Lately it seems like 90% of pop culture is recycled.
Broadway musicals, movies and TV series are just the recycled debris of a culture no longer capable of producing original material that appeals to wide audiences. That's why A Bronx Tale is on Broadway, Lethal Weapon is a TV series and every other movie is a Marvel adaptation.
Bringing back once popular TV shows is the latest gimmick. But Roseanne was always a curious choice. Since the days when it was popular, family time is a dead letter. Virtually all sitcoms are aimed at young and hip audiences. And while Roseanne's return was a huge hit. It also brought in exactly the demo that networks had been trying to shed for ages. The demo neither they nor advertisers looking to hook young wealthy urbanites and sell them flavored water wanted. And then there was Roseanne. Like many celebrities, she tweeted controversial things. But they were pro-Trump.
Launching a spinoff based around a younger generation made more sense. But Roseanne had been off the air for too long. Viewers might not bite.
But, relaunch Roseanne for a season, bite on some controversial tweet, cancel the show, virtue signal, blackmail Roseanne with the crew losing their jobs, and launch your spinoff to maximum possible publicity.
Was that always the plan? Who knows. But it very well might have been.
The speed with which all of this was turned around is atypical. Even for Peak TV. It's almost as if had always been the plan.