Roc (1991–1994) User Reviews (12)

Roc was a garbageman but the show wasn't trash

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 19 March 2024]

For as funny as "Roc" was and could be, it got really serious at times too.

The eponymous Roc was played by Charles S. Dutton who went on to play some good movie roles. He was a sanitation engineer, or what we like to call a garbage man. He was one of those garbage men who one man's trash is another man's treasure, which made for some funny scenes. He was married to Eleanor (Ella Joyce) who patiently endured him, and both had to patiently endure Roc's brother Joey (Rocky Carroll), a trumpet player who never worked and never played the trumpet because of the time he busted his lip.

"Roc" was the first sitcom I saw that seriously approached gun violence. In the episode "Terence Got His Gun" a young boy named Terrance (Brandon Quintin) pulled out a gun at school with the intention of shooting someone. It was a heavy episode that has as much relevance today as it had in 1994.

One of the most gripping shows to come from the 1990's

[raysond · 11 July 2001]

This 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.

Once of the Best Sitcoms of the 1990's

[Blackace · 9/10 · 4 July 2008]

Roc was an excellent show that provided both comedy and true to like events. Charles S. Dutton, the hard nose garbage man, did a great job as the the title role of Roc. The whole cast was very talented from Ella Joyce to Rocky Carroll. I was very disappointed when it got cancelled, but was happy that it did last 3 years. My only question now is, "When the hell are they going to release the series on DVD?" We already have other impressive black sitcoms like Sanford & Son, Good Times, What's Happening? and Cosby on DVD. When can we expect "Roc" on DVD? This needs to be released.I searched Amazon and other retail websites, but it doesn't look like it's out yet. Let's hope the developers of this show can at least get this on DVD soon. Everyone should have the pleasure of watching this sitcom.

An absolute FOX classic!

[Catherine_Grace_Zeh · 10/10 · 14 July 2006]

"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.

Best Educational show ever

[acdennis-47640 · 10/10 · 5 November 2021]

When this show came out in 91, I couldn't wait to watch the next one and I was only 6 years old. I watch it with my own children now. The best episode was when the drug dealer came to Roc's house. That performance from Roc was heartfelt and greatly needed!

Loved this show

[shonnebeavers · 10/10 · 31 July 2020]

I would watch right now if I could. I followed the careers of the actors and actress since. Charles S Dutton was so funny.

It Roc'ed.... at first

[donstamegna · 4/10 · 19 October 2009]

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.

One of the best 1990s sitcoms

[hillari · 16 March 2001]

This was an excellent show. It was like watching a play every week, as the cast members interacted perfectly with each other. It was free of the buffoonery and racial stereotypes that have permeated many other sitcoms with predominately African-American casts. In fact, the series premiered around the same time "Martin", another FOX sitcom did. Star Charles Dutton was very vocal about how it appeared that FOX promoted the buffoonery in the "Martin" show, while not giving enough attention to "Roc". "Roc" was one of few shows that focused on the lives of working class African-Americans.

Just like the equally excellent "Frank's Place" on CBS, "Roc" received critical praise but disappeared way too soon due to low ratings. It is not shown in reruns often, but please catch the episodes when they are. This is a real gem.

I like watching Roc

[mastuhoscg · 10/10 · 28 January 2023]

I like watching "Roc" so much because it was so entertaining, cool, nostalgic & was very underrated. What I like most about this show is how they touched tough topics like the ones to do with gang violence, drugs, gay marriage & some other things. In fact, I admire that "Roc" was the first show to ever feature men getting married as evidence of this was in one episode which was about Andrew's brother Russell getting married to his husband & that was so cool being so NOT many tv shows during the 1990s had much of this prior to "Roc". I also like how in the final episode of this show, Clifton Powell's character Andre Thompson reformed his ways & went to visit a young boy in jail to convince him how horrible the thug life is. I originally had no idea what this show was until some time back when I was a little boy, I seen episodes of it on VHS tapes which they were recorded on. I also like that this wasn't the average black sitcom which would just have comedy but it also had some elements of drama in it. Overall, Roc is an instant classic & I like how cool it was even though it was sad that Fox cancelled it after only 3 seasons & 72 episodes.

Roc is a Piece Of S@#$

[mattdbarnum · 1/10 · 10 July 2007]

this show became completely awful in the end. like many, I was raised on Roc, simply because it was put between various shows that I actually enjoyed watching. This show was not "destined to cancelled" as certain intellectual idiots would have you believe, no, it became a piece of crap, As it started out, Roc was actually funny, but, it became a piece of crap because it stopped being funny and got caught up in social commentary and lost the comedy. the thing is that "intellectuals" don't get it, for everyday people life is awful, hard and you have to struggle for every dime that you get, and we don't want to see this when we come home. We, those of us who actually do real work that contributes to the economy, find that we prefer a distraction from our everyday lives and simply wish to be entertained. this is why Roc failed, because it emphasized the struggle we deal with everyday at work. and we, the American viewers, found it disgusting that intellectuals fools had an outlet for personal commentary on society and we did not have anything on any mainstream network that truly reflected our opinions.

Roc Rules

[rlyon-2 · 11 September 2000]

Roc, in my own opinion, was one of the great shows of FOX's past. Pitting the gritty garbageman Roc (Charles S Dutton) vs. his worthless, mooching (and sometimes unscrupulous) brother-in-law Joey (Rocky Carroll), kept viewers watching week after week. The cast proved their weight when the show taped live week after week (near the end of their run) nearly flawless. I'd like to think of the show as a more intelligent "Sanford and Son"

Memorable moments include Roc facing down a neighbourhood crack-dealer who seemed unintimidated by the girth of Roc, but left the neighbourhood anyways toting "If it's not your neighbourhood, it will be someone else's"

The only time in the 90s that a sitcom was telecast live!

[skillz · 2 October 2000]

The actors on "Saturday Night Live" are dubbed "The Not-Ready-For-Time-Players. The ones that were ready for prime time starred in the situation comedy "Roc"! The second season of the show was done live! Roc was part of FOX's "Black Pack"; a format it has since abandoned! The only way that Rupert Murdock's FOX Network contributed positively to the quality of network television was showing "Roc Live."

This was good. But apparently the other three networks weren't up to the challenge! Live entertainment on network TV is scarce! During the run of "Roc Live" all of the other popular sitcoms were showing outtakes during the closing credits! The other networks simply weren't ready. This live sitcom has yet to be answered!