Roc Was A One Of A Kind Sitcom

 

Thanks to a page on IG called Baltimore History Channel, the page made a post of a few scenes from the early 90's sitcom Roc which sent me down a Roc rabbit hole. The sitcom debuted in 1991 on Fox during a time Black sitcoms were used to help the network gain footing against the big 3 networks. Looking back at clips and episodes it's clear Roc was a special sitcom and there has been nothing like it since.

The sitcom starred Baltimore native Charles Dutton as Roc Emerson, a Baltimore sanitation worker who lived in a traditional Baltimore rowhome with his family. His wife Eleanor (Ella Joyce) who was a nurse, his womanizing musician brother Joey (Rocky Carroll), and his retired widowed father Pops (Carl Gordon). Later on in the series Roc and family adopted a pre-teen girl named Sheila (Alexis Fields) and later the couple had a baby of their own. 

The series was catergorized as a sitcom, but truthfully it was dramedy that realized early it had a voice and a responsibility to bring awareness to various issues affecting the Black community. Subjects covered throughout the sitcoms run included sexual assault, HIV, hospital billing teen violence, gangs, and drug dealers contributing to the decline of the Black community. A drug dealer named Andre played by Clifton Powell was the focal point of several episodes, which is another reason Roc was Special. There were many story arcs in the series, covering multiple episodes. 

Bullying and teen violence was another hot topic the series covered. Which is my favorite episode of the series, Terrance Got His Gun guest starring Brandon Adams. Speaking of guest stars, along with Brandon Adams and Clifton Powell, Roc pulled in several prominent Black entertainers during the show's run. Names like Loretta Devine, Garrett Morris, Debbi Morgan, Richard Roundtree Jamie Foxx, Heavy D, Eddie Griffin, Kadeem Hardison, Tone Loc, En Vogue (who also did the intro for season 3). Samuel L. Jackson, Tisha Campbell, Kim Fields, Jennifer Lewis,Salli Richardson, Sinbad, James Avery by now you get the point.

Another component that made Roc stand out and special was that for season 2, thee entire season all 25 episodes were aired Live on Fox. The core cast all had backgrounds in theater and were up for the challenge and succeeded. Going back and watching the episodes you may notice a flub here and there but nothing that took you out of the series. 

Roc was a special series and it's a shame it only lasted 3 seasons, but in those short 3 seasons it provided audiences with something to think about. A masterpiece of television, it is still underrated 30 plus years later for not being a typical sitcom. However, it truly was a one of a kind special sitcom that was needed.