30 Rock (2006)

Watchseries; After the last few lackluster seasons of Saturday Night Live, I was worried that this show would suffer from the same affliction as those terrible SNL-based films, like The Ladies Man, Superstar, Coneheads, Night at the Roxbury.... but 30 Rock is actually a character-driven comedy, rather than a gag-driven one like those films.

Tina Fey managed to put together a great cast using classic sitcom archetypes. Alec Baldwin is hilarious and subdued as the meddling nitwit boss, Tracey Morgan is genuinely brilliant as the wild and crazy black guy, and newcomer Jack McBrayer is thoroughly enjoyable as the creepy intern. Of course, the whole show is centered on Tina Fey, the constantly put-upon producer of an SNL-type late night comedy show. She has great comedic sensibilities, but she has wisely surrounded herself with a fantastic ensemble cast.

The show is literally jam-packed with laugh-out-loud gags, so even when one joke doesn't work, there's at least two other jokes that do work around the corner. After Tracey Morgan's last sitcom flopped, I feared that we'd seen the last of him. As the Martin Lawrence-esquire egocentric star of the show-within-a-show, Morgan excels. Without the burden of carrying the entire show, Morgan is able to fully realize his potential playing 30 Rock's a psychotic, preening celebrity host. The real gem on the show is Alec Baldwin, who usually gets the best one-liners as the idiot-savant NBC executive who can manage a big business but not his own life. But what really makes the show work is its cast of veteran comedic character actors who staff the fictional comedy show, including Scott Adsit of HBO's Mr. Show and Judah Friedlander from the film American Splendor.

30 Rock premiered on NBC at the same time as the similarly themed Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, another SNL-based series. While Studio 60 took the dramatic route, 30 Rock went comedic. In the end, 30 Rock is better, however. Studio 60 suffers from too much moralizing and a large cast that the scripts can't quite manage to service.

My only complaint about 30 Rock is that we don't see enough of SNL-alum Rachel Dratch on camera. Rumor has it that she was meant to be a main cast member, but the network demanded her role be cut out. It's a shame because she is one of the funniest women in television.

After the last few lackluster seasons of Saturday Night Live, I was worried that this show would suffer from the same affliction as those terrible SNL-based films, like The Ladies Man, Superstar, Coneheads, Night at the Roxbury.... but 30 Rock is actually a character-driven comedy, rather than a gag-driven one like those films.

Tina Fey managed to put together a great cast using classic sitcom archetypes. Alec Baldwin is hilarious and subdued as the meddling nitwit boss, Tracey Morgan is genuinely brilliant as the wild and crazy black guy, and newcomer Jack McBrayer is thoroughly enjoyable as the creepy intern. Of course, the whole show is centered on Tina Fey, the constantly put-upon producer of an SNL-type late night comedy show. She has great comedic sensibilities, but she has wisely surrounded herself with a fantastic ensemble cast.

The show is literally jam-packed with laugh-out-loud gags, so even when one joke doesn't work, there's at least two other jokes that do work around the corner. After Tracey Morgan's last sitcom flopped, I feared that we'd seen the last of him. As the Martin Lawrence-esquire egocentric star of the show-within-a-show, Morgan excels. Without the burden of carrying the entire show, Morgan is able to fully realize his potential playing 30 Rock's a psychotic, preening celebrity host. The real gem on the show is Alec Baldwin, who usually gets the best one-liners as the idiot-savant NBC executive who can manage a big business but not his own life. But what really makes the show work is its cast of veteran comedic character actors who staff the fictional comedy show, including Scott Adsit of HBO's Mr. Show and Judah Friedlander from the film American Splendor.

30 Rock premiered on NBC at the same time as the similarly themed Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, another SNL-based series. While Studio 60 took the dramatic route, 30 Rock went comedic. In the end, 30 Rock is better, however. Studio 60 suffers from too much moralizing and a large cast that the scripts can't quite manage to service.

My only complaint about 30 Rock is that we don't see enough of SNL-alum Rachel Dratch on camera. Rumor has it that she was meant to be a main cast member, but the network demanded her role be cut out. It's a shame because she is one of the funniest women in television.

30 Rock watchseries. I'm watching this in 2020 and ever single episode is timely and hilarious.

This series is completely unique. The many cameos are unexpected and brilliant. The cast is AMAZING. This ensemble piece is the best thing on TV!

Alec Baldwin is great in this role. This is a very witty and funny show. It's not your usual numbing with canned laughter waste of 30 minutes. The characters are quirky and believable - they remind me of some people I work with. The only character that doesn't gel with me is Tracy Jordan. Somehow, it's not a good fit for him. Whereas Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin along with the rest of the cast are essential to the success of the show, Tracy Jordan could easily be left out and the show would still work.

If I'm not going to be home, I make sure it's recorded. This could turn into a very, very successful sitcom. Already it plays well even though it's quite new. It flows smoothly and the chemistry is there.

I've put the word out at work to be sure and tune in.

I just don't get it. This show is not funny, and I feel like its editing is random. I feel like the scenes and skits (storylines) within the show should actually flow better or at least make sense. I feel like every time I have tried to watch this show that the show is literally skipping scenes ahead, but alas, no it is just awkwardly timed.

If you've watched SNL this year (2006 -2007) you realize just how much they miss Tina Fey's writing. I think last night was episode 8 and like all previous shows it was "laugh out loud" funny. "Red wine is just not your drink", Jane Krakowski's character tells Fey's Liz Lemon. Fey has surrounded herself with some terrific unknowns including a guy who looks a lot like Jimmie Fallon who did some unfreeking believable impressions last night. Alec Baldwin WILL win the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor. Even Tracy Morgan, never my favorite on SNL, is terrific as the Martin Lawrence-esquire insane 'star'. Tina Fey has always been the reluctant sex symbol but she 'takes one for the team' and has done several episodes dressed to the nines causing jaws to drop across America. Now that the show is part of the best NBC Thursday lineup assembled since the Seinfeld-Frasier days, look for a long, healthy life for "30 Rock".

-Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey are brilliant -the writing is so funny and appealing to both a male and female sense of humor -I love Liz Lemon. This is a female character I don't think I've really seen before or not for a very long time. She is smart and nerdy and neurotic and successful...and she can hang with the guys and is kind of a dweeb...so relatable for nerdy girls like me! This and Ugly Betty (for different reasons) are the best new shows and they will run for a long long time.

The writing is so good and caters to smarty-pants type of people who like their comedy wry and subtle...

I applaud you Tina Fey: you are genius and the best TV heroine right now.