‘Roseanne’ effect means more comedy, reboots for fall

Everything in TV is cyclical. A few years ago, comedy was dead. Now, following the success of the rebooted “Roseanne” and “Will & Grace,” comedy is suddenly back in vogue this fall with more comedy on ABC and CBS and more comedy waiting in the wings at midseason on NBC.

“Obviously everyone took a good hard look at the performance of [’Roseanne’],” said Fox Television Group CEO Dana Walden, who resurrected “Last Man Standing” a year after it was canceled by ABC.

ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said Tuesday the network was already developing a full roster of family comedies before the “Roseanne” revival became a hit.

“It’s fantastic, but it fits in nicely with the building blocks we already have in place,” she said, noting she expects the show to return in the fall focused more on family issues and less on politics.

ABC

The alphabet network adds six new series for fall, including “Dancing With the Stars: Juniors” airing on Sunday nights, while moving “Fresh off the Boat” and “Speechless” to the first hour of prime time on Friday.

“Roseanne” returns to lead off Tuesday night followed by “The Kids Are Alright,” a 1970s-set comedy about an Irish Catholic L.A. family. “The Rookie,” starring Nathan Fillion as the LAPD’s oldest rookie, takes over the 10 p.m. Tuesday slot.