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.

Live performances
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. 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."

Main cast

 * Charles S. Dutton – Charles "Roc" Emerson, a garbage collector
 * 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

 * Garrett Morris – Wiz (Season 1)
 * Clifton Powell – Andre Thompson
 * Heavy D – Calvin Hendricks (Seasons 2–3)
 * Tone Lōc – Ronnie Paxton (Seasons 2–3; 7 episodes)
 * Jamie Foxx – Crazy George (Seasons 2–3; 9 episodes)
 * Barry Shabaka Henley – Ernie (Seasons 2–3; 7 episodes)
 * Darryl Sivad – Sly (Seasons 2–3; 6 episodes)
 * Loretta Devine – Cynthia (Season 2; 5 episodes)
 * Joan Pringle – Matty (Season 2; 4 episodes)
 * Alexis Fields – Sheila Hendricks (Season 3)
 * Rosalind Cash – Margaret Carter, Eleanor's mother (Seasons 1–3; 3 episodes)
 * Richard Roundtree – Russell Emerson, Andrew's brother (Seasons 1–3; 4 episodes)

Guests

 * Kim Fields - Ruth (Season 2), Eleanor's younger sister
 * James Avery - Dale Hammers Episode: "The Car Accident From Heaven"
 * Kadeem Hardison - Rev. Adams
 * Debbi Morgan - Linda

Nielsen ratings

 * Season 1: #72 – 8.95 rating
 * Season 2: #71 – 8.91 rating
 * Season 3: #102 – 5.10 rating