Bonnie Watkins, Roseanne's co-worker at Rodbells Luncheonette and friend who appears as a recurring character in Season 3 and 4. She was portrayed by singer and actress Bonnie Bramlett (credited as Bonnie Sheridan).
About Bonnie[]
Bonnie is introduced midway through Season 3 as Roseanne's co-worker at Rodbell's Luncheonette. She frequently covers for Roseanne when things come up at home and takes her side during disagreements with their boss Leon Carp.
We later meet Bonnie's husband, Duke, who she often mentioned in stories to Roseanne and her friends. We learn he is a singer and guitar player in a band that is no longer touring.
Bonnie's last appearance coincides with the closure of Rodbell's Luncheonette at the end of Season 4 when the company decides to turn the space into a bargain bin. Despite being a close friend of Roseanne's, she is never mentioned again and no explanation is given for her disappearance.
Trivia[]
In Scenes from a Barbecue, Bonnie mentions she has a daughter who lives in Oregon.
In Why Jackie Becomes a Trucker, Bonnie reveals during a tough time financially she and her husband, Duke, robbed a liquor store.
Behind the Scenes[]
Bonnie Bramlett met Roseanne Barr at a rehab program fund-raiser in 1990 where the two hit if off. It was not long after that Bramlett was cast in the show as a recurring character.
At the end of the episode, Scenes from a Barbecue, Bonnie sings several lines from the song "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" by Smokey Robinson. This is a song the real life Bonnie Bramlett has covered in her live performances and on her album Lady's Choice.
In the episode, The Bowling Show, Bonnie's husband Duke, played by musician David Crosby, makes his only ever appearance and performs the song "Thousand Roads" with his band at the bowling alley's bar. This was a song written by Crosby. At the end of the episode Duke is joined by Bonnie to do a duet of the song, "Roll on Down", which was written by Bonnie Bramlett's real husband at the time, Danny Sheridan (who played Hank the Bass Player in the same episode).
Appearances[]
| Roseanne (TV series) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | # | |
| Season 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | X | - | - | - | X | X | - | N/A | 4 |
| Season 4 | - | X | X | X | X | - | - | - | X | - | - | X | X | X | - | X | - | - | X | - | X | X | X | - | X | N/A | 14 |
| Total | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||