''Rita Rocks'' is a Lifetime original

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

that ran from 20 October 2008 to 7 December 2009. It was the network's first original comedy in over a decade. The series debuted alongside re-runs of '' Reba'' as part of a new comedy hour for Tuesday nights, which later changed to Monday nights. The show stars Nicole Sullivan as Rita, Tisha Campbell-Martin,

Richard Ruccolo Richard Robert Ruccolo (born March 2, 1972) is an American television and film actor, best known for his lead role in the sitcom ''Two Guys and a Girl'' (originally titled ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place''). Early life Ruccolo was born in ...

, Raviv Ullman, and Kelly Gould. On 11 January 2010, Lifetime cancelled the series after two seasons due to low ratings.

Plot

A hard-working mom and wife splits her time between a job she doesn’t particularly like, running the kids around and managing the household. She believes that if she can just get a few hours a week to herself, she can figure a few things out. After finding her old guitar in the garage and the prompting of a new friend, they start up a weekly jam session and are joined by a neighbor, the mail-woman and her daughter’s boyfriend for nightly rehearsals. The plot is set in the Metropolitan Detroit area, most likely the Southfield area as Shannon attends Southfield Elementary School, which is shown throughout season 1. In a February 2009 interview on ''

Anytime with Bob Kushell ''Anytime with Bob Kushell'' is a five-minute talk show produced for Sony Pictures Television and their online portalCrackle.com. The show consists of a single monologue joke, a field-piece/desk bit, and a celebrity interview. It is hosted by Em ...

'', Sullivan agreed the main character is going through a midlife crisis, but she does not like using the term "midlife".

Characters

Main

*Rita Clemens ( Nicole Sullivan): a working mom with a busy life. She is the leader of a garage band and also the assistant manager of Bed Bath & Max. She was formerly training assistant before her boss learned of her pregnancy. *Jay Clemens (

): Rita’s husband who tries his best to support her band. He sometimes takes care of the household, getting himself into funny situations in the process. *Patty Mannix ( Tisha Campbell-Martin): a postal worker and Rita's best friend who convinces her to take down her guitar and start the band. *Hallie Clemens ( Natalie Dreyfuss): Rita's absent minded and rebellious teenage daughter. *Shannon Clemens ( Kelly Gould): Rita's nine-year-old daughter. She goes to a school for gifted children and is interested in space camp and astronauts. *Kip ( Raviv Ullman): Full name is Skip; Hallie's goofy and likable boyfriend/ex-boyfriend is the drummer in Rita's band. His parents are separated and he spends all of his time at the Clemens' household. *Max: Rita & Jay's new baby. Rita gave birth to him in the Season 2 finale. *Owen Delgado Jr. (

Ian Gomez Ian Braque Gomez (born December 27, 1964) is an American actor known for his comedic TV work, which include series-regular roles as Javier on '' Felicity'' and Andy on ''Cougar Town''. Early life He was born in New York City, New York, to an art ...

): Rita's unemployed neighbor who joins her garage band. He has two kids with wife Audrey. (left in 2009 to join '' Cougar Town'').

Recurring

*Audrey ( Lauren Bowles): Owen's wife and mother of his two children who seems to love her job more than her own husband. *Chuck ( Duane Martin): Rita's new neighbor, a former baseball player who is a huge annoyance to Rita and Jay. He and Patty (played by Duane Martin's wife Tisha Campbell-Martin) begin dating in late Season 2. * Marilyn ( Swoosie Kurtz): Rita's mother, who visits and stays for four episodes before leaving at Rita's request to talk to her father. * Allison (

Allie Gonino Allie Gonino is an American actress and singer. She is known for her regular role as Laurel Mercer in ''The Lying Game'' and her recurring role as Michelle in ''10 Things I Hate About You'', both of which were ABC Family series. Gonino was a mem ...

): Hallie's friend. * Rusty (

Paul Vato Paul may refer to: * Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

): the owner of the bowling alley where Rita's band performs publicly for the first time.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1: 2008–09

Season 2: 2009

Home media

''Rita Rocks: The Complete 1st Season'' was released on a 3-disc combo pack on April 27, 2010.

International broadcasting

* Arena TV in

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airs the program. *

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airs the program. *

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airs the program. * Fox Life in

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and

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airs the program. * SKY Uno in

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is going to air in autumn 2009. * NET 5 in the

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Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

will air the sitcom in 2010. *

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airs the program.

References

External links

*
''Rita Rocks''
at Mylifetime.com {{Lifetime Shows 2008 American television series debuts 2009 American television series endings 2000s American sitcoms English-language television shows Lifetime (TV network) original programming Television shows set in Detroit Television series by Media Rights Capital Midlife crisis in television