When Dan and Arnie struggle to bring their bowling team out of last place, some unexpected competition arises. Meanwhile, Roseanne feels shut out of Jackie's new friendship with Nancy.
The show portrayed a working-class family struggling to get by on a limited income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. Many critics considered the show notable as one of the first sitcoms to portray an American family in which economics necessitated two parents working jobs outside the home.