October 18, 1988 –

Poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, sex, menstruation, birth control, teenage pregnancy, masturbation, obesity, abortion, race, social class, domestic violence, and homosexuality – some of the topics dealt with on the series, Roseanne (which premiered on this date.)
Early during the first season, Roseanne frequently butted heads with the show’s creator Matt Williams. Williams worked as the executive producer for the show’s first thirteen episodes, but quit when Roseanne vehemently refused to say to her on-screen husband, “Well, you’re my equal in bed, but that’s it.” Roseanne felt it was a line her character would never say.
