Roc (TV series)

Roc is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox from August 25, 1991 to May 10, 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor, a nurse.

Roc
a bald man stands with his pregnant wife.
GenreSitcom
Comedy drama
Created byStan Daniels
Directed byStan Daniels
Stan Lathan
StarringCharles S. Dutton
Ella Joyce
Rocky Carroll
Carl Gordon
Alexis Fields
Theme music composerFred Thaler
Opening theme"God Bless the Child" performed by Jerry Lawson
(episodes 1–39)
"Live Your Life Today" performed by En Vogue
(episodes 40–72)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes72 (1 unaired) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersJoe Fisch
Vic Kaplan
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companyHBO Independent Productions
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseAugust 25, 1991 (1991-08-25) –
May 10, 1994 (1994-05-10)

Live performances

The four principal cast members were all accomplished stage actors, and had become acquainted with each other while appearing in various August Wilson plays on Broadway.[1] After a successful live episode (guest-starring Dutton's then-wife Debbi Morgan) was broadcast in February 1992, the producers and the Fox network agreed to air each episode of the second season as a live performance. A Fox executive reportedly said that Roc "didn't feel live" to audiences because "those actors were so good, they never made a mistake."[2]

Cast

Main cast
  • Charles S. Dutton – Charles "Roc" Emerson, a garbage collector
  • Ella Joyce – Eleanor Carter Emerson, a night-shift nurse at Harbor Hospital (Wing C)
  • Rocky Carroll – Andrew Joseph "Joey" Emerson Jr., Roc's freeloading, trumpet playing brother
  • Carl Gordon – Andrew Joseph "Pop" Emerson Sr., Roc's widowed father, a retired railroad porter

Recurring cast

Guests
  • Kim Fields - Ruth (Season 2), Eleanor's younger sister

Episodes
Further information: List of Roc episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
125August 25, 1991 (1991-08-25)April 26, 1992 (1992-04-26)[3]
225August 24, 1992 (1992-08-24)May 9, 1993 (1993-05-09)
322August 31, 1993 (1993-08-31)May 10, 1994 (1994-05-10)

Reception

Nielsen ratings
  • Season 1: #72 – 8.95 rating[4]
  • Season 2: #71 – 8.91 rating [5]
  • Season 3: #102 – 5.10 rating[6]

References
  1. "Charles Dutton and Ella Joyce Bring Zest to TV's 'Roc'", JET, Oct. 7, 1991, at pp. 59–61.
  2. "Why NBC Is Airing a Live Sitcom Next Season". Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  3. Zurawik, David (October 28, 1994). "Too stark for network TV, BET airs 'lost' 'Roc' show". The Baltimore Sun.
  4. "1991–1992 Television Season Top Rated Shows". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 31, 2006. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
  5. "1992–1993 Television Season Top Rated Shows". Archived from the original on October 31, 2006. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
  6. "1993–1994 Television Season Top Rated Shows". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 31, 2006. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
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