Roc

I would watch right now if I could. I followed the careers of the actors and actress since. Charles S Dutton was so funny.

The actors on "Saturday Night Live" are dubbed "The Not-Ready-For-Time-Players. The ones that were ready for prime time starred in the situation comedy "Roc"! The second season of the show was done live! Roc was part of FOX's "Black Pack"; a format it has since abandoned! The only way that Rupert Murdock's FOX Network contributed positively to the quality of network television was showing "Roc Live."

This was good. But apparently the other three networks weren't up to the challenge! Live entertainment on network TV is scarce! During the run of "Roc Live" all of the other popular sitcoms were showing outtakes during the closing credits! The other networks simply weren't ready. This live sitcom has yet to be answered!

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.

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.

Roc was an excellent show that provided both comedy and true to like events. Charles S. Dutton, the hard nose garbage man, did a great job as the the title role of Roc. The whole cast was very talented from Ella Joyce to Rocky Carroll. I was very disappointed when it got cancelled, but was happy that it did last 3 years. My only question now is, "When the hell are they going to release the series on DVD?" We already have other impressive black sitcoms like Sanford & Son, Good Times, What's Happening? and Cosby on DVD. When can we expect "Roc" on DVD? This needs to be released.I searched Amazon and other retail websites, but it doesn't look like it's out yet. Let's hope the developers of this show can at least get this on DVD soon. Everyone should have the pleasure of watching this sitcom.