Wikipedia

Roc (TV series)

Roc is an American comedy-drama television series created by Stan Daniels 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.
Genre
Created byStan Daniels
Directed by
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening theme
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes72 (1 unaired) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Jeff Abugov
  • Charles S. Dutton
  • Joe Fisch
  • Vic Kaplan
  • Ehrich Van Lowe
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companyHBO Independent Productions
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseAugust 25, 1991 (1991-08-25) –
May 10, 1994 (1994-05-10)

Live performances

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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

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Main cast

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  • Charles S. Dutton – Charles "Roc" Emerson, a garbage man
  • 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

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Guests

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Episodes

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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 and cancellation

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Never a rating hit, Fox elected to cancel the show after three seasons, much to the anger of Dutton, who said that the cancellation "is very good proof that what little quality there is in television is reserved solely for white people."[4] Fox had tried to move the show to Tuesday to package it with Martin to drive ratings, and Fox Entertainment president Sandy Grushow had stated his appreciation of the show while also saying it had run its course in trying to find an audience while Dutton contended the network had long before given up on trying to promote the show, particularly when he ran into conflict with the writers (who were mostly white).[5]

Nielsen ratings

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  • Season 1: #72 – 8.95 rating[6]
  • Season 2: #71 – 8.91 rating [7]
  • Season 3: #102 – 5.10 rating[8]

References

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  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. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  4. ^ https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/05/19/roc-axed-star-fumes/
  5. ^ https://greensboro.com/roc-star-blames-fox-for-failure-to-promote-the-show/article_7693d76c-1cee-55d7-a316-eed547a3f929.html
  6. ^ "1991–1992 Television Season Top Rated Shows". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 31, 2006. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
  7. ^ "1992–1993 Television Season Top Rated Shows". Archived from the original on October 31, 2006. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
  8. ^ "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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