This was a great show when it started. Funny leading man, pretty wife who was the strong one of the family. A leach of a brother who seemed to look down on the man he leached off of, and the father who was a... well... old father. The formula was great. Then a new twist...................... Roc Live. A chance to see actors face a live audience that wasn't Saturday Night live or it's equivalent. News flash....... it was still good and funny. The only thing missing was the flubs that you were waiting to see. Jackie Gleason was the king there and it would have been nice to see a successor to the throne, but I guess since it was the only prime time show going out live they rehearsed it like there was no tomorrow(but if there were enough flubs there might have been problem from the network). Then the worst thing that could ever happen to a sit com happened.... it tried to take itself serious and make political statements. When a sit com stops being funny why the hell should it be on the air? Answer, it shouldn't and Roc vanished not with the roar of laughter it came in with, but a whimper of agenda. If you're lucky enough to get a show that is a hit, be happy. Stop trying to call notice to everything that is wrong in the world because sometimes people like us only have funny shows to allow us to escape our lives and we don't want our supposed entertainment to remind us of our problems.
... View More"ROC," in my opinion, is an absolute FOX classic! I don't think I've seen every episode, but I still enjoyed it. It's hard to say which episode was my favorite. However, I think it was always funny when a mishap occurred. I always laughed at that. Despite the fact that it was a short-lived series, it would have been nice if all the main characters had stayed with the show throughout its entire run. It seems that no one stays with a show throughout its entire run. Everyone always gave a good performance, the production design was spectacular, the costumes were well-designed, and the writing was always very strong. In conclusion, I hope they bring it back on the air for fans of the show to see.
... View MoreThis was one of those shows that you just knew was destined to be cancelled because it didn't have what it takes to appeal to the average American moron. Come on, you know it's true. Charles S. Dutton plays Roc, the teddy-bearlike garbageman with a sweet but tough wife, an angry old dad, and a wise-cracking brother. It always seemed like Roc was getting picked on by his family because he was just a hard working guy who didn't want to put up with a bunch of nonsense when he got home, but no matter what they did the family could always count on Roc to be there for them and be the roc(k). The cast had great chemistry and the writers did an excellent job of addressing race and class issues. Just a wonderful depiction of family, the kind of comedy where the laughs are there but also a real touching moment catches you by surprise every now and then, and not in a phony Full House end of every episode way (not that Full House doesn't have its place).
... View MoreThis 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.
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