Even in a machine as massive as Hollywood, there's a finite pool of great talent when it comes to specific genres, and proving yourself as one of the experts in one field is likely to yield more work on similar shows. That's why actors who earned their chops on procedurals tend to keep appearing on one procedural drama after another. It's also why it's not uncommon to see established sitcom actors resurface on brand new comedy shows after they (and their old series with them) have spent some time
away from the spotlight.
Usually, this is a case of individual actors entering a new show where they're surrounded by a combo cast of veterans from other series and perhaps a newcomer or two, with the ingredients combining to form a fresh new talent salad. However, there are exceptions, like the actor flow from "Roseanne" to "The Big Bang Theory." While the overlap between the two shows obviously doesn't span across the board, these two super-popular sitcoms nevertheless share so many familiar faces that sometimes, the latter show can seem like a low-key "Roseanne" reunion.
Read more: The Big Bang Theory: Every Main Character, Ranked By Likability
Johnny Galecki
The most obvious connection between "The Big Bang Theory" and "Roseanne" is also the closest thing the former show has to a straight man protagonist -- Johnny Galecki's Leonard Hofstadter. Galecki joined "The Big Bang Theory" as a seasoned veteran who had numerous movies and TV shows under his belt. On the latter front, his best-known role until the CBS nerd sitcom was none other than David Healy, Mark Healy's (Glenn Quinn) gentle kid brother who becomes Darlene Conner's (Sara Gilbert) main romantic interest on "Roseanne." A major recurring character, David appeared in 94 episodes of that series.
Unfortunately, Darlene and David's turbulent love story would eventually crash and burn, and they had been long separated by the time the season 10 revival of "Roseanne" rolled along in 2017 -- almost as if Galecki had been busy with a certain other major sitcom at the time. Galecki did, however, play David in a handful of episodes of the sequel show "The Conners," by which time his character had moved on and dated Blue (Juliette Lewis), much to Darlene's chagrin.
Sara Gilbert
Johnny Galecki might be the most prominent "The Big Bang Theory" name on this list, but if we approach this from a "Roseanne" standpoint, Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf (more on her in a moment) handily flip the script. Gilbert's Leslie Winkle famously left "The Big Bang Theory" not because she was bad in the role, but because the rambunctious Leslie was ultimately the type of character that simply didn't gel with the stories the show was trying to tell. As a result, Gilbert was left disappointed with Leslie's "The Big Bang Theory" arc.
While the CBS show never really gave Gilbert her just desserts, the "Roseanne" universe certainly delivered on that front. As Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan Conner's (John Goodman) second-oldest child Darlene, she's an important main character whose combination of writing aspirations, tomboy personality, and cutting sense of humor earn her plenty of screen time over the show's 10 seasons. She also played the role on "The Conners," where she kept her main character status for a further seven seasons. This means that Gilbert has played the role of Darlene Conner for a total of 340 episodes -- and since also Leslie enjoyed main character status in "The Big Bang Theory" season 2, the actor remains the only person who has been a main character on both "Roseanne" and "The Big Bang Theory."
Apart from these impressive accolades, Gilbert is also one half of the clearest "Roseanne" reunion connection on "The Big Bang Theory." After all, her and Galecki's characters are a couple in "Roseanne," so having Leonard and Leslie hook up on "The Big Bang Theory" is a fun callback and a reminder of the two performer's unique chemistry.
Laurie Metcalf
Speaking of main characters on "Roseanne" who went on to play a part on "The Big Bang Theory," here's Laurie Metcalf. The Oscar-nominated actor has worked across many different genres over the years, but her most prominent and, quite likely, best-known role remains her 342-episode turn as Jackie Harris, Roseanne's neurotic younger sister, on both "Roseanne" and "The Conners." Jackie is a sensitive and smart soul who's pretty much the antithesis of her ebullient older sibling, and, as a result, she tends to live under Roseanne's thumb. Jackie's life keeps periodically building up and crumbling apart, as she goes through a laundry list of jobs and life experiences that leave her with a truly eclectic set of skills and a cloudcuckoolander mindset that help her navigate the show's poverty-stricken blue-collar world.
On "The Big Bang Theory," Metcalf's character is considerably more overbearing than Jackie. She plays Sheldon Cooper's (Jim Parsons) mother, Mary Cooper, whose curious combination of an overbearing, Bible-thumping, old-fashioned attitude and a genuinely kind, caring nature makes her the only person who can seemingly exert any measure of control over her super-genius son. Metcalf's Mary is a recurring player who appears in 14 episodes of "The Big Bang Theory," but the character takes a much more prominent role on the prequel spin-off "Young Sheldon" ... where she's played by Metcalf's real-life daughter Zoe Perry, no less.
Fun fact: Metcalf ended up playing Sheldon's mom on "The Big Bang Theory" specifically because of "Roseanne." She and Galecki obviously already knew each other, and co-creator Chuck Lorre -- who himself used to be a "Roseanne" writer -- specifically asked Galecki to get in touch with her in hopes of getting her to take the role.
Other Prominent Actors Who Showed Up On Both Roseanne And The Big Bang Theory
Apart from the aforementioned three major players, "The Big Bang Theory" and "Roseanne" have had plenty of overlap over the years. An early-game Sara Rue ("Less than Perfect") played teenage Roseanne Conner in a season 4 episode of "Roseanne" and later appeared on "The Big Bang Theory" role as Leonard's girlfriend, Dr. Stephanie Barrett. Similarly, before Ellen DeGeneres became one of the many real-life celebrities who have cameoed on "The Big Bang Theory," she played Dr. Whitman on an episode of "Roseanne." On top of that, Stephen Root ("Barry"), Patrika Darbo ("Days of Our Lives"), Jim Turner ("Arli$$"), and Meagen Fay ("Loot") have also guest starred on both shows in various capacities.
Of course, since "The Big Bang Theory" and "Roseanne" feature so many actors playing two different roles, the two franchises obviously don't take place in the same universe. However, with all this overlap, it's quite easy to think that they, at the very least, enjoy hanging out at the same piece of pop culture real estate.
"The Big Bang Theory" is currently streaming on HBO Max.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
