So why did he come back as head writer for the comedy that returns Tuesday on ABC?
(Read our review here.)
“There was a lot of stress in those days to be the No.
Robert Trachtenberg/ABC; Inset: Image Group LA/ABC
All kind of factors were involved.
But I never took it personally.
I was very happy for the opportunity to run a show for the first time.
My agent and lawyer both said that everybody got fired.
It was a lot different to work with Roseanne Barr back in the early ’90s, Helford recalls.
You’d see her and you couldn’t get to her.”
The pressure was so intense that he and other writers would end up working until 2 a.m. on scripts.
“We had a legacy to uphold,” Helford continues.
“We took as long as we could to make every episode special or break new ground.
It was a very hard show to write because it was honest and real.
Everybody had to really dig in.”
Having her around really helps the process."
She even apologized to Helford for canning him back in the day.
“I had seen her years before,” Helford recalls.
“She gave me a big hug and said, ‘Oh yeah, I fired you.
You are the best writer we ever had.
Sorry about that.'”
Roseannedebuts March 27 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
