was asked about the reality of public agencies in his state suggesting the homeless live in tents.

"That is absolutely not acceptable, and we have to take steps and policies in order to make sure that those people have the skills they need to be independent, and it won't happen overnight," he said.

Depression-type poverty

There are an estimated 5,000 people living in the dozens of camps that have sprung up across America.

The largest camp, Pinella's Hope in central Florida - a region better known for the glamour of Disneyworld - is made up of neat rows of tents spread out across a 13-acre plot.

The Catholic charity that runs it has made laundry available, as well as computers and phones.

Many of the camps are organised and hold regular meetings to dividegently skewers Aunt Jackie with expert grace — she’s put in the role of heartless bully. And in a truly exceptional later episode, Roseanne’s long-standing love for her family turns into an impenetrable mask of desperation and bitterness. Her defensive anger is so potent that she even turns on the stalwart Dan; in retrospect, this serious rift between them brings new gravity to the disconnected feeling of the opening episodes.

As Roseanne ages, the show shifts its focus away from her toward the unsung linchpin of the family — Darlene Conner, now an unexpectedly grave adult. Twerpy, gross, tomboyish Darlene has grown into a concerned mother at the end of her resources, and Gilbert — now an executive producer of the show — pours her heart into her performance.