Live From L.A., It’s . . . ‘Roc’ : Television: Sitcom returns to those low-tech, thrilling days of yesteryear in season opener.

On Sunday at 5:58 p.m. and 24 seconds--give or take a few--Charles Dutton, star of Fox’s “Roc,” walked offstage and up a small flight of stairs on Stage 4 of the Hollywood Center Studios, stopped and heaved a big sigh of relief.

About 25 seconds later, in a control room a short distance away, Stan Lathan, director of the situation comedy, could be heard breathing the same kind of sigh.

Those moments--unseen by television viewers--marked the conclusion of a live broadcast of the second-season opener of “Roc” (which was shown on the West Coast on a tape delay). The smoothness of the presentation was viewed by those associated with the production to be a good omen for the 21 remaining episodes, which will be broadcast live on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. (again on a tape delay here).

Not that the first episode went off totally without a hitch. A microphone boom made a quick unscheduled appearance, and there were a few other technical glitches, not to mention a flubbed line or two.

But the technical mistakes probably went unnoticed by viewers, and the cast members effectively covered their mix-ups. As the final credits rolled, Dutton, Lathan and other “Roc” regulars poured out onto the set, hugging and congratulating each other. The studio audience cheered.

Fox is promoting “Roc,” which centers around a blue-collar African-American family in Baltimore, as the first live prime-time comedy since the 1950s, when “Your Show of Shows” and “The Ed Sullivan Show” were among several variety programs broadcast live on the East Coast.

Producers are hoping that viewers will be drawn by the unpredictability and energy of a live performance. They got the idea soon after the ratings success of a live “Roc” episode last season.

Like NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” the camera pulls back before each “Roc” commercial break to show the cast and technicians scrambling to set up for the next shot.

“We knew the first one would be the toughest, but it turned out really great,” said Lathan as he accepted kisses and handshakes from friends and colleagues. “It’s a very organic experience. When you’re in the middle of the show, everything is really moving. It’s very easy to get caught up in this.”

Dutton said he was equally as thrilled: “It’s euphoric, that’s the only way to describe it. I feel like this justifies my entrance into the television world.”

The accomplished stage actor, who was nominated for a Tony Award for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “The Piano Lesson,” said that even though he was happy with last season’s scripts, he had gotten bored with filming the show on tape: “There was no more challenge for me to do that. But with this, it’s like doing a small play every week.”

The first show centered around Roc’s plan for a birthday party for his wife that ends up in comedic disaster.

Fox officials said they were pleased with the overnight ratings for the initial live outing. The show scored an 11.1 rating, with a 19 share of the television audience watching at the time. Each rating point equals 921,000 households.

The ratings represented a 34% increase over “Roc’s” premiere last season. The show was also number two in its time period, finishing behind CBS’ “Murder, She Wrote.”

Despite the numbers, Dutton bristled when asked if the live shows were a gimmick to get ratings.

“I get very upset when I hear that,” said Dutton evenly. “It’s not a gimmick. This is the first time in 40 years that this has been done. This is one of the only casts that is capable of pulling it off. It’s a history-making event--four actors who are willing to go out on a line in front of a national audience. It’s the ultimate challenge for us, and the ultimate complement for my career at this point.”

In a reference to a popular comic figure on another situation comedy about an African-American family, Dutton added, “To put an Urkel character on ‘Roc’--now that would be a gimmick.”

Ratings did not seem to be on Dutton’s mind an hour before the live broadcast, when the mood around the studio was relaxed and jovial. Dutton, sweating after a heavy workout on a punching bag installed backstage, smiled broadly as he walked around, carrying a container of bottled water. Lathan and other cast members chatted easily.

Pre-broadcast jitters were not evident. Many said preparing for the show was like a welcome return to their theater roots. Dutton, and co-stars Rocky Carroll and Carl Gordon all starred together in “The Piano Lesson.” Ella Joyce, who plays Roc’s wife Eleanor, has worked mostly in off-Broadway and regional theater productions.

“We really work together as stage performers,” said Gordon, who plays Roc’s opinionated father, Andrew. “Three of us have worked together for 3 1/2 years. We’re like a basketball team--we know each other’s moves and what to do with the other one.”

Joyce said performing live in front of a national audience did not put added pressure on her or her fellow cast members.

“We’re all more focused than we would be in a filmed show, just like theater,” she said. “I don’t think about the audience, I just think about the piece. The key is to stay in character, no matter what happens or what lines are missed. If you do that, the audience won’t be able to tell.”

Joyce kept a straight face during the show when, in one scene, Dutton as Roc flubbed a line as he described her two birthday surprises--the first that she would receive during the party and the second that she would receive in the couple’s bedroom as she was thanking him for the first surprise.

During the live scene, Dutton said that he would be thanking her for the gift. However, the scene continued without a blink from either actor.

The cast members have a betting pool over who will mess up the most during the live episodes. Following the first episode, Dutton said the cast “was running about even right now.”

The real challenge now for “Roc” is to maintain the same energy level through the entire season, Lathan said: “It will take a lot more precision and energy for us to be prepared. Last season, filming the show gave us a net, the liberty to relax. No more.”

One down. Twenty-one to go.