30 Rock Rocks

Jack and Liz in conference -- Picture courtesy NBC

by blogSpotter
Cast: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander & Rachel Dratch
Airtime: NBC, Thursday 8:30 p.m CST.

If NBC isn't careful, they'll have a Thursday night line-up which is Must-See TV all over again. In their comedy line-up which already includes the hilarious Office, they've just added 30 Rock -- a sleeper sitcom loosely based on Tina Fey's stint as SNL head writer. Tina plays frazzled head writer Liz Lemon. In the course of her day she must hash out comedy routines with a staff of juvenile (albeit adult) writers, placate diva performers (including the hilarious Tracy Morgan) and meet the emotional needs of her high-maintenance vice-president Jack Donaghy -- played to perfection by Alec Baldwin. There are so many interesting characters and moving parts to this show, it should never run out of plot lines.

Digressing somewhat, one of the things I've loved in other comedy shows is the extreme willingness of characters to look silly and lose all sense of dignity. Thus you have Seinfeld's Elaine feigning a foaming rabies attack and you have Lucy Ricardo getting squirted repeatedly in the face with a seltzer bottle. 30 Rock has mined this rich mother lode especially in the character of Liz. Liz is the butt of so many jokes and yet she isn't all that rattled or insulted, her character doesn't lose much momentum. The up-front Jack implies that she's an overweight old maid, or possibly a lesbian. When Liz inspires Jack with an acting lesson, Jack says, "Liz, if you were any other woman in the world, I'd be really turned on right now". All water on a ducks back; Liz is a little insulted but somehow takes it in stride.

Late night viewers will spot numerous cameos from the Conan O'Brien staff as well as the SNL staff. Conan himself did a cameo early on, and these are always a treat. Alec Baldwin has hosted SNL numerous times; his segue over to Jack is a perfect compliment to that. Jack is a no-nonsense kind of guy who says what's on his mind, like it or not. He's imperious, arrogant, sensitive and emotionally needy all at the same time. Many bosses have these traits -- Jack just lets them come to the surface a bit more. The cast of 30 Rock works as a team; cast members do marvelous joke setups where someone else might cash in on the laugh. This type of ensemble acting makes the show all the more hilarious while also making it more believable. It's well paced, and the dialog is credible unlike the predictable, boring laugh track formulas used by other shows. If you want to have comical Thursday night, you can't beat the NBC lineup including 30 Rock.

© 2006 blogSpotter.