The Morning Round-Up: '30 Rock,' 'The Office' & 'Up All Night'
Liz Lemon returned, while the 9 o'clock shows both had trivia battles
Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin were back on "30 Rock" last night.
Some quick thoughts on last night's episodes of "30 Rock," "The Office" and "Up All Night" coming up just as soon as lupus lets me cut in line...
Though I want "Community" back on the air ASAP, I was very glad to have "30 Rock" back, especially after what I found to be a strong fifth season. But outside of a few stray moments (Jack seeking wisdom from baby Liddy, Jack being surprised by Liz for once with her mystery man, the arrangements of the various public domain songs from "America's Kidz Got Singing"), I didn't enjoy the premiere very much. I would say something deeper than "it didn't make me laugh," but "30 Rock" is a show that for the most part (outside of Jack and Liz's friendship) doesn't aim any deeper than that. It can be wickedly, brilliantly funny; this just wasn't one of those weeks for me. (Building a big subplot around Kenneth didn't help, as, with a few exceptions, he was the biggest flaw even when much of last season was so good.)
"The Office" wasn't particularly laugh-out-loud, either, but I found the trivia contest plot to be fairly charming. Andy's plan was ridiculous and unnecessary, but every character but Andy acknowledged that, and they just went along because it was something fun to do(*). And the contest gave various characters a chance to shine - none more than Kevin, who desperately needed some rehab after the show had written him as borderline disabled for most of this season. The Dwight/Gabe/California-in-Florida story wasn't nearly as strong, but it at least confined two of the show's most cartoonish characters (plus the variably eccentric Robert) into self-contained scenes I could ignore until we returned to the gay bar.
(*) I would say that the five or so hour round trip from Scranton to Philly does stretch the boundaries how much the staff hangs out - particularly for somebody like Jim, who's got a tired wife and two babies to get home to - but that ship sailed a long time ago. In this incarnation of the show, they go on long road trips together, they go to each other's amateur musicals, they attend all-day garden parties, and they drive five hours there and back to go to a gay bar's trivia night.
Finally, "Up All Night" arrived on Thursdays with one of its strongest episodes to date, and one that coincidentally also featured a trivia game. Like I wrote in my sneak preview post on Monday, bringing Jason Lee in as Kevin has solved several of the show's biggest problems by creating a more natural reason to bring Ava into Reagan and Chris' suburban world and by humanizing Ava in both the work and home scenes. Putting all the adult characters(**) into Reagan and Chris' house allowed the three couples to be funny both in pairs (Missy's dissatisfaction with her perfect boyfriend was my favorite) and in combination (everyone being afraid of Reagan when she gets too competitive). A satisfying, funny episode that also worked on a character level.
(**) And congratulations to Reagan and Chris for having a baby who's such a sound sleeper that they can throw a New Year's Eve party featuring loud arguments, Rock Band and fireworks displays without waking her up. I have not been that lucky.
What did everybody else think of any or all of these?
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January 13, 2012 at 10:21AM EST Reply to Commenti have to disagree with kevin [jason lee], reagan is the one who married up, not chris. she's rather hard to take sometimes but always seems to bring it back in from the edge and shows how much she really cares for her stay-at-home hubby.
dan
January 13, 2012 at 10:28AM EST Reply to Commentwas that steve carell as part of the queerenstein bears team in the office?
Jeff I thought so. I was expecting a lot more Internet talk about that today.
January 13, 2012 at 11:15AM ESTdan yea same here...maybe it wasn't, but they certainly seemed to make a specific point to show his face then they never showed that whole team again
January 13, 2012 at 11:31AM ESTjim I was even though not confirmed. The voice was his when they cheered.
January 13, 2012 at 7:08PM ESTjoshmassey 100% him.
January 17, 2012 at 5:39PM ESTrexmism
January 13, 2012 at 10:29AM EST Reply to CommentThe funniest thing about 30 Rock last night was the idea that anyone at NBC would ever dream of canceling the singing show. The whole episode I was thinking how lucky they would be to have something this popular. Yeah, Jack, NBC is NOT going to let you cancel that show.
Leslie K
January 13, 2012 at 10:40AM EST Reply to CommentNo "Parks and Recreation"?
Leslie K Nevermind. See the recap. Vote Knope 2012!
January 13, 2012 at 10:42AM ESTKevin
January 13, 2012 at 11:09AM EST Reply to CommentKenneth is the least funny thing on television.....by far.
Dock Pretty sure he stopped being funny once Donald Glover left. I read in Bossypants he wrote all of the good Kenneth southern humor.
January 13, 2012 at 1:47PM ESTLJA @Kevin, Preach it. If Kenneth had one line per week, it would be too many.
January 14, 2012 at 12:37AM EST@Dock, that totally makes sense.
DavidW This. Parks and Rec did a far better take on a "ripped from the headlines" fake end of the world several months ago. I enjoyed Jack, Liz, and Jenna this week, but the Kenneth was painful as ever.
January 14, 2012 at 9:11PM ESTfloretbroccoli
January 13, 2012 at 11:13AM EST Reply to CommentI don't suppose everyone travelling to Philly for a trivia contest makes any LESS sense than a sales office having a silence contest.
StephenH2OMan
January 13, 2012 at 11:20AM EST Reply to CommentI actually thought both "30 Rock" and "The Office" were better than "Parks and Recreation" this week. "Up All Night" is still not up to par when it comes to a Thursday night slot in my mind. Bring back "Community"!
With "30 Rock" I think Kenneth is best when used sparingly, but I am looking forward to Liz's latest romance, which I hear may be played by the very underrated James Marsden?
As far as "The Office" goes, while I understand why they brought the whole crew, I think it really only makes sense story-wise if Jim and Daryl go with Andy, just as an escape from their daily lives.
Ava just does not work for me at all as a character on "Up All Night." Jason Lee has made it more tolerable, but I think the show would have been a lot better if they were just friends with normal people and maybe they could have an egotistic boss that's a has a minor character. Instead, we get a weak mix of all of Maya Rudolph's SNL impressions.
Differing view
January 13, 2012 at 11:21AM EST Reply to CommentIf that's one of their strongest eps, that says a lot about how weak Up All Night is. I get how much you really want to like it because of all the peopbut involved, but you seem much harder on Modrn Fam, suburgatory, and initially Happy Endings which were all better formed from the get go. I feel like if this was a plot on Mod Fam you would say something like "I've seen game night and the competitive wife done hundreds of times and better". The Middle is a thousand times better than this show on every creative level and this was UAN's 12th ep, not their 6th. At best it's a harmless, cute, not really funny or original show. But honestly watch Samantha Who reruns on TV Guide Channel and you see a better show and a show that makes far better use of Christina's talents.
I am aware we all have our biases and preferences when it comes to TV.I'm sure all your followers will spend the next few posts ripping me and my comment, but you asked what did you think and that's what I think
amg Differing View--I'm not going to rip you or your comment. Personally, I didn't love everything about last night's ep, and it was not my favorite ep so far. It did have some nice and funny moments though, and I do think it is very (very) different than the predictable wacky-misunderstanding stuff that happens in many modern family eps now. I think the eps where Chris and Reagan are navigating parenthood make better use of their characters--two competent adults who genuinely love and support each other and did not suddenly become 100% tied to home and hearth upon giving birth--which is a relatively fresh addition to the tv landscape. I enjoy it and look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve and develop.
January 13, 2012 at 12:09PM ESTMike I'm not sure about Suburgatory or Happy Endings, but I would argue that the reason Alan is so hard on Modern Family is because it's capability when it's working is so high, that when it doesn't work, it's more disappointing. When you do an episode like 'Fizbo,' that's going to raise people's expectations, that's a fact of life. It's like if a C student gets a C, a parent isn't going to go that hard on them, but if an A student gets a C, that's going to get a much harsher reaction. Both people got the same grade, but in one case, you know they're capable of so much more. Always remember, most people see wasted potential as the biggest sin there is.
January 13, 2012 at 12:37PM ESTCol Bat Guano
January 13, 2012 at 12:02PM EST Reply to CommentLess Andy and Robert California seemed to improve The Office last night even if any sort of logic was abandoned. Rehabbing Kevin a bit didn't hurt either. Wasn't Jim married at some point?
Jim I agree, especially on the first point. I liked the way they grouped off in the bar. Erin and Meredith cheerfully heading for the losers table, Phyllis announcing "back up" and Stanley grouching along after her. Jim and Darryl are ESPN, Ryan is MSNBC.
January 13, 2012 at 12:33PM ESTWas anyone else expecting an appearance by (State) Senator Mr Angela in the bar?
Liz
January 13, 2012 at 12:06PM EST Reply to CommentYou don't comment on this, but I'll toss out that Mayim Bialik absolutely deserves an Emmy for her tiara scene last night on Big Bang Theory. I'm still cracking up on that.
Mike She killed that scene.
January 13, 2012 at 3:45PM ESTMarkD That WAS a priceless reaction she gave. I gave up on the NBC comedies on Friday a couple of years ago. I just stopped caring.
January 16, 2012 at 11:51AM ESTMarkD Thursday, I meant Thursday
January 16, 2012 at 11:51AM ESTJules
January 13, 2012 at 12:53PM EST Reply to CommentI know it is so broad but I actually laughed out loud when Gabe did his "flush joke" after Dwight's pitch.
natx
January 13, 2012 at 1:03PM EST Reply to CommentLast night made me miss community all that much more. Without community the thursday night lineup while good just seems like an ordinary sitcom night. Community was always a great leadoff because you just never knew what they were going to do or try, which gave the night a certain excitement. My ideal lineup is community, parks, office, and 30rock. It was nice to have a balance of two on the rise fresh comedies (community, parks) with two old standbys that were more comfort viewing than anticipation viewing. Yes 30 rock has fallen into that category. While i like up all night i dont feel like it fits well on thursday night. While thursdays used to have an edgy feel, it feels much more conventional now.
Trisha
January 13, 2012 at 1:15PM EST Reply to CommentWhat about Liz's dancing as apart of a WNBA cheerleading squad? I legitimately laughed out loud during that part.
MarcusC OH GOD. SO MUCH GRAPEVINING!
January 13, 2012 at 2:20PM ESTklg19 That was, without question, the best line of the night in my opinion.
January 13, 2012 at 7:01PM ESTDavidW Hilarious. The best part for me was finding out that the NY Liberty's "Timeless Torches" are a real group:
January 14, 2012 at 9:08PM ESTwww.wnba.com/liberty/news/Timeless_Torches.html
i Hate Whitney
January 13, 2012 at 1:24PM EST Reply to CommentThe Office is absolutely bland without Michael Scott. I think the producers need to make some drastic changes next season. Andy Bernard as manager sucks all the funny out of the show---he is like Michael Scott on sleeping pills.
War Chief Shake Zula
January 13, 2012 at 2:34PM EST Reply to CommentI didn't think anything of any of them. I don't watch NBC comedies outside of Community and my current trial run for Parks & Rec...
Lee Harvey
January 13, 2012 at 2:47PM EST Reply to CommentWhile last night's 30 Rock wasn't great, I still found myself smiling through most of the episode because it was just nice to have the show back.
I think I liked The Office more than most.
Community would fit nicely in the 9:30 slot. I'm not going to start watching Up All Night, so my Thursday night has been reduced to 90 minutes.
Steve
January 13, 2012 at 2:51PM EST Reply to CommentNot only did Up All Night feature a trivia game like The Office, it featured a reference to a '90s alt-rock one-hit wonder t-shirt like Parks & Rec.
Matt
January 13, 2012 at 3:02PM EST Reply to CommentMaybe I just have the same since of humor as Tina Fey, but "go jump back up your mother" was classic. That totally killed me. I could see it catching on if people actually watched 30 Rock.
andcap My husband and I were dying over that line -- and that Jenna did the 3 takes.
January 13, 2012 at 9:16PM ESTnath
January 13, 2012 at 3:46PM EST Reply to CommentGotta disagree about 30 Rock. Thought there were lots of really funny lines and exchanges.
mrbilliam
January 13, 2012 at 4:34PM EST Reply to CommentKenneth's line about "woman's hell" was at least as horrifying/offensive as the rape jokes on 2 Broke Girls (and it aired at 8pm eastern).
JonG
January 13, 2012 at 7:15PM EST Reply to Commentwhy did 30 Rock look so terrible? Did they use new cameras to lower costs? everything felt out of place because of it and it felt more "taped on a lot" as opposed to on location feel that it normally has.
DavidW I noticed this too. Must be budgetary- like "public domain week" on America's Kidz Got Singing.
January 14, 2012 at 9:15PM ESTLJA
January 14, 2012 at 12:35AM EST Reply to CommentHa! I used to work in the building they used for the interiors and exterior for the Sabre Florida office.
troopermsu
January 15, 2012 at 3:59AM EST Reply to CommentEveryone being afraid of Reagan when she gets too competitive was a little to Monica Gellar-esque for me. But otherwise, as a first time viewer of this show, I enjoyed it and I'll watch again.
emma
January 15, 2012 at 1:55PM EST Reply to Commentso disappointed in 30 rock, especially after watching a lot of reruns lately with some of the funniest episodes. i barely cracked a smile for this one. i was hoping that when kenneth got fired they would write him off...what's their loyalty to this character? i can't watch him make any more of his goofy faces or talk in that voice...
MarkD
January 16, 2012 at 11:55AM EST Reply to CommentEver since the beginning of The Office I always felt these people spend way too much time together outside of the office. Especially considering the many different personalities. But of course if The Office only took place in the "office" it would be very limited. This doesn't bother me so much as an observation about how that really doesn't reflect real life. In my real life work I had friends that I did hang out with outside of the office but not ALL of the office. For petes sake we do all have families.