Roc

When this show came out in 91, I couldn't wait to watch the next one and I was only 6 years old. I watch it with my own children now. The best episode was when the drug dealer came to Roc's house. That performance from Roc was heartfelt and greatly needed!

This was one of the greatest shows that FOX had back in the day,and for a very good reason. It was one of the network's biggest line-ups during its heyday and it was right in there with shows like "In Living Color","Martin","Married..With Children",and "Living Single",as well as the dramas "Beverly Hills 90210",and "New York Undercover". It was the FOX of yesteryear. Roc in my opinion was a man who was trying to make things better for himself and his wife as well as the community in which they lived in(the setting for the show was set in Baltimore). Roc(Charles S. Dutton) was always in competition with his unpredictable, worthless,mooching brother-in-law Joey(played by Rocky Carroll),kept its viewers tuned in weekly to see what will happened next. However,he had his faithful wife(Ella Joyce),and his beloving father(Carl Gordon) for support through troubled times and sometimes happy moments as well. "Roc" in my opinion was the intelligent version of "Good Times" with a hint of "Sanford and Son",and "The Jeffersons" not to mention some reference to Jackie Gleason's "The Honeymooners" for extra measure. The series ran for three seasons from 1991 to 1994. Its first season was filmed before a live audience. However,the show went live during the second season of the series and it remain that way until the end of its run.

By the way,the theme song in season two was sung by the girl group EnVogue during that time,and who could have guessed that the girls were on the show every week while in the process churning out hit records during the height of the 1990's(and this was when the show went live in season two)? The series not only have some great comedy,but also some hard wrenching,hard hitting drama with some riveting performances coming from Charles S. Dutton and the brilliant cast.

There are some great moments here where Roc goes up against the neighborhood drug lord,and some dangerous felonies and gangsters and at the end of show Dutton steps out of character to share with the audience some interesting facts here as well as an educational message. Thank you TV-LAND for bringing it back.

The fact that this show wasn't showered with awards is a crime. I was a pre-teen white kid from the pine barrens of New Jersey, probably not their targeted demographic and still I was riveted to the screen with every episode. If memory serves me right most of the episodes were filmed live unedited. The actors were so in tune that it felt more like theater or better a very real look into the living room of a family so different and also not so different from my own experiences. For a show that only had a few seasons they really put out a ton of episodes. I wonder if anyone in Hollywood has the chops to pull that off these days.

This was an excellent show. It was like watching a play every week, as the cast members interacted perfectly with each other. It was free of the buffoonery and racial stereotypes that have permeated many other sitcoms with predominately African-American casts. In fact, the series premiered around the same time "Martin", another FOX sitcom did. Star Charles Dutton was very vocal about how it appeared that FOX promoted the buffoonery in the "Martin" show, while not giving enough attention to "Roc". "Roc" was one of few shows that focused on the lives of working class African-Americans.

Just like the equally excellent "Frank's Place" on CBS, "Roc" received critical praise but disappeared way too soon due to low ratings. It is not shown in reruns often, but please catch the episodes when they are. This is a real gem.

For as funny as "Roc" was and could be, it got really serious at times too.

The eponymous Roc was played by Charles S. Dutton who went on to play some good movie roles. He was a sanitation engineer, or what we like to call a garbage man. He was one of those garbage men who one man's trash is another man's treasure, which made for some funny scenes. He was married to Eleanor (Ella Joyce) who patiently endured him, and both had to patiently endure Roc's brother Joey (Rocky Carroll), a trumpet player who never worked and never played the trumpet because of the time he busted his lip.

"Roc" was the first sitcom I saw that seriously approached gun violence. In the episode "Terence Got His Gun" a young boy named Terrance (Brandon Quintin) pulled out a gun at school with the intention of shooting someone. It was a heavy episode that has as much relevance today as it had in 1994.