MOVIE SCREEN TITLE PROFILE
TELEVISION SERIES
Rita Rocks (2008)
Popularity 7.3
Overview
Rita Rocks is a Lifetime original sitcom that ran from October 20, 2008 to December 7, 2009. It is 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, Raviv Ullman, and Kelly Gould. On January 11, 2010, Lifetime cancelled the series after two seasons due to low ratings.
TITLE INFORMATION
More about this title
THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT
Cast & Crew
Performers and key production credits saved for this title.
Top Cast
Raviv UllmanKip
Nicole SullivanRita Clemens
Richard RuccoloJay Clemens
Tisha CampbellPatty Mannix
Kelly GouldShannon Clemens
Ian GomezOwen
Natalie DreyfussHallie Clemens
Key Crew
James BergProducer
Stan ZimmermanProducer
EPISODE GUIDE
Seasons & Episodes
Season and episode information in the catalog.
Season 1
20 episodes · First aired 2008-10-20
E01
Pilot
2008-10-20 · 30 min
After Rita gets passed up for a promotion at work, she starts to question who she is and starts a garage band to capture the spirit of her younger days.
E02
Lies, Lies, Lies, Yeah-ah
2008-10-21 · 30 min
Rita skips out on Shannon's karate lesson to jam with the band and lies to Shannon about it. When Hallie exposes the truth, Rita tries to make it up to Shannon by buying her a dog. Meanwhile, Kip is determined to stay in the band against Hallie's wishes.
E03
You Gotta Have Friends
2008-10-22 · 30 min
Rita tries to help out Patty with her love life, but with no avail. Elsewhere, Rita and Jay become angry when Hallie and Kip plan to get tattoos.
E04
Flirting With Disaster
2008-10-23 · 30 min
Jay gets jealous when Rita and Patty take a trip to the guitar shop and meet two young musicians who invite them to watch their band perform.
E05
Mother's Little Helper
2008-10-24 · 30 min
When the sitter cancels, Rita and Jay worry they will have to cancel their plans for a weekend-getaway. Rita leaves Hallie in charge of the house while she and Jay are away, but sets up a surveillance camera system first.
E06
Nobody Does It Better
2008-10-28 · 30 min
After Jay makes a surprise dinner that gets rave reviews from the kids, Rita starts to feel unappreciated.
E07
Take This Job and Shove It
2008-11-11 · 30 min
Rita and Jay's money lessons fail to capture Hallie's attention once she gains a job herself. Hallie doesn't see any need to go to college until she observes how Rita's job affects her life.
E08
The Crying Game
2008-11-18 · 30 min
Jay's friends make fun of him after Rita reveals his soft side. Shannon gets the help of Kip and Hallie on her school film project.
E09
Under Pressure
2008-11-25 · 30 min
Hallie considers having sex with Kip after her friends constantly pressure her into doing so. When Rita finds out, she tries to advise Hallie in the right direction. Shannon invites Jay to Career Day at her school.
E10
Got No Time
2008-12-02 · 30 min
When Rita is called for jury duty and Jay, after much of Rita's nagging, joins a committee that turns out to be just an excuse for dads to watch sports, they enjoy how relaxing their new responsibilities are and realize they need to make free time a priority. Much to Rita's dismay, Hallie and Kip become vegetarians.
E11
Love On The Rocks
2008-12-09 · 30 min
When Owen spends more time practicing with the band than searching for a job, his wife kicks him out of the house. Rita and Jay invite him to stay at their house for a while, and Owen gets a peek at a different side of his band mate that he doesn't expect.
E12
I Write the Songs
2008-12-16 · 30 min
Hearing that Kip is performing with another band comes as a relief to Rita and Patty, who thought that he was cheating on Hallie. When Rita hears the songs the new band writes, it ignites a fire in her and she tries to write some tunes of her own. She has a hard time, but finds inspiration through Jay when he reminds her of letters she once wrote to him.
E13
The Girl Is Mine
2009-01-05 · 30 min
When Rita comes down with a cold, Patty helps out around the house. But when Patty starts forming a special bond with Shannon, Rita gets jealous. Kip and Jay become closer after they have a video-game rivalry.
E14
Old Friends
2009-01-12 · 30 min
Rita and a former band mate, whom she holds a grudge against, are reunited via Facebook. Also on Facebook, Hallie and Kip compete to see who can make the most friends
E15
It's My Party
2009-01-19 · 30 min
Hallie loses her parent's trust when she sneaks out of the house to a college party. Rita is not sure how to respond to Patty's request to let her personal trainer join the band, and Rita and Jay are convinced by Shannon to host a birthday party for their dog.
E16
I Can't Make You Love Me
2009-01-26 · 30 min
After discovering that Jay's aunt doesn't like her, Rita sets out to make a good impression when she visits.
E17
Get Off Off Of My Cloud
2009-02-02 · 30 min
Rita and Jay have dinner with Jay's new client Sam, who reveals his secret desire of having a garage band. When Rita tells him that she has a band with her friends, he invites them to play at the company's annual party. Shannon finds a way to get Hallie to do all of her chores and make a profit off of her too.
E18
Killer Queen
2009-02-09 · 30 min
After Rita finds out someone has been bullying Shannon at school, she competes with the bully's mother at a school fund-raiser. Hallie buys a used car that makes Jay reminisce about the old days.
E19
What's Love Got To Do With It
2009-02-16 · 30 min
Rita and Jay both plan special Valentine's Day celebrations, in the hopes that there is still some spark left in their relationship.
E20
We Can Work It Out
2009-02-23 · 30 min
Rita gets a promotion at work and makes the tough decision that she will have to quit the band to keep up with her hectic schedule. But when Jay and the girls start noticing that Rita isn't the same without her music, they try to get her to prioritize.
Season 2
20 episodes · First aired 2009-10-05
E01
A Change is Gonna Come
2009-10-05 · 30 min
In the second-season opener, Rita takes Hallie to the doctor to discuss birth-control options. But Rita's in for a shock when she discovers she's pregnant.
E02
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
2009-10-06 · 30 min
Rita accidentally tips Kip off to Hallie's plans to attend a concert with a new coworker. Meanwhile, Jay is tired of empty-nester Patty's constant presence.
E03
Nothing's Gonna Change My World
2009-10-07 · 30 min
A promotion at work has Rita worrying about her boss's reaction to the news of her pregnancy. Meanwhile, Shannon pursues a scholarship for space camp.
E04
Welcome To The Working Week
2009-10-08 · 30 min
Owen gets a makeover from Rita and Patty to boost his confidence for a job interview. Meanwhile, Hallie wants Rita to boot Kip from the band.
E05
Stuck In The Middle With You
2009-10-09 · 30 min
Rita plays matchmaker for Patty, but when Patty declares she isn't ready to settle down, Rita sets out to prove that marriage isn't routine. She persuades Jay to go clubbing and makes sure Patty witnesses their married night out.
E06
The Shape Of Things To Come
2009-10-13 · 30 min
The family holds a garage sale to clear out junk after Hallie decides to move into the attic so she doesn't have to share a room with the baby. Meanwhile, Jay accidentally learns the baby's sex.
E07
Mr. Bassman
2009-10-20 · 30 min
Rita contends with new neighbor Chuck (Duane Martin), who enjoys playing loud music at all hours. Patty learns Chuck is a bass player and asks him to join the band, but the outcome isn't good.
E08
Mommy's Alright, Daddy's Alright
2009-10-26 · 30 min
Shannon's teacher (Jennifer Elise Cox) urges Rita and Jay to enroll their daughter in a school for gifted children. Meanwhile, at Rita's suggestion, a depressed Hallie signs up for a breast-cancer walkathon to take her mind off of being single.
E09
Vogue
2009-10-26 · 30 min
Budding designer Hallie's work motivates Rita to plan a fashion-show fund-raiser, but Rita has second thoughts when she sees the dress Hallie creates for her. Meanwhile, Jay takes his role as cup-stacking coach for Shannon too far.
E10
Bad Company
2009-11-02 · 30 min
Hallie attends a college party without permission after Patty's son encourages her to pursue higher education. Meanwhile, bad feelings between Rita and Patty result in a lousy audition for the band, but the two come together to search for Hallie.
E11
Why Can't We Be Friends?
2009-11-02 · 30 min
Hallie and Kip try to be friends after their breakup. Meanwhile, Rita and Jay befriend the parents of Shannon's classmate Brianna, but are caught in the middle when Shannon decides to end her friendship with the girl.
E12
Mother and Child Reunion
2009-11-09 · 30 min
Rita's judgmental mother (Swoosie Kurtz) comes for a visit, throwing Rita into a whirlwind of housecleaning and junk-food hiding. But when her mom arrives with a new relaxed attitude, Rita suspects something's amiss.
E13
Anchors Aweigh
2009-11-09 · 30 min
Rita worries about traveling to attend a work seminar because of Jay and her mother's constant bickering at home. With Rita away, the situation worsens when the two realize the garage door was left open and Rita's guitar has disappeared. Swoosie Kurtz guest stars.
E14
Shower the People
2009-11-16 · 30 min
Marilyn (Swoosie Kurtz) persuades Patty to let her help plan Rita's baby shower, but the two can't agree on anything. Meanwhile, Kip starts dating a new girl and Hallie isn't pleased.
E15
Is She Really Going Out With Him?
2009-11-16 · 30 min
Jay sees Rita's mother (Swoosie Kurtz) flirting with a man who isn't her husband. Meanwhile, Kip offers to teach Rita's neighborhood nemesis Jasper how to play the drums as a way to make money for college.
E16
Sympathy For the Devil
2009-11-23 · 30 min
Rita gets PTA nemesis Jennifer (Melissa Peterman) a job at her store, but soon regrets the kind act when Jennifer proves to be a slacker. Meanwhile, Jay hires Kip to do odd jobs around the house.
E17
Jingle All the Way
2009-11-23 · 30 min
Rita and Patty enter a jingle contest for a chicken company. Elsewhere, Patty tries to make her ex-husband jealous by attending her high-school reunion with Chuck.
E18
The Jealous Kind
2009-11-30 · 30 min
Rita's insecurities about her pregnant body heighten when she meets Jay's pretty new colleague Stephanie (Christine Lakin). Stephanie later reveals to Rita that Jay's been confiding in her about his new-baby fears. Meanwhile, old feelings resurface for Hallie and Kip.
E19
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
2009-11-30 · 30 min
Rita and Patty secretly submit an application for Kip to a performing-arts school and he's offered an audition. But Hallie is upset to learn it is a boarding school and blames her mother for trying to keep her away from Kip.
E20
Born in The USA
2009-12-07 · 30 min
