Roseanne - The Complete Third Season
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Our Price: $12.50
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Average Customer Rating:  
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
Starring: Roseanne
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0013131362299
Format: Box set
Label: Starz / Anchor Bay
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Starz / Anchor Bay
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2006-03-21
Running Time: 554
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Theatrical Release Date: 1988-10-18
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Roseanne Rocks
Comment: Roseanne was one of the funniest and best sitcoms on TV. The third season is funny and reminds everyone of their own family growing up.
Customer Rating:
Summary: And the best sitcom in TV history is....
Comment: Ahh Roseanne, quite easily the greatest sitcom in TV history (sorry Seinfeld [overrated and repetitive] and move over MASH). For a great many Americans, Roseanne was the ONLY sitcom depicting house life that even remotely approached ringing true. My wife and I are both such big fans that we periodically watch the show from beginning to end (yes, all the episodes), something made easy by the fact that we never watch TV, only DVDs (greater freedom, no commercials). As I do in many of my reviews I will try to offer a few observations that other reviews haven't already made.
The show was serendipitously blessed by its cast, the best any sitcom has ever enjoyed. The comic timing between Roseanne and John Goodman was not only flawless, but their chemistry rang so true that they really did seem like they were married. The show was lucky to cast both Goodman and Metcalf, two actors whose performances really raised the entire show up another level.
The show starts off wonderfully, portraying a blue-collar family that not only seems real, but is real funny (and that says a lot--most sitcoms are not actually all that funny, and, believe it or not, studies show that people are not actually laughing at the jokes [which suck] but because they hear the sound of other people laughing). This in-and-of-itself had a lot to do with the show's immediate appeal: finally here was a family most Americans could actually relate to. Forget the Cosby family (the No. 1 show at the time).
Though the scenes at the plastic factory are pretty flat (which Roseanne was aware of--she joked that the set was built over a burial ground and cursed), the rest of season one is dynamite. In season two the show peters out with a few episodes that are actually quite boring and stupid. Many people say the show got worse in later seasons, I actually think (excepting the last season) that some of season two's episodes are the worst the show ever saw. In fact, in my opinion, the season two episode Sweet Dreams is the worst episode in the entire show's run. Other than this it's still excellent. Seasons three, four, and five are all great, maintaining the show's high standard. At times more episodes focus on incidences outside the Conner residence, which to me is unfortunate as the shows staying inside the house (especially the kitchen) and focusing on the whole family together are the ones that really shine. Thus, when a season focused too much on Roseanne at work (such as endlessly boring scenes of Roseanne at the beauty salon or in the mall's café) it really detracted from the humor.
With season six Sarah Chalke was devastatingly miscast as Becky. It really didn't matter that she didn't at all look like Lecy Goranson, the problem was that the performance she turned in was of an entirely different character (and it was quite a bad performance at that). Sure, other characters changed as the show progressed, but this was ridiculous. Roseanne, for instance, becomes more sarcastic and bitchy as the show progresses, but as my wife pointed out to me, if you revisit season one you'll see that she didn't at all start out that way (in fact she was quite the loving mother at first). And yes, her appearance constantly changed as she lost weight, tanned and had surgeries. Jackie's character changes too, dramatically, as many others have noted here. Many here say that season seven or eight is the beginning of the end of the show. I however think that the beginning of the end was Roseanne's real-life marriage to show producer Tom Arnold. After that fiasco, if I recall, Roseanne went kind of nuts in real life, becoming all new agey and crap, and it started to show in the show. Though the show's very last episode tried to bring things home a little bit, the debacle that was season nine needs a lot of explaining. How did they EVER think that having the Conners win the lottery was in ANY WAY a good idea? Was Roseanne trying to give a comic blue-collar commentary on the wealthy? I don't know, but that simply didn't work.
Some trivia and observations (and feel free to discuss some of this by leaving comments, and by all means, explain the reasoning behind season nine): Lanford Illinois does not really exist. The footage is from Evansville Indiana. Most if not all of Dan's comic mannerisms John Goodman seems to have borrowed from Curly (The Three Stooges), which he justified by making the character of Dan a big fan. When the Conners are watching TV, from the sound of it they are usually watching old movies, especially old B horror movies, sci fi and westerns. The coffee table is almost always covered with comic books. Season one disappointingly does not have a Halloween episode, but Nightmare on Oak Street kind of counts, starting off with a great Halloween feel to it. There are, throughout the first three or four seasons, a great many references to corn and creamed corn (can somebody please explain the significance of this in-joke?) In the pilot Dan tries to make a giant can of corn for dinner. In other episodes Roseanne is called the corn goddess, we see decorative corn hanging on the wall, Dan jokes that he's afraid that aliens are after their creamed corn, and, in the worst episode in the history of Roseanne, Dan's method of execution is to be boiled in creamed corn.
On a side note, it's amusing that Anchor Bay's disclaimer of the "Roseanne trivia" that laces the inside of every jacket reads that they in no way guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. It's a good thing too, because quite a few of their answers are wrong! Examples: In the fourth Halloween episode Roseanne does not dress up as "the goddess of gore," but as the Statue of Liberty. It's not Roseanne who refuses to serve Loretta Lynn, but Darlene.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A six star season, but the DVD set itself could have been better
Comment: Season three of Roseanne doesn't revolve around any particular overriding story arc, but the kids are definitely beginning to grow up. As in almost every season, there are quite a few changes taking place in all of the characters' lives, but the show's greatness mainly lies in the "real life" way that each situation is handled and in the raw emotions and interactions of the characters, not in the situations themselves.
"The Test" is a great season opener as Roseanne and her family wait for the outcome of her home pregnancy test. There are some precious moments, such as when DJ asks if he was an accident, and Roseanne tells him that he was a surprise, the difference being that "an accident is something that you wouldn't do over again if you had the chance, but a surprise is something you didn't even know you wanted until you got it." The girls show their selfish side, trying to make a case for not having the baby even before the test is complete. Becky goes as far as asking her mother "Don't you want me to go to college?".
The audience gets their first look at the late Glenn Quinn as rebel and smart-mouth Mark Healey in "Becky, Beds, and Boys". Mark doesn't even pretend to care what the Conners think when he shows up in a bar, obviously under-aged and the Conners see him there. His answer to their question of how he got in there when he is only 18 is that he has a piece of paper that says he is 21. Becky's concerned parents forbid her to see Mark anymore, but she keeps coming up with ways to see him anyway. I liked how Mark was portrayed in these early seasons when he was "Rebel Without a Cause" as opposed to the last three seasons when he was transformed into "Rebel Without a Clue". Mark and Becky are the cause of quite a bit of trouble, starting with "Her Boyfriend's Back", in which Mark and Becky take Dan's prize Harley out for a ride without telling him. This infuriates Dan who doesn't even bother punishing Becky - his hurt and anger are so deep that he just ignors her for days. Of course, this is far worse than any punishment he could have given her.
In the Halloween episode, DJ decides he wants to dress as a witch this year, and this has Dan very upset as he believes it might mean DJ is having trouble with his own gender identity. You see, Dan believes only girls should dress as witches. Meanwhile, Roseanne decides to find out what it's like to be one of the guys by dressing up in Dan's clothes. She then goes to the Lobo and enjoys conversing with a group of men there on a variety of subjects. You even see Roseanne trying to make conversation with "another" man at the urinal. Unfortunately, the restroom scene has been cut from most (if not all) syndicated showings of this episode. We also get another look at Crystal's desperation for male companionship as she shows an interest in Roseanne ( alias Bob) after "Bob" pays her some well placed compliments.
"PMS I Love You" is one of my all time favorites. Dan's birthday party collides with Roseanne's PMS, and she is on a rampage. Dan, being the guest of honor, must ride out the rollercoaster of his wife's emotions, including her blurting out to everyone present that he cried when he saw "Old Yeller". In one of those great moments that Dan and Jackie often have together, Dan vents to her privately about how his 39 years have been a blur and he wonders when will it be his turn, when does HE get to have HIS PMS?
Ned Beatty returns as Dan's father, although he is more subdued and less buffoonish than he was in season one when he was first introduced. Dan, however, is still somewhat contemptuous of his dad, and it doesn't make things any better when he finds out that his father is planning to marry one of Roseanne's friends. Matters go from bad to worse when he finds out why - the bride-to-be is pregnant. Dan fears that his new brother/sister will have the same kind of life he had as a child - a life with an unhappy mother and an absentee father who is always on the road.
The other plot developments include Jackie being injured and leaving the police force, Roseanne getting a job at Rodbell's, a diner in the mall, and Dan opening a motorcycle shop of his own. This is truly one of the best seasons of Roseanne, and I highly recommend it. I just wish that there were more extras and interviews in the DVD sets than we have been getting.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I loved it.
Comment: I loved watching this when I was younger and my daughter loves it now. I actually bought this because she wanted it for her 10th birthday.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Groundbreaking Season, But The Shoddy DVD Treatment Continues
Comment: The 1990-1991 third season of "Roseanne" was clearly the season where the show really defined itself. While the first two seasons were good, especially the second, the third was the first Perfect Season, and it was also when the show really started to take risks and tackle heavy issus with amazing skill, all the while remaining laugh out loud hilarious.
The first episode of the season was "The Test," and it was test in many ways. It was the first episode to air after Roseanne's National Anthem incident, where she pissed off most of America and was called a disgrace by President Bush (quite ironic considering how his son is running the country these days). Fortunately, the incident was forgotten and "Roseanne" continued to roll along smoothly, turning out some of the finest episodes of the whole series. Who doesn't love "Like, A Virgin," in which Darlene is caught making out with her friend Brian on the couch? And who could forget the classic Halloween special, "Trick Or Treat," in which Roseanne dresses as a man and is so convincing that she spends most of the night hanging with a group of men at The Lobo. Probably the funniest episode of the season is "PMS, I Love You," in which Roseanne's PMS collides with Dan's surprise birthday party and disaster ensues. "Vegas Interruptus" is a very notable episode as Roseanne and Dan debate whether to go to Vegas or stay at home so Roseanne won't lose her job. The episode shows how rare a vacation is for Roseanne and Dan and how Roseanne has to balance the importance of her job over the importance of her trip. The classic "Scenes From A Barbecue" introduced Nana Mary, portrayed brilliantly by the late Shelly Winters. Also, the late Glenn Quinn makes his first appearance on the show in "Becky, Beds, and Boys," and who could know he'd be sticking around until the very final episode? Natalie West as Crystal joins the cast in the credits for this season (and the next one, as well, before pretty much vanishing from the series save for the occasional appearance), and other great characters include Bonnie, played by Bonnie Bramlett, and of course Leon, played by Martin Mull. This season also brings us the Bowman family, including the mother Kathy, who would share some wonderful comic moments with Roseanne before leaving near the end of Season Four.
Season Three is excellent, although not up with the flat out brilliance of Seasons Four and Five (the two finest seasons of the whole run). It's sad to see how poorly the season is treated in this DVD set. The episodes are uncut, thank God, but once again, the features are nearly non-existant. We get 'interviews' with Laurie Metcalf and Lecy Goranson, but these are polluted with so many episode clips we barely get any interview time. It is worth watching to see Lecy Goranson tear up near the end of her interview (very touching) but overall these are not very exciting.
"Roseanne" is one of the best shows of all time, and this season is an example of why. Although the features are again incredibly dissapointing, the episodes are uncut and their quality can not be argued. Although it falls short when put up against Season Four and Season Five, this is definately not a set you want to pass up!
Grade: B+
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Editorial Reviews:
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All hail the domestic goddess! In this top-rated third season, Roseanne Conner and family continue to push the sitcom envelope as they deliver one of the most acclaimed and daring shows in television history. Relive all the classic hilarity as Roseanne explains the facts of life to Darlene, Dan endures PMS, Becky moves in with Jackie, D.J. turns weird, Nana Mary visits, Valentine's Day gets forgotten, curfews are broken, surprise weddings and pregnancies rock the house and much more! Season Three of Roseanne includes appearances by Tom Arnold, Ned Beatty, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Garrett, Judy Gold, Alyson Hannigan, Tobey Maguire, Martin Mull, Estelle Parsons, Natalie West, and Shelley Winters
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