Was It A Big Mistake For Lecy Goranson to Leave 'Roseanne'?

[Brian Damage]

Fame: Known to fans as the First Becky, Goranson played Roseanne and Dan’s oldest daughter on the mega-popular show for four seasons, when she left to pursue her education at Vassar College. To cope, writers sparingly used Becky, but this soon became a problem, and Goranson was replaced with Sarah Chalke, a.k.a. Elliot on “Scrubs.” New Becky quickly jelled with the rest of the cast, and audience members began to forgot Chalke was a replacement cast member—until Goranson re-joined the show in its eighth season (except for two episodes, one involving an all-important wedding)…and left again before the show’s ninth, and final, season.

Ever Since: As someone who went to and graduated college, I’d just like to say: if I were in Goranson’s shoes in 1992, knowing what I know now, I’d have stayed on my top-five show—it certainly couldn’t have hurt her career, which has resulted in one-episode appearances in “Fringe” and “Sex and the City,” and that’s about it. She now has a tattoo and, all that having been said, a better post-”Roseanne” career than her on-screen brother, D.J.

http://warmingglow.uproxx.com/2011/04/ten-stars-who-left-hit-tv-shows-and-now-appear-in-made-for-tv-movies-about-the-amish

http://cdn.wg.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/First-Becky.jpg

[ShamelessFanGirl]

I don't think it is up to us to say of whether or not it was a mistake that Lecy Goranson left "Roseanne" or not. Personally, I would have prefered it if she wouldn't have left because I feel the show was never quite the same without her. However, in an interview she talks about that she had issues with the producers over the fact that she really wanted to cut her hair and the producers didn't want her to so Roseanne personally goes ahead and cuts it for her and then tells Lecy " There! Now, what are they going to do?"
Of course she wanted to go to college, though I always heard that she went to Yale College, not Vassar. Maybe I was wrong I don't know. Anyway, I am at least glad she came back for a few episodes before disappearing again, some actors after they leave a show they don't return or they only come back for one episode and then leave again. Married With Children is a perfect example of that.

[An 80s Guy]

I don't think it is up to us to say of whether or not it was a mistake that Lecy Goranson left "Roseanne" or not. Personally, I would have prefered it if she wouldn't have left because I feel the show was never quite the same without her. However, in an interview she talks about that she had issues with the producers over the fact that she really wanted to cut her hair and the producers didn't want her to so Roseanne personally goes ahead and cuts it for her and then tells Lecy " There! Now, what are they going to do?"
Of course she wanted to go to college, though I always heard that she went to Yale College, not Vassar. Maybe I was wrong I don't know. Anyway, I am at least glad she came back for a few episodes before disappearing again, some actors after they leave a show they don't return or they only come back for one episode and then leave again. Married With Children is a perfect example of that.
Actually, it was Sara (Darlene) who went to Yale.

I would have preferred Lecy had stayed on. She was brilliant in the role of Becky. It's a shame she hasn't had a big career but I'm sure she's happy with how it all turned out. she probably gets a lot of residuals for the first five seasons.

[ShamelessFanGirl]

Actually, it was Sara (Darlene) who went to Yale.

I would have preferred Lecy had stayed on. She was brilliant in the role of Becky. It's a shame she hasn't had a big career but I'm sure she's happy with how it all turned out. she probably gets a lot of residuals for the first five seasons.

Huh, my bad then.

Agreed, I would have preferred too had she had stayed on. She was perfect as Becky Conner and had such a huge amount of chemistry with the cast like I mentioned before. As for her career, I agree that she didn't make much of it. The last thing that I saw was on some crime show a few years ago, though I am not sure which one it was. All I know was that she was wearing an orange jumpsuit, that was it.

[USATVFAN]

Will she really wanted to go to College and they couldn't stop her from going or force her not to go because they did not control her, So no I don't think it was a big mistake at all. Lacey even said that Roseanne strongly supported her going to College and outing Education first and before the show.And Lacey went to college on The east Coast. I would have left and went t college too if I was in her potion. The one things producers can not stop an Actor especially child actor form doing is going to college.

Sara ended up going to a College that was very close so she could still be on the show.

[ThomasE]

I would have held off and considered some other options. She was the better Becky (Although I'm love with Sarah Chalke. LOL.) She could have always gone after the show was done. I read that she never finished. However, she had to do what made her happy. I was thrilled when she came back to the show in the 8th season, though. By that time she felt it was "too little, too late". I wished she had stuck around for the ninth season. Becky#2 had no storyline, no chemistry with sister Darlene and had under five lines for the episodes that she was in (I think she had more in the last episode) and was bascially propping other characters and was set dressing/extra from what I saw.

[Riley Grey]

I think on a personal level, she did what she had to do at the time. So in that respect, she didn't make a mistake.

Career wise, she made a mistake because when she returned, she seemed like a fish out of water. It seemed weird to me that she was on the show. I eventually saw it as Lecy being great as younger Becky and Sarah being great as older Becky.

[Brad Russ]

Professionally speaking, I don't think it was a mistake. Had she left, and we never heard from her again, then it would be a mistake, but she went on to have a very successful independent movie career, even having parts in Oscar award winning movies such as "Boys Don't Cry." I really didn't see her leaving having much, if any negative affect on her career as a whole.

[Yong Fang]

No, it was not a mistake at all, although I would have told her to hold off until the show ended and THEN go to school. I don't think that she would have had that much more of a career if she stayed in show business. Sara Gilbert has one leg up because he older sister Melissa was very successful in the business.

I have thought about Dana Plato and Gary Coleman and wonder why they never went to school, especially Coleman. Gary was an intelligent person and I think he could have gone to school and then went back into the industry. Or better yet, go to business school and invest in a mall security company!

[TVFactFan]

I don't understand why Lecy returned to only be missing some more and have Sara Clarke appear in some more episodes. I didn't see the point in that at all. Why come back at all?


I can imagine what we would be saying on the Jeffersons board if the 1st Lionel came back and left briefly again and the 2nd lionel made another come back:lol:

[ThomasE]

I don't understand why Lecy returned to only be missing some more and have Sara Clarke appear in some more episodes. I didn't see the point in that at all. Why come back at all?


I can imagine what we would be saying on the Jeffersons board if the 1st Lionel came back and left briefly again and the 2nd lionel made another come back:lol:


Because she thought it was the last season. She was also in a school out of state and her schedule most likely prevented her from missing some key episodes. I doubt that she expected to be missing from some show that were really important.

[TVFactFan]

Because she thought it was the last season. She was also in a school out of state and her schedule most likely prevented her from missing some key episodes. I doubt that she expected to be missing from some show that were really important.


I think the second becky should have stayed for good when had to come back again

[ThomasE]

I think the second becky should have stayed for good when had to come back again

Not me. Lecy was Becky. They didn't even use Sarah that much in the last season. Lecy's character had more chemistry with her onscreen sister Sara Gilbert. I still liked Sarah Chalke but they didn't write for her in the later years like they could have.

[TVFactFan]

Not me. Lecy was Becky. They didn't even use Sarah that much in the last season. Lecy's character had more chemistry with her onscreen sister Sara Gilbert. I still liked Sarah Chalke but they didn't write for her in the later years like they could have.


I didn't know Sarah Clarke played a trick or treater in one Halloween ep of Roseanne when they answered the door

[ThomasE]

I didn't know Sarah Clarke played a trick or treater in one Halloween ep of Roseanne when they answered the door


I saw the episode when it aired on ABC. I thought it was funny.

[TVFactFan]

I saw the episode when it aired on ABC. I thought it was funny.


I have the Finale recorded from ABC somewhere in here on DVD.