Distil Share News (DIS)

By Eric Kelsey

LOS ANGELES, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President DonaldTrump on Thursday latched onto the huge viewership for therevival of ABC's hit 1990s working-class comedy "Roseanne" asevidence that his supporters want shows that speak to theirconcerns.

"Look at her ratings," Trump said during a speech nearCleveland, referring to the comedy's star and his vocalsupporter, Roseanne Barr. "They were unbelievable. ... and itwas about us."

The show, in which Barr plays a blue-collar Trump voter,debuted on Tuesday and performed best in Tulsa, Oklahoma;Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kansas City, Missouri, respectively, allin states that Trump won in the 2016 presidential election.

New York City and Los Angeles were not in the top 20 ofrated areas, according to entertainment trade publicationDeadline.

Trump called Barr on Wednesday to congratulate her on theshow's debut that drew more than 18 million viewers.

Barr said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday thatshe hoped the series, which wades into the divisiveness of U.S.politics, would help people "agree to disagree."

"I really hope that it opens up civil conversation insteadof just mudslinging," said Barr, who supports the Republicanpresident.

"He's just happy for me," Barr said of the former reality TVstar. "I've known him for many years, and he's done a lot ofnice things for me ... it was just a friendly conversation aboutworking and television and ratings."

Trump often talks or tweets about shows' ratings, sometimescomparing them to when he was on "The Apprentice."

"Roseanne" originally aired from 1988 to 1997 and featured ablue-collar Midwestern family struggling to get by.

In the revival, Roseanne is a Trump voter who faces offagainst her sister, played by Laurie Metcalf, who portrays aTrump opponent.

The show will also deal with social issues like opioidaddiction and gender identity.(Reporting by Eric Kelsey Editing by Jonathan Oatis)