5 Random Sitcoms Set In Baltimore

 

When it come's to sitcoms the most well known sitcoms set in Baltimore are Roc, One on One and spin-off series Cutz. There have been a few sitcoms that were set in the charm city, many of them truly obscured. Once I went down the rabbit hole, I will admit most of these sitcoms I've never seen or heard of. In the spirit of sharing knowledge, even it's information you absolutely do not need. Here are 5 sitcoms based in Baltimore.

5. In The Beginning

This sitcom is probably the legendary Norman Lear's biggest sitcom failure in his storied career, next to another Baltimore based sitcom he created in the 70's Hot l Baltimore. Released in September 1978 on the CBS network, the sitcom followed Mclean Stevenson as an uptight conservative priest Father Clearly, who is assigned to an inner-city parrish. He experiences a bit of a culture clash and frequently butt's heads with a nun who is more liberal minded named Sister Agnes, portrayed by Priscilla Lopez.

The sitcom managed to only air 5 episodes, with the remaining four never to be seen. The most footage available for this sitcom is the opening intro, but beyond that nothing on this series.

4. The Ellen Burstyn Show

Looking this sitcom up, I'll be honest I only knew Ellen Burstyn as the grumpy neighbor in the Baby-sitters Club movie from the mid-90's. Watching clips of the sitcom, I also got the feeling this was inspiration for a sitcom that would premiere just a couple years later in Murphy Brown. Debuting in September 1986 on ABC, the series followed Ellen as she handled being a college professor and dealing with her busy body mother, her daughter who is getting over a divorce and her active grandson.

This sitcom did not last either, it was cancelled after eight episodes and then bought back the following year to run through the remaining episodes. 12 episodes aired, with only one never making it on-air. The biggest success story from this sitcom is probably Megan Mullally of Will & Grace fame.

Family Rules

This UPN sitcom debuted in 1999 and was an outlier of what the target audience was for the network at the time in the sitcom realm. The sitcom starred Greg Evigan as a widowed dad, raising his four daughters in Baltimore. He is the basketball coach at a university called....Morgan College, and that's probably the most Baltimoreish connection the series creates. The show was a mid-season replacement and survived for one full month, before catching the axe. No wonder no one remembers it, or that it was set in Baltimore.

Life's Work

Life's Work was a sitcom ABC that debuted in September of 1996 and lasted for only 18 episodes. It starred Lisa Ann Walter (Melissa in Abbott Elementary) as a assistant district attorney in Baltimore. Juggling the demanding job and home life of being a wife, and mother to a young daughter and toddler son. The sitcom was intended to be the next breakout sitcom of a stand up comic but it never caught on to get that far.

I don't remember this series at all, a promo clip on YouTube includes a rendering of the Inner Harbor to help drive the fact it is set in Baltimore. 

True Colors 

This Fox sitcom lasted the longest of the forgotten Baltimore sitcoms stables, it debuted in the fall of 1990 and ended in '92. The season were broken up so it really only had 2 seasons for a total of 45 episodes The sitcom starred Frankie as widowed dentist Ronald Freeman, who meets Stephanie Faracy's character Ellen, the two soon elope and blend their families together. Ronald had two teenage boys, while Ellen had a daughter and her mother who did not approve of a interracial marriage to bring into the fold.

In season 2 Frankie was replaced by Cleavon Little of Blazing Saddles fame. Cleavon was battling some health issues during this time, along with Nancy Walker who played Ellen's mom Sara. Fox cut the show from under it's leg's and cancelled it early in it's season 2 run.

There are a few full length episodes on YouTube, along with promo videos and the original intro.

I'm sure there are more sitcoms set in Baltimore and I may revisit this topic. Until then, maybe time a new sitcom rises to show Baltimore some love.

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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. 

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