After being off the air for 21 years, the hotly anticipated double-episode that aired on Tuesday attracted 18.2 million viewers in preliminary Nielsen ratings, making it the season’s top premiere.
ABC said the figure grew to 21.9 million when the first day of delayed viewing was added.
“We’re thrilled that America has welcomed the Conner family back into their homes,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.
“The show is as fresh and relevant today as it was when it left the air 21 years ago. We can’t wait to see what the ‘Roseanne’ team has in store for next year.”
The opening episodes saw Barr in fine fettle as the eponymous blue-collar matriarch of the Conner clan alongside husband Dan, played by John Goodman, with whom she shares medication to save on cost.
Not only is the show a rare depiction of working-class life on US television, but also of Donald Trump supporters, who have been largely ignored by Hollywood.
Barr, who has been vocal about her support of the Republican president on and off screen, said Thursday he had called personally to congratulate her.
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