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 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, in my own opinion, was one of the great shows of FOX's past. Pitting the gritty garbageman Roc (Charles S Dutton) vs. his worthless, mooching (and sometimes unscrupulous) brother-in-law Joey (Rocky Carroll), kept viewers watching week after week. The cast proved their weight when the show taped live week after week (near the end of their run) nearly flawless. I'd like to think of the show as a more intelligent "Sanford and Son"

Memorable moments include Roc facing down a neighbourhood crack-dealer who seemed unintimidated by the girth of Roc, but left the neighbourhood anyways toting "If it's not your neighbourhood, it will be someone else's"

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!

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!