Roseanne Barr has a new show, and Alyssa Milano is clearly not taking it well. The actress, best known for “Who’s the Boss?” and “Charmed,” went to Instagram to complain that her own projects keep getting rejected while Roseanne gets another shot at television.
“Ten years, twelve pilots, and no one bites. Evidently hatred is what moves nowadays,” she wrote to her followers.
The post quickly spread, and not in the way Alyssa probably hoped. Instead of sympathy, many people responded with a simple question: has she considered that people just like Roseanne more?
Roseanne has been making audiences laugh for decades. Her original sitcom was a ratings giant, and its revival years later drew enormous numbers before it was cancelled. Even after leaving the network spotlight, she has kept a devoted fan base that follows her wherever she goes. She’s funny, she’s blunt, and her fans feel like she’s talking to them rather than down to them.
That kind of connection is hard to fake, and it’s exactly what networks are looking for.
Alyssa’s career, meanwhile, has drifted. Over the past decade she’s become better known as an online activist than as an actress. Her posts regularly stir up arguments, but that hasn’t translated into a hit show. Twelve pilots without a pickup suggests that something in the pitch isn’t connecting.
“You can’t call the audience hateful and then wonder why they don’t want to watch you,” said Alex Bruno, a Los Angeles talent manager. “Roseanne makes people feel welcome. That’s why she keeps working.”
Many commenters agreed. Some pointed out that labeling Roseanne’s fans as hateful was insulting to millions of regular people who just enjoy a good laugh at the end of a long day. Others noted that Hollywood has struggled for years with exactly this problem: projects that seem more interested in lecturing viewers than entertaining them.
To be fair, plenty of talented people go years without landing a show. The entertainment business is brutal, and rejection is part of the job. But most of them don’t publicly blame a rival’s success on the moral failings of the audience.
Roseanne hasn’t commented on the post. Those close to her say she’s focused on her work, which, frankly, is the best response anyone could give.
Alyssa still has a following and plenty of name recognition, so a comeback isn’t impossible. But if she wants one, she might start by taking a closer look at why Roseanne keeps winning people over, and why her own pitches keep landing with a thud.
For now, it’s Roseanne with the new show, and Alyssa with the Instagram post.
