It looks like Roseanne Barr is making a play to return to primetime TV. First came the news, back in February, that Lifetime TV has ordered a season of Roseanne's Nuts, a reality series about her attempt to manage a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii. (Random!) And now The Hollywood Reporter says she's close to signing a deal to play Chelsea Handler's aunt in NBC's midseason comedy, Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea
The sitcom sounds perfect for this irreverent comedian. Created by Handler (and based on her book of the same name), the show is a semi-autobiographical look at the talk-show host's younger days as a hard-drinking, promiscuous bartender. Laura Prepon plays Handler's young self, and Handler plays her older sister, Sloan. Barr will make a number of guest appearances as her aunt -- no doubt with her own character flaws or, at least, very loud opinions!
Originally Barr was set to cameo on the show as a lesbian prison inmate, but that role went to Dot Marie Jones (Glee's scary Coach Beiste).
For a time, Barr was arguably the most omnipresent star on TV. Her sitcom, Roseanne, aired from 1988-1997, and her personal life (bad romances, big weight fluctuations, family scandals) was the stuff of tabloid editors' dreams. But the 58-year-old comic has seemingly been -- dare we say it? -- lying low of late. Well, at least she hasn't been front and center on TV.
Sure, she's been around, doing stand-up comedy tours, hosting a radio show, writing three books, filming some TV guest spots and starring in a recent commercial for Snickers that was one of the most popular ads during the 2011 Super Bowl. But now she seems to be ready for a grander return to TV. The question is, are we?
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