Roseanne was a series noted for being ground breaking, but the most important ground it broke was Johnny Galecki’s career. Sure he’d had a few other TV roles prior to being cast as Darlene’s boyfriend. The difference is that Roseanne established his relationship with Chuck Lorre. When Lorre moved up the food chain to becoming a bigshot sitcom creator, he cast Galecki as Leonard on The Big Bang Theory. His time spent as a comic foil for Roseanne Barr allowed him to be the comic foil for Jim Parsons nearly a decade later. Roseanne: The Complete Fifth Season and Sixth Season has Galecki’s David Healy rise from recurring character to a member of the household.
He first showed up halfway through season four as Kevin Healy. His big episode was “This Old House” when he hit the road with Darlene (Sarah Gilbert) to visit a comic book convention in Chicago. This laid the seeds of his future nerd activities. He was used sporadically in four episodes and could have faded from the series. He came back for Season Five as a recurring character appearing in 14 of the 25 episodes. “The Dark Ages” puts him in hot water once more with Roseanne when Darlene sleeps over at his place. Roseanne doesn’t believe they didn’t have sex. “No Place Like Home for the Holidays” exposes the fact that David’s family isn’t that charming. “Lanford Daze” has Lorretta Lynn guest star. “It’s a Boy!” brings David into house. There’s no way Darlene can let him stay with his parents and Roseanne reluctantly agrees. “Playing with Matches” has another character put the moves on David. He avoids it by claiming him and Darlene are going to run off. This lie leads to bigger problems. “Tooth or Consequences” has a guest role from Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad). “Daughters and Other Strangers” lets Darlene go to Chicago for art school. Will David join her? Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises) gets to annoy everyone.
Season Six has more storylines that involve David. “Two Down, One to Go” has him pop the question to Darlene. “A Stash from the Past” is considered one of the best episodes of the series. Roseanne finds a bag of weed in Darlene’s room. Roseanne is not happy. David takes the fall for it to protect her. But the weed might belong to another woman. Ahmet Zappa finks out the fact that David has been staying with Darlene in Chicago during “Busted.” “David Vs. Goliath” has Dan (John Goodman) pissed off that David is shacked up with his daughter. He wants him out of her apartment and his house. Is this the end of David?
At least it’s not the end of Galecki. For the last five years he’s been the toast of CBS. It’s easy to see how he could have impressed Lorre during his time on Roseanne. He brings a lot to the character of David to make him not seem like a complete jerk boyfriend. Roseanne: The Complete Fifth Season and Sixth Season makes his mark with a bang.
Episodes
Season Five
“Terms of Estrangement” (two-parter), “The Dark Ages,” “Mommy Nearest,” “Pretty in Black,” “Looking for Loans in All the Wrong Places,” “Halloween IV,” “Ladies’ Choice,” “Stand on Your Man,” “Good Girls, Bad Girls,” “Of Ice and Men,” “No Place Like Home for The Holidays,” “Crime and Punishment,” “War and Peace,” “Lanford Daze,” “Wait Till Your Father Gets Home,” “First Cousin, Twice Removed,” “Lose a Job, Winnebago,” “It’s a Boy!,” “It was Twenty Years Ago Today,” “Playing with Matches,” “Promises, Promises,” “Glengarry, Glen Rosey,” “Tooth or Consequences” and “Daughters and Other Strangers.”
Season Six
“Two Down, One to Go,” “The Mommy’s Curse,” “Party Politics,” “A Stash from the Past,” “Be My Baby,” “Halloween V,” “Homeward Bound,” “Guilt by Imagination,” “Homecoming,” “Thanksgiving ’93,” “The Driver’s Seat,” “White Trash Christmas,” “Suck Up or Shut Up,” “Busted,” “David vs. Goliath,” “Everyone Comes to Jackie’s,” “Don’t Make Room for Daddy,” “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” “Labor Day,” “Past Imperfect,” “Lies My Father Told Me,” “I Pray the Lord My Stove to Keep,” “Body by Jake,” “Isn’t It Romantic?” and “Altar Egos.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers look fine. The wavy texture of Galecki’s hair is obvious on the screen. The audio is Dolby Digital Stereo. The episodes are Closed Captioned.
Roseanne Answers The Fans’ Top 10 Questions (5:14) gets the corn jokes explained. She also explains the mystery of the chicken shirt.
Roseanne: The Complete Fifth Season and Sixth Season mark the arrival of Johnny Galecki as Darlene’s boyfriend. He’s a man overwhelmed by his love for her. He quickly goes from recurring character to part of the family. Fans of The Big Bang Theory will enjoy seeing his early years on a major sitcom.
Mill Creek presents Roseanne: The Complete Fifth Season and Sixth Season . Starring: Roseanne Barr, John Goodman and Johnny Galecki. Boxset contents 50 episodes on 6 DVDs. Released: September 4, 2012. Available at Amazon.com
