top 20” and “No.2 Los Angeles was not in the Top 30.” The show’s shocking performance in the key 18-49 demographic, where it scored a 5.2, “came largely from new viewers who were children or not even born during Roseanne‘s initial run,” according to Deadline.
Even considering the show’s nostalgic appeal, it seems clear there’s an untapped demand outside New York and L.A. for programs that deliver fairer depictions of working-class families living between the coasts.
