101 Best Written TV Series

Aired: ABC, 1988-1997

In 1985, on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, America met a comedian named Roseanne Barr. Three years later she had a hit sitcom that furthered her inimitable persona as the housewife sardonically self-identifying as a "domestic goddess." Roseanne was a so-called "blue-collar" show, far from the milieu of a Bob Newhart Show or Seinfeld, but its success earned it a place in any conversation about the need for a standup to develop a voice before being given a show. Producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, and co-creator Matt Williams, packaged Roseanne's comedic matter-of-factness in a working-class, two-parent household in the Midwest. Yes, Roseanne and Dan were obese, and difficult things might happen in the Conners' world an incident of domestic violence, a teenage pregnancy but the characters were who they were, and the humor grew out of their struggle, without pretension or cartoonish pre-judgment.

Credited Writers

Kevin Abbott
Jeff Abugov
Lauren Eve Anderson
Tom Arnold
Elaine Aronson
Geraldine Barr
Roseanne Barr
James Berg
Matt Berry
Robert Borden
Michael Borkow
Betsy Borns
Lawrence Broch
Lois Bromfield
Pat Bullard
Scott Burton
David A. Caplan
Mike Costa
Perry Dance
Tim Doyle
Sy Dukane
Maxine Epstein
Carrie Fisher
David Forbes
Don Foster
Kim Friese
Stevie Ray Fromstein
Mike Gandolfi
R. Gaylor
Laurie Gelman
Bill Gerber
Sara Gilbert
Eric Gilliland
Stephen Godchaux
Bruce Graham
Sheree Guitar
Jennifer Heath
Eileen Heisler
DeAnn Heline
Cynthia Hogle
Brad Isaacs
Danny Jacobson
Janice Jordan
Michael B. Kaplan
Richard Kaplan
Debbie Kasper
Allan Katz
Dusty Kay
Sheldon Krasner
Cathy Ladman
Brian LaPan
Maxine Lapiduss
Janet Leahy
Lawrence H. Levy
Stacie Lipp
Chuck Lorre
Norm MacDonald
Joel Madison
David McFadzean
Grace McKeaney
Robert Miranda
Amy Morland
Cynthia Mort
Denise Moss
Martin Mull
Bob Myer
Ron Nelson
Bob Nickman
Drew Ogier
Daniel Palladino
Rebecca Parr
Martin Pasko
Stephen Paymer
Bill Pentland
Jennifer Pentland
Jessica Pentland
Steve Pepoon
Monica Piper
Michael Poryes
Erin Quigley
David Raether
Mark Lloyd Rappaport
Bruce Rasmussen
Leslie Rieder
Mark Rosewater
Bob Rubin
David Saling
Betsy Salkind
Leif Sandaas
Jennifer Saunders
Timothy Schlattmann
Amy Sherman
Ritch Shydner
Carrie Snow
Penelope Spheeris
Nancy Steen
Allan Stephan
Garland Testa
Miriam Trogdon
Rob Ulin
Norma Safford Vela
Barry Vigon
William Lucas Walker
Amy Welsh
Joss Whedon
Richard Whitley
Matt Williams
April Winchell
Ed Yeager
Sid Youngers
Stan Zimmerman
Danny Zuker