15 shows about working-class families that aren’t Roseanne

One Day At A Time production still. Photo: Adam Rose/Netflix

None of these 15 shows about working class families have recently broken the internet, but they are still pretty darn good, and will provide an excellent substitute.

Of course you’ve heard about the cancellation of the Roseanne reboot by now. You’ve also probably been privy to the subsequent polarization of the American audiences. Dukes were up across TV land over this, and it’s caused a lot of friction among fans and critics alike. Lots has been said about how its removal is putting a real dent in the representation of working class families on TV. I’m here to say that’s simply not true. There are a lot of shows about the middle class or blue-collar families, and Roseanne was merely just one.

I’ve compiled a list of 15 shows that feature working class Americans, in various stages of their lives, working toward their version of the American dream. All the struggles we saw the Conner clan go through are well illustrated in these series as well. As viewers, we got caught up in the nostalgia of a revival of one of our old favorites, and we put all our working class eggs into that basket. Its cancellation left a giant hole in some people’s nightly TV routine, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are scads, even more than I put on this list, of television shows that feature folks all along the socio-economic spectrum that you can watch, talk about with your friends, and not get into a fight about.

If you need to diversify your TV away from pretty, rich people, behaving unbelievably and irrationally badly, then look no further at this list of shows that feature honest, hard-working Americans that don’t solely look like the Conners. They aren’t the last of a dying breed, folks. They were just one among many.