Here's how Roseanne season 10 episode 1 tackled the two Beckys issue head-on. Roseanne was a groundbreaking sitcom when it debuted back in 1988 and depicts the lives and struggles of the working-class Conner family. The show was built as a star vehicle for comedian Roseanne Barr and it also proved to be a breakout role for co-star John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane), who played her screen husband Dan.
The show originally ended with season 9 which proven to be a divisive finale to Roseanne. The ninth season found the family winning the lottery and Dan having an affair with another woman, before reuniting with Roseanne. However, the final episode reveals the entire season was made up by Roseanne herself, and that Dan had passed away following a heart attack he suffered in season 8. Goodman was mostly absent from the final year as he was focusing on his movie career at the time. It came as a major surprise when ABC announced Roseanne was returning, with season 10 essentially retconning season 9 and Dan's death out of existence.
Roseanne season 10 debuted to great ratings but the show was later canceled following controversial comments made by Barr on social media; this led to the creation of spinoff The Conners, which follows the family after the sudden death of Roseanne Conner. Roseanne season 10 episode 1 "Twenty Years to Life" got the two Beckys problem out of the way early. For most of the original series, Roseanne's daughter Becky was played by Lecy Goranson, who had to leave the show following season 5 to attend college. This was explained initially be Becky moving away, allowing for Goranson to make occasional guest appearances. The producers eventually decided to recast the part, with Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) playing Becky in Roseanne season 6 and 7.
The casting situation gets confusing from there, with Goranson returning for Roseanne season 8, but scheduling issues caused her to step out again and Chalke to return, with the actresses switching back and forth for the remainder of the season while Chalke took over completely for season 9. The show itself repeatedly pointed out and made fun of the revolving door between the two actresses. Goranson again reprised the role for the revival, but since Chalke's Becky has her own fanbase, Roseanne season 10 episode 1 decided to have fun with the two Beckys dilemma.
In the first episode of the Roseanne revival, Becky (Goranson) meets with Andrea, a new character played by Chalke, who wants Becky to act as a surrogate mother for her baby. Their first meeting in a cafe mines a lot of meta-gags from the two Beckys situation, with Becky proclaiming "And I can see why you picked me. I mean look at us: we could be the same person!" It was also - understandably - the first time the two actresses had shared a scene on the show.
Roseanne season 10 episode 1 may have milked a few gags from the two Beckys situation, but the surrogacy storyline would also prove to be an emotional one for the show. The show was always famous for mixing heartwarming comedy and drama with heartbreak and the Becky/Andrea plot would prove no different.