Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Celebrating seven seasons of '30 Rock'... We're glad we went to there

A look back at one of the best comedies ever on television, about television

By Alan Sepinwall Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 11:48 PM

Tina Fey on the "30 Rock" set one last time.

Credit: NBC

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Early in the series finale of “30 Rock” (tomorrow at 8 p.m. on NBC), the series makes a half-hearted attempt at going full-circle in its meta commentary, with Liz Lemon pitching new NBC president Kenneth on the idea of making a sitcom about her life, in much the same way “30 Rock” was itself (very) loosely adapted from Tina Fey’s experiences on “Saturday Night Live.”

Kenneth stops her right there, genially explaining, “‘Woman,’ ‘writer,’ ‘New York.’ Those are all on my list of TV no-no words." He then presents her with the full list, which also includes “complex,” “quality,” and “shows about shows” — all words that could describe “30 Rock” itself.

In Kenneth Ellen Parcells’ NBC, “30 Rock” would have no prayer of getting on the air. That it got on the air at the real NBC — and lasted seven mostly glorious, always low-rated seasons in the process — is itself something of a miracle.

Think back to the spring of 2006, after all, when NBC first ordered “30 Rock” as its other show about life backstage at a fictionalized version of “SNL.” The prize was supposed to be “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” Aaron Sorkin’s return to NBC after being kicked off “West Wing.” The “30 Rock” pick-up was viewed as NBC doing a favor for “SNL” boss Lorne Michaels, who wanted to give Fey her own vehicle.

Twenty-two frustrating, self-important episodes later, “Studio 60” was little more than a punchline, while “30 Rock” was already well on its way to establishing itself as an all-time classic.

“30 Rock” didn’t emerge fully-formed, but took some time. Fey wrote the role of Jenna, star of the show within the show “TGS,” for her pal Rachel Dratch, only to be forced to replace her — in the sort of industry shenanigans “30 Rock” would spend so much time satirizing — with Jane Krakowski. In the first handful of episodes, the only character Fey and her writers fully had a handle on was Jack Donaghy, the charismatic network suit played with hilarious conviction by Alec Baldwin. (He gets the pilot’s most memorable line, telling Liz, “You have the boldness of a much younger woman.”)

The show’s early episodes aren’t bad, but they’re finding their way. It’s not until the seventh episode, “Tracy Does Conan” — an insane farce(*) in which Tracy Morgan’s erratic Tracy Jordan goes off his extensive regimen of meds(**) right before a crucial talk show appearance — that “30 Rock” becomes the show we know it to be now: a live-action cartoon that operated under its own brilliant, self-aware logic.

(*) The first few episodes had tried so hard to exist in a real-world context that I actually took a strong, instant dislike to the more ridiculous parts of “Tracy Does Conan.” Like “Breaking Bad” and a few other great series that chose to break with convention, I needed time to adjust to what “30 Rock” actually was, rather than what I expected it to be.

(**) Prescribed by Chris Parnell’s Dr. Leo Spaceman (pronounced spuh-CHEH-men), one of the show’s incredible stable of recurring characters, as well as the chief representative of its devout belief in the idea that funny names are funny.

Where “Studio 60” struggled in part because it kept failing to convince us that its own fake “SNL” was a dazzling work of satire, “30 Rock” very quickly abandoned any pretense that “TGS” was supposed to be good — or interest in “TGS,” period — and (to paraphrase one of Liz Lemon’s favorite works of literature) in so doing, became a more powerful satire than we could have possibly imagined. It was a show about television, but by ceasing to be about a specific television show, it gained license to be about everything.

“30 Rock” could be wince-inducingly precise in its take on racism and white liberal guilt (in one episode, Liz mistakenly assumes Tracy is illiterate; in another, she struggles to break up with a boorish guy because he’s black). Through Jack Donaghy, the show ruthlessly lampooned the excesses of corporate America and our nation’s deeply dysfunctional political system. And through Liz, time and time again, “30 Rock” smartly — and always in a humorous context, so it never felt like a lecture — analyzed the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated profession, and world. (Even last week, the show was still finding new jokes on the subject: Jack starts listing trailblazing women through history like Amelia Earhart, Joan of Arc and Diane Fossey, then stops to observe, “Boy, women who try to do things sure get killed a lot.”)

But the show’s favorite subject was always television itself, a medium for which “30 Rock” felt equal parts adoration and fear. The writers came up with one horrible fake movie or TV show idea after another — among the best of the very long list: “The Rural Juror,” “A Blaffair to Rememblack,” “Fresh-Ass, based on the novel ‘Tush’ by Ass-Fire,” “Bitch Hunter,” “MILF Island” and “A Dog Took My Face And Gave Me A Better Face To Change The World: The Celeste Cunningham Story” — yet there was also so much affection for the medium and our communal history watching it. “30 Rock” came on the air near the start of what seems to be the death rattle of network television — it likely wouldn’t have lasted seven seasons with its ratings if NBC hadn’t been in such dire straits — and though Jack and other characters frequently commented on the terrible state of the business,(***) the show always viewed that with sadness. Kenneth was a character fueled by nothing except a love of television and a desire to work in it, which is why he spent so many years in the demeaning job of NBC page; when Jack improbably promoted him to network president last week, it was treated as a deserved outcome.

(***) When Fey and “30 Rock” won a pair of Television Critics Association Awards in 2008, she joked, "We thank you guys for making ‘30 Rock’ the most successful show cable show on broadcast television. It’s a great time to be in broadcast television, isn’t it!? It’s exciting! It’s like being in vaudeville... in the ‘60s!"

“30 Rock” was aware of all that came before it. The opening scene of the pilot includes a “That Girl"-esque theme as Liz experiences a very fleeting, expensive triumph over a jerk trying to cut the line at a hot dog cart, and there were nods to TV history throughout the series, whether it was a live episode celebrating a slightly alternate history of NBC (including Jon Hamm in blackface in an “Amos and Andy” spoof) or the way the series revived the tradition of the guest star. Other NBC sitcoms like “Will & Grace” had turned stunt-casting into something that seemed distasteful and lazy, but “30 Rock” inevitably found the perfect fit for its famous faces, whether it was Alan Alda playing to type as Jack’s liberal biological father (one of his appearances also paid tribute to the sentimental “M*A*S*H” finale), Oprah Winfrey being viewed by Liz and others as a religious figure, or Hamm reinventing himself as a game-for-anything clown.

“30 Rock” was always aware of the medium’s clichés, and made sure you knew that it was usually wise enough to avoid them. At every opportunity, the series ran from the idea of Jack and Liz as a romantic couple, recognizing that their unlikely friendship was far more interesting than a hook-up could have been. (One of the finale’s sweetest moments involves Jack pausing to again make this point clear.) Many of the show’s best jokes were built entirely on our awareness of how sitcom jokes are usually structured, like Tracy spinning away from expected punchlines by declaring, “I finally understand the end of ‘The Sixth Sense.’ Those names are the people who worked on the movie!” or that Foxy Boxing “combines my two favorite things: boxing, and referees!”

That rat-a-tat style was hard to maintain week after week, season after season, and there were long patches in the show’s middle years where “30 Rock” became too cartoonish for its own good. Kenneth and Jenna in particular suffered during those years, but even Liz stopped resembling herself for a while. Even the guest stars didn’t always work; one of the series’ flattest episodes is built around Steve Martin, who should have been money in the bank for an “SNL”-adjacent show like this.

Eventually, though, Fey and company remembered that the series was best when it had at least a tenuous connection to reality, and when Jack and Liz could express genuine emotion on occasion. As a result, “30 Rock” isn’t limping to the finish line like so many great sitcoms before it. It’s been sprinting through this victory lap season, giving all of its characters happy endings — Liz, for instance, got married to James Marsden’s imperfect but good enough Criss, and last week they adopted two kids who are essentially younger versions of Tracy and Jenna — revisiting past gags, and making the series’ end much harder to accept than if it had stayed a shadow of itself.

The one-hour finale wouldn’t necessarily make my list of the top 10 “30 Rock” episodes ever, but it’s everything that the series was at its best: a bittersweet salute to the past, present and future of television; a relentless joke delivery system; and a collection of genuinely warm farewells to these very silly characters.

In that scene where Kenneth shows Liz his list of TV no-no words, she insists, "I think TV can be successful without sacrificing quality." And if Tina Fey couldn’t make that a reality in terms of popularity, she sure as hell did in terms of creative success. “30 Rock” is one of the best comedies to ever appear on the medium it celebrated and mocked with equal measure, and it’s going out with one of the best final seasons any comedy has ever had.

No more “30 Rock” after tomorrow? Blergh.

Alan Sepinwall may be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Our 20 favorite '30 Rock' guest stars

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Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: 30 Rock, alec baldwin, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, Alan Sepinwall

Greg

Where's Sherri Shepherd?

"HAM!"
January 31, 2013 at 12:54AM EST Reply to Comment
Sam

Great writeup Alan, but I gotta ask: how different would this conversation be if the final season-and-a-third-let's-call-it, hadn't pulled the show out of its tailspin? I really do like 30 Rock a whole lot, but are we too quickly forgetting the fallow years? Then again, almost no classic comedy is perfect 100% of the time (Cheers, Taxi, Arrested even). Would the last two weeks of hosanna singing have been so loud if their weren't so much worth praising lately?
January 31, 2013 at 1:00AM EST Reply to Comment
- Matt There were rough patches, sure, but the show's complete rebound happened in its fifth season. Also, rewatching the show on Netflix reveals just how not-bad the "bad" episodes were. They disappointed when we only got 22 minutes each week and hoped for brilliance, but, without that pressure, they're adequately hilarious.
  January 31, 2013 at 1:17AM EST
- whatever @ Matt
  I totally agree with you!!
  January 31, 2013 at 2:14AM EST
- Lars Thank you Matt, you really are mommy's baby lol
  And Sam, you go to your corner
  "Bad" 30 Rock episodes are still million times funnier than a "great" episode of 2 1/2 Men.
  January 31, 2013 at 3:23AM EST
- bitchstolemyremote We'd argue that last season was nearly as good as this final season has been. It's really S3-4 that aren't as solid
  January 31, 2013 at 11:17AM EST
- Oliver I suspect we'll see similar obituaries for The Office in a few months, a similarly influential show which had a much bigger creative nadir after Michael Scott's departure.
  
  Besides, I've always felt the 30 Rock quality decline is somewhat overstated. I don't think it ever became genuinely bad at any point of its run. I think the third and fourth seasons of Community and Parks respectively were much shakier than 30 Rock was at any point during its run.
  January 31, 2013 at 3:24PM EST
- LDP in Cincinnati Even the worst episode of 30 Rock was better than any of Cougar Town, Happy Endings or The New Girl, all of which have been wildly overpraised.
  January 31, 2013 at 5:28PM EST
- Clint I feel like this question is like asking we'd look at the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals differently if they hadn't come back from an 8th inning 3-run deficit in Game 6 and then went on to win Game 7. . Of course we would, because then the Cardinals wouldn't have been the team that won the world series. If 30 Rock hadn't pulled out of their tailspin, they wouldn't have been the great show they are. It is a great show precisely because they came back and won it all.
  February 1, 2013 at 6:01PM EST
- SlackerInc I loved the first two seasons, but felt it jumped the shark early in season three and never watched again. At what point should I go back on Netflix and revisit the show?
  February 6, 2013 at 5:40PM EST
Sandi

Godspeed Cheyenne Jackson. You were great and I miss thee.
January 31, 2013 at 1:20AM EST Reply to Comment
Mikey

I've been repeating this to myself and then laughing hysterically for two weeks now:

THAT'S A SERIES WRAP ON LEO SPACEMEN, SUCKERS!
January 31, 2013 at 1:26AM EST Reply to Comment
shagamu

To me, the episode that really signaled a big tone shift for the show wasn't "Tracy Does Conan", but "Black Tie". At first I hated that episode and thought it went too far in its cartooniness (especially with Paul Reubens' character), but when I rewatched it on DVD, it stuck out as one of the first season's high points, and a template the show kept following and refining.
January 31, 2013 at 1:29AM EST Reply to Comment
- rainman90 http://youtu.be/_XkzeDecjkg
  January 31, 2013 at 1:09PM EST
Jenny

I can't believe 30 Rock is ending. Blerg, Blergh, Bl?rg!
January 31, 2013 at 1:34AM EST Reply to Comment
- Jenny The final 'blerg' above was supposed to have an umlaut above the 'e', Liz Lemon IKEA style.
  January 31, 2013 at 1:36AM EST
- Brubarian Blërg
  January 31, 2013 at 2:16AM EST
Victor

Hmm. Everyone's opinion is different, of course. I thought the show dipped in quality in the second half of season five, improved -- but was still a bit inconsistent -- during season six, and improved again during this final season, so that it's going out on a level that's close to its best years. I've never quite understood the view that there were "fallow years" or "long patches" in which the quality suffered. There might be only 12 or 15 episodes out of 130-plus that I didn't really like, and even those invariably made me laugh a couple of times. (I thought the Steve Martin episode was great, Alan. "Toronto is just like New York, but without all the stuff." "Stop patriciding!" The Tracy Jordan sex doll. Ah, good times.)

There are, and have been, other shows that I like a lot, but 30 Rock goes into my personal pantheon of TV shows, joining only Seinfeld and The Simpsons. I'm going to miss it so much.
January 31, 2013 at 1:41AM EST Reply to Comment
bjssp

Remind me, why was Fey forced to replace Dratch with Krakowski? And what other actresses were under consideration?

I like Dratch, but Krakowski seems like the better choice, although that might just be hindsight talking.

It's funny how wrong I was, as I thought Sorkin's show would be a big hit and considered Fey's to be...well, whatever.

There's more I will probably say, but for now, I will say that while the show would sometimes get too goofy (partly by insisting that "TGS" was so bad, and basically hated), when it worked, which was FAR more often than not, it REALLY worked. I happen to think some of the supposed weaker seasons, like the fourth, were terrific, with some individual episodes being perfect because of the way they brutally pictured Hollywood--"I Heart Connecticut" being a perfect example of that. Or take the fact that one of my bosses and I die every time we think of Alec Baldwin imitating his Trinidiadian nurse by saying, "So, what you wanna do?" This makes me think that the show worked on many levels, that there was something for everyone.

It's really frustrating that this show never caught on. Obviously, the jokes about NBC wouldn't have worked if it were a hit, but were it on when NBC had the means to launch a new show, I truly believe it could have been a big hit. Let's just hope that Tina Fey as well as the incredible roster of writers she has cultivated manage to keep pumping out great stuff.

January 31, 2013 at 2:22AM EST Reply to Comment
- LoopyChew Well, Dratch wouldn't have been a good fit for Jenna Maroney as we know her, but odds are they would have given her a more grounded character. I think Fey & Co. were banking on Tracy being enough crazy for the show and allowing multiple straight women, but using Krakowski as even more crazy was probably the right call to make.
  January 31, 2013 at 6:28AM EST
- Brendan Noel I believe what I read is that originally "30 Rock" was going to show full length sketches from TGS on the show, so Rachel Dratch was hired because she was a sketch actress. But that was ditched in favor of being a more narrative sitcom, so they replaced her.
  January 31, 2013 at 2:10PM EST
- M I saw the original pilot. Dratch's Jenna was a very different character. The one bit in particular that stands out in my memory is Jenna having a crush on Jack and then having her assistant hand her the stool softeners she'd had her pick up in front of Jack. It seems like the kind of gag the show would have done with Liz and I think Dratch's Jenna was a little redundant. Krakowski's Jenna added a type of character the show was lacking and that Dratch wouldn't have been right for. And as the above poster said, the original idea was to have the show be more TGS focused (one early idea was to put whole TGS skits online) but once that was ditched they really needed someone who was right for sitcoms more than for sketch.
  January 31, 2013 at 4:54PM EST
- SlackerInc I sometimes wonder if I'm the only person alive who flat out loved Studio 60, with no major reservations.
  February 6, 2013 at 5:46PM EST
ireneinidaho

Alan, would you post a list of your 10 favorite "30 Rock" episodes, please? I only started watching regularly a couple years ago, and I'd love to go back and find some of the earlier classic eps. Thanks!
January 31, 2013 at 2:24AM EST Reply to Comment
- bitchstolemyremote Good luck keeping it solely to 10. There are SO many classic episodes that would be super challenging - at least for us
  January 31, 2013 at 11:19AM EST
- Guesty Guesterson Go to the AV Club, they just did exactly that, more or less.
  January 31, 2013 at 6:08PM EST
- ireneinidaho Thanks for the info @Guesty (great name, BTW!). Now I'm thinking of adding 30R DVDs to my list of b/d gifts, Methinks they would brighten up these gloomy days of winter.
  Sidenote: when I mistyped "brighten," the iPad changed it to "Britten.". It must know I'm on Alan's site!
  January 31, 2013 at 7:24PM EST
Jayne

"Studio 60..?"
"Shut up."
January 31, 2013 at 2:48AM EST Reply to Comment
Rev. Slappy

I always wanted Rachel Dratch to return near the end of 30 Rock in a story line where she and Jenna had been switched at birth.
January 31, 2013 at 3:07AM EST Reply to Comment
Lars

Since we also have recurring roles here, where's BANKS??
January 31, 2013 at 3:23AM EST Reply to Comment
- Lars wow, oops, wrong article lol
  January 31, 2013 at 3:32AM EST
MICHAEL

As someone who had to catch up on Netflix, I agree that the rough patch was not that bad. I'd say it went from middle of 3rd to early 5th. The show has gotten so wonderful recently and I'm sad to see it go. Then again, I'm really really happy to see it go out in style. :D
January 31, 2013 at 8:52AM EST Reply to Comment
smellmyfinger

great write up alan. people will point out that this show wasn't "on" 100% of the time and that's certainly true. but when it was "on", which was way way more often than it wasn't, it was really great television. jack donaghy will go down as one of the best characters of this decade. so many good one liners you can barely even begin to list them. I particularly like "Look how Greenzo's testing. They love him in every demographic: colored people, broads, fairies, commies... gosh, we've gotta update these forms. " and just about anything from the Reaganing episode
January 31, 2013 at 10:40AM EST Reply to Comment
scoopie77

I wonder how this show is going to play in 20 years, but that doesn't matter. It's been a great ride and I will miss it.
January 31, 2013 at 11:07AM EST Reply to Comment
bgt

Alan - you should go back and watch "Jack Meets Dennis", the episode immediately before the one where Tracy goes on Conan. I would argue that it was the first episode that hit on all cylinders. More importantly, it began the mentor/mentee relationship between Jack and Liz, instead of the meddling network executive he was at the beginning.

Plus that episode has so many instant classic lines *and* introduces the Beeper King himself, Dennis Duffy.

I remember watching that episode live, on the cusp of giving up on 30 Rock, and being blown away by how funny it was.
January 31, 2013 at 11:33AM EST Reply to Comment
- rainman90 "OK, very funny. You bought a pager from Dennis. Will you take it off now, please?"
  
  "Oh, I can't. I'm expecting a call from 1983."
  January 31, 2013 at 1:13PM EST
- bgt "Technology is cyclical."
  January 31, 2013 at 1:18PM EST
- Annie We still quote the "Technology is cyclical" line a lot around our house. Dennis Duffy was a fantastic, hilarious character, and they used him just the right amount.
  January 31, 2013 at 7:55PM EST
- Another Guest Alan was talking about a tone shift with "Tracy Does Conan" (I didn't care for it much when it aired, but I'll take a relook one of these days). But I do agree that "Jack Meets Dennis" is when the show really started to feel "complete." There were glimpses of what it could be with "Blind Date" (Those shoes are definitely bi-curious), but JMD was the first completely solid and funny episode.
  February 1, 2013 at 3:30PM EST
the passenger

I am so sad 30 Rock is ending. Last year I spend a couple of months watching the whole series again from the beginning, courtesy of Comedy Central's two episodes per weekday, and I fell in love with it all over again. I could just keep watching it over and over, and probably will.
January 31, 2013 at 12:13PM EST Reply to Comment
john

could you rank the seasons? and also maybe which areas to skip cause of the "rough patch"
January 31, 2013 at 1:39PM EST Reply to Comment
Brendan Noel

I too have been rewatching a lot of episodes and somehow I forgot how much I liked Dennis

Dennis: "One word: coffee. Problem: where do you get it?"
Liz: "Anywhere! You get it annyyyywheeerre!"
January 31, 2013 at 2:13PM EST Reply to Comment
- Brian "Wrong! You get it at my coffee vending machine. 38th & 6th in the basement of the K-Mart. You just go downstairs, you get the key from David and BOOM! You plug in the machine and..."
  January 31, 2013 at 4:49PM EST
- Brendan Noel You're done!
  February 1, 2013 at 4:11AM EST
Tom

If there is one thing everyone in America can agree on, its that Dennis Duffy is the greatest character in TV history...

"I'm moving into my new apartment so I've got one last thing to say to you and I'll be out of your life forever. [reading from written letter] Dear Liz Lemon: While other women have bigger boobs than you, no other woman has as big a heart. When I saw you getting ready to go out and get nailed by a bunch of guys last night, I knew for sure it was over between us, and for the first time since the '86 World Series, I cried... I cried like a big, dumb homo. And if it was up to me, we'd be together forever. But there's a new thing called "women's liberation", which gives you women the right to choose and you have chosen to abort me, and that I must live with. So tonight, when you arrive home, I'll be gone. I officially renounce my squatter's rights."
January 31, 2013 at 4:55PM EST Reply to Comment
- Brendan Noel "There's no reason to live anymore...the Islanders lost tonight"
  
  "Doesn't that happen a lot?"
  
  "I knew you wouldn't understand..."
  February 1, 2013 at 4:12AM EST
Marissa

I hope Kenneth goes for Liz's sitcom idea, she casts Jenna, and Jenna gets replaced after the pilot with Rachel Dratch.
January 31, 2013 at 6:55PM EST Reply to Comment
TO

Good review, I agree on the whole, but I felt I needed to point out one glaring omission in the "guest stars" gallery at the end: Tim Conway.

How was he not even in the last slide of "others considered"?? He won a freaking Emmy for his cameo on 30 Rock, and although it was way back in season 2 to this day it remains my favorite guest appearance they've ever done! The way he ruined Kenneth's pristine vision of 1950's TV scene after scene was hysterical!
January 31, 2013 at 8:55PM EST Reply to Comment
Ruth Kerkeslager

After reading this, I just wonder how often we stop to say what a wonderful writer Alan Sepinwall is. He is amazing and makes every show we watch infinitely better.
January 31, 2013 at 10:10PM EST Reply to Comment
- Brendan Noel First of all, yes. Second of all, what dummies sent the reader rating into D territory?
  February 1, 2013 at 4:14AM EST
- Brian Co-sign. Alan is the best at what he does.
  February 1, 2013 at 10:17AM EST
- joel Read enough reviews and comments here week after week and you'll figure out who Sepinwall's serial detractors are. The annoying thing is they keep coming back to complain, month after month.
  February 1, 2013 at 1:30PM EST
- Kal Absolutely. He has an amazing job and he does it amazingly well.
  February 4, 2013 at 1:07PM EST
guest

How can you snub Will Arnett and Rip Torn?
February 2, 2013 at 3:09AM EST Reply to Comment

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Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Greg Where's Sherri Shepherd?"HAM!"

whatever @ MattI totally agree with you!!

Lars Thank you Matt, you really are mommy's baby lolAnd Sam, you go to your corner"Bad" 30 Rock episodes are still million times funnier than a "great" episode of 2 1/2 Men.

bitchstolemyremote We'd argue that last season was nearly as good as this final season has been. It's really S3-4 that aren't as solid

LDP in Cincinnati Even the worst episode of 30 Rock was better than any of Cougar Town, Happy Endings or The New Girl, all of which have been wildly overpraised.

SlackerInc I loved the first two seasons, but felt it jumped the shark early in season three and never watched again. At what point should I go back on Netflix and revisit the show?

Sandi Godspeed Cheyenne Jackson. You were great and I miss thee.

Mikey I've been repeating this to myself and then laughing hysterically for two weeks now:THAT'S A SERIES WRAP ON LEO SPACEMEN, SUCKERS!

rainman90 http://youtu.be/_XkzeDecjkg

Jenny I can't believe 30 Rock is ending. Blerg, Blergh, Bl?rg!

Jenny The final 'blerg' above was supposed to have an umlaut above the 'e', Liz Lemon IKEA style.

Brubarian Blërg

Brendan Noel I believe what I read is that originally "30 Rock" was going to show full length sketches from TGS on the show, so Rachel Dratch was hired because she was a sketch actress. But that was ditched in favor of being a more narrative sitcom, so they replaced her.

SlackerInc I sometimes wonder if I'm the only person alive who flat out loved Studio 60, with no major reservations.

ireneinidaho Alan, would you post a list of your 10 favorite "30 Rock" episodes, please? I only started watching regularly a couple years ago, and I'd love to go back and find some of the earlier classic eps. Thanks!

bitchstolemyremote Good luck keeping it solely to 10. There are SO many classic episodes that would be super challenging - at least for us

Guesty Guesterson Go to the AV Club, they just did exactly that, more or less.

ireneinidaho Thanks for the info @Guesty (great name, BTW!). Now I'm thinking of adding 30R DVDs to my list of b/d gifts, Methinks they would brighten up these gloomy days of winter. Sidenote: when I mistyped "brighten," the iPad changed it to "Britten.". It must know I'm on Alan's site!

Jayne "Studio 60..?""Shut up."

Rev. Slappy I always wanted Rachel Dratch to return near the end of 30 Rock in a story line where she and Jenna had been switched at birth.

Lars Since we also have recurring roles here, where's BANKS??

Lars wow, oops, wrong article lol

MICHAEL As someone who had to catch up on Netflix, I agree that the rough patch was not that bad. I'd say it went from middle of 3rd to early 5th. The show has gotten so wonderful recently and I'm sad to see it go. Then again, I'm really really happy to see it go out in style. :D

scoopie77 I wonder how this show is going to play in 20 years, but that doesn't matter. It's been a great ride and I will miss it.

rainman90 "OK, very funny. You bought a pager from Dennis. Will you take it off now, please?""Oh, I can't. I'm expecting a call from 1983."

bgt "Technology is cyclical."

Annie We still quote the "Technology is cyclical" line a lot around our house. Dennis Duffy was a fantastic, hilarious character, and they used him just the right amount.

the passenger I am so sad 30 Rock is ending. Last year I spend a couple of months watching the whole series again from the beginning, courtesy of Comedy Central's two episodes per weekday, and I fell in love with it all over again. I could just keep watching it over and over, and probably will.

john could you rank the seasons? and also maybe which areas to skip cause of the "rough patch"

Brendan Noel I too have been rewatching a lot of episodes and somehow I forgot how much I liked DennisDennis: "One word: coffee. Problem: where do you get it?"Liz: "Anywhere! You get it annyyyywheeerre!"

Brian "Wrong! You get it at my coffee vending machine. 38th & 6th in the basement of the K-Mart. You just go downstairs, you get the key from David and BOOM! You plug in the machine and..."

Brendan Noel You're done!

Brendan Noel "There's no reason to live anymore...the Islanders lost tonight""Doesn't that happen a lot?""I knew you wouldn't understand..."

Marissa I hope Kenneth goes for Liz's sitcom idea, she casts Jenna, and Jenna gets replaced after the pilot with Rachel Dratch.

Ruth Kerkeslager After reading this, I just wonder how often we stop to say what a wonderful writer Alan Sepinwall is. He is amazing and makes every show we watch infinitely better.

Brendan Noel First of all, yes. Second of all, what dummies sent the reader rating into D territory?

Brian Co-sign. Alan is the best at what he does.

joel Read enough reviews and comments here week after week and you'll figure out who Sepinwall's serial detractors are. The annoying thing is they keep coming back to complain, month after month.

Kal Absolutely. He has an amazing job and he does it amazingly well.

guest How can you snub Will Arnett and Rip Torn?

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30 Rock is updated

Greg

Where's Sherri Shepherd?

"HAM!"

whatever @ Matt
I totally agree with you!!

Lars Thank you Matt, you really are mommy's baby lol
And Sam, you go to your corner
"Bad" 30 Rock episodes are still million times funnier than a "great" episode of 2 1/2 Men.

Sandi

Godspeed Cheyenne Jackson. You were great and I miss thee.

Mikey

I've been repeating this to myself and then laughing hysterically for two weeks now:

THAT'S A SERIES WRAP ON LEO SPACEMEN, SUCKERS!

Jenny

I can't believe 30 Rock is ending. Blerg, Blergh, Bl?rg!

ireneinidaho

Alan, would you post a list of your 10 favorite "30 Rock" episodes, please? I only started watching regularly a couple years ago, and I'd love to go back and find some of the earlier classic eps. Thanks!

ireneinidaho Thanks for the info @Guesty (great name, BTW!). Now I'm thinking of adding 30R DVDs to my list of b/d gifts, Methinks they would brighten up these gloomy days of winter.
Sidenote: when I mistyped "brighten," the iPad changed it to "Britten.". It must know I'm on Alan's site!

Jayne

"Studio 60..?"
"Shut up."

Rev. Slappy

I always wanted Rachel Dratch to return near the end of 30 Rock in a story line where she and Jenna had been switched at birth.

Lars

Since we also have recurring roles here, where's BANKS??

MICHAEL

As someone who had to catch up on Netflix, I agree that the rough patch was not that bad. I'd say it went from middle of 3rd to early 5th. The show has gotten so wonderful recently and I'm sad to see it go. Then again, I'm really really happy to see it go out in style. :D

scoopie77

I wonder how this show is going to play in 20 years, but that doesn't matter. It's been a great ride and I will miss it.

rainman90 "OK, very funny. You bought a pager from Dennis. Will you take it off now, please?"

"Oh, I can't. I'm expecting a call from 1983."

the passenger

I am so sad 30 Rock is ending. Last year I spend a couple of months watching the whole series again from the beginning, courtesy of Comedy Central's two episodes per weekday, and I fell in love with it all over again. I could just keep watching it over and over, and probably will.

john

could you rank the seasons? and also maybe which areas to skip cause of the "rough patch"

Brendan Noel

I too have been rewatching a lot of episodes and somehow I forgot how much I liked Dennis

Dennis: "One word: coffee. Problem: where do you get it?"
Liz: "Anywhere! You get it annyyyywheeerre!"

Brendan Noel "There's no reason to live anymore...the Islanders lost tonight"

"Doesn't that happen a lot?"

"I knew you wouldn't understand..."

Marissa

I hope Kenneth goes for Liz's sitcom idea, she casts Jenna, and Jenna gets replaced after the pilot with Rachel Dratch.

Ruth Kerkeslager

After reading this, I just wonder how often we stop to say what a wonderful writer Alan Sepinwall is. He is amazing and makes every show we watch infinitely better.

guest

How can you snub Will Arnett and Rip Torn?

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