‘Roseanne’ star John Goodman featured as voice of new ABC News promo

“Roseanne” star John Goodman is featured as the voice of a new on-air brand campaign for ABC News released Tuesday at the network’s presentation to advertisers held each May in New York.

“Your mom said ‘comb your hair.’ Your dad told you ‘smarten up.’ Your dog is judging you right now, and your best friend just called you crazy. We all need someone who will pull no punches and give it to us straight,” Goodman, 65, narrates in the 30-second promo.

“Now imagine getting your news like that,” he continued. “No bull, no spin. Just give it to me straight. Straightforward news. Straight to the heart of the story. ABC News. Straightforward.”

Goodman also starred in the original “Roseanne” that aired on ABC from 1988-1997.

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ABC has recently seen an overall improvement on the ratings front largely due to the “Roseanne” revival that premiered to an audience of 18 million on March 27, the highest viewership for any network comedy since 2014. “Roseanne” still ranks as the top-rated entertainment program.

ABC has finished in third or fourth place the past few seasons in the key 25-54 demographic, but is tied with CBS and Fox for second place behind NBC this season in that coveted demographic.

“The last time we had the No. 1 show was 24 years ago, that’s some cool amount of trivia that we chose not to mention in the last 24 years,” said Disney/ABC Television Group President Ben Sherwood on Tuesday.

The show, which is a portrayal of a blue-collar Midwest family that includes some members who are supporters of President Trump, is a surprise hit for the network. It has also caught the attention of the president, who called co-star Roseanne Barr to congratulate her on the success of the show in late March.

“Look at her ratings,” Trump said during a speech in Ohio in late March, not long after “Roseanne” ratings were released after its debut. “They were unbelievable, over 18 million people and it was about us. … The fake news hasn’t figured it out yet … and when they do, they’ll become much less fake. It may take a while, but it’s happening.”

Goodman has starred in dozens of movies, including “The Big Lebowski,” “Argo” and “The Babe.”