Shark Bytes

Great show. Very thought provoking and always had an honest theme. I thought Charles S. Dutton was a first rate actor.

JB3

omg... i have always hated this show! and now when i see it on tvone, i still hate it! the actors are overly dramatic and as a result, completely unbelievable. the set is drab and boring, and while this show makes many stabs at comedy, the jokes are simply not funny. the premise is unbelievable because a city worker and a nurse would never be that poor-- jobs such as these are normally considered "good" ones. overall, roc was a bad show that jts on day one... and again when they started producing it live!!

Roc is still one of the best shows ever. It never JTS!!!!!
As far as "White People didn't get it", wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, and ..... WRONG!!!
Roc wasn't about Color, So why drag it down by going there?
Roc was about Family, it was about Rising Above and Succeeding. It was about not cowing down to the bad elements in society. It was about how One Man can make a difference, how One Man can become more than anyone dared hope with the support of those he loves.
When they put out a Box-set, if they ever do, I'll be the first in line.

At first the appearance of Charles Dutton is unsettling. Imagine Flip Wilson (there is a resemblance) shaving his head and deserting stand-up in favor of dramatic turns in a few August Wilson plays. Problem with stage trained players like Dutton is their big acting is at odds with tv subtleties even with a live sitcom audience in tow. Dutton gives everything the same in your face projection way beyond the rest of the cast. Fellow thespian Carl Gordon (Pop) who came from the same Wilson stomping grounds has adapted much sounder offering more range and depth than the star here.

I respected Roc because it was one of the few black sitcoms that didn't resort to using OVER-THE-TOP BUFFOONERY with characters and storylines like other black sitcoms(Martin, Jamie Foxx Show, Wayans Bros, Good Times, Family Matters, Fresh Prince) to become popular. This show probably jumped when they had EnVogue sing the theme. The original theme song for Roc was one of the best TV theme songs of all time!!!

Bring Roc back. Great show!!

I can't think of the name of the character Heavy D. played, but his daughter I think is when you could tell the show was gonna start going another way

I look back affectionately at Roc. Bold show, never got enough attention. I disagree with below poster that "white people didn't get it." Fox execs didn't get it. It always seemed in the lineup w/other Fox groundbreakers: Married and Living Color. I agree with more below posters that it wasn't the Cosbys or Bernie Mac OR pandering to stereotypes.
Not on long enought to jump. Veryt original. My complaint is they had a brilliant concept but the wtiting/jokes were uneven.

Roc was a bold experiment of a show back when a hungry FOX was daring to be different and trying to establish itself as a new Network. We had a Black Family that didn't shuck, jive or roll their eyes every episode yet still got some laughs. We had reminders that Black people also listen to Jazz and Blues not just Rap as all the other shows would have you to believe. Then a real street do-wop theme that was down home and rarely heard anymore.
Though Critics loved it, White People could not relate, nor could young black people (whom the Network decided was more important). So they brought in En Vouge and all the Rappers to appeal to the younger set and Dutton and cast did eveything they could not to turn it to what we later got from signature FOX/UPN/WB black shows. The Live Shows turned in some really powerful performances and some of the saves when lines or Cues were blown were fantastic.
At the end the show became bad, but was still better (at least) then any black show since. It ranks as my top black show and my all time list for overall.

I don't remember the show being that good in the first place. it was just on and i watched it. but after the live eps, it just got painful. the show went for a few laughs but the live eps were all sappy and weak.

Cool show Roc,Pops Elinor were great. I didn't care for Joey because he was a lazy freeloader.

I don't think the baby, or the live shows caused Roc to jump. It jumped for me when the characters faults were constantly harped on in totally unsubtle and unfunny ways. Did every single show have to have cheap jokes about how cheap Roc was? Did we have to be constantly hit over the head with remarks about how irresponsible Joey was? They totally stripped his character of any other facets. Roc started out as an intelligent, adult, keep-it-real show that began to treat its characters like caricatures instead of human beings.

ROC never JTS, and I was surprised and disappointed to see it cancelled. It was a very astute and sensitive portrait of a city garbageman doing whatever it took to take care of his family and live the American dream. Definitely defeated the standard sitcom mold, and it didn't require me to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy it. All of the characters were believable and seemed to fit with what was going on. No cardboard there. Charles Dutton seemed to really put his heart into ROC, and it was a shame the show didn't get the support it deserved. Oh, well.

ROC was one of the most stylish and intelligent sitcoms ever to grace our television screens. This story of a garbage man and his family who was always dreaming of a better life could have almost been classified as a "dramedy" as the show was thought-provoking and had other priorities than finding the quickest chuckle and the cheapest gag. This show had writing vastly superior to most of the sitcoms on television today and more than anything else, it had the magnificent Charles S. Dutton as its title character. Dutton is an electrifying character actor who has brought class and sophistication to small parts in many films over the years and was finally given his big break with ROC, unfortunately, the show was much too intelligent and sophisticated for its target audience and they chose to ignore it. For those of us who did appreciate this neglected gem, ROC was one of television's best gifts that never jumped the shark during its brief run.

Well, since you asked, going live is considered a shark jump because it signals that the creative team is running out of ideas, and they're using the 'live' gimmick in the hopes of inflating the ratings a bit. Live episodes of scripted programs aren't any more entertaining than taped ones would be, except for watching the actors piss all over the 'fourth wall' by screwing up their lines and shattering the illusion of reality. Roc was a fine show, but by switching to a live format, they were basically announcing that they were treading water creatively and were hoping that going live would distract you from the fact.