ABC’s deal for Designing Women does have a small element of surprise going for it, considering the network had a bit of drama with its Roseanne revival earlier in the year.
That said, the complaints about Roseanne’s revival mainly pointed to the fact that the original series was more effective at using its heavier subject matter to build on tension from the family dynamic itself.
Given that Designing Women touched heavily on such charged territory in its original run, viewers will probably be paying close attention to see how that stuff will be tackled.
Prior to Roseanne Barr’s tweet controversy, that sitcom comeback had faced criticism for how it handled social and political topics, which ABC president Channing Dungey said would be toned down in later seasons.