UPDATED WITH RATINGS BELOW: “I want to welcome you to Season Four.” With that semi-greeting — Alec Baldwin’s Jack was referring to the restaurant to which he’d brought his most treasured employees, to sample a troubled-economy pleasure, the Cheesy-Blaster — 30 Rock took off last night with a breathlessly daffy edition.
It had all the elements you want in a Rock: Misperceived motives (Liz and Pete’s attempts to find a new cast member misconstrued as an office love affair by everyone including Pete’s all-too-understanding wife); Tracy Jordan doing something absurdist ridiculous (in this case, trying to get back in touch with his inner poor-man; this, from a man who has to ask his assistant-pals which elevator he’s not afraid of), and Jack inveighing against the policies of “Comrade Obama.” Jenna decided one way to attract viewers was to “go country” (Jack’s eyes lit up like firecrackers when she leapt out wiggling in a small outfit plus cowboy hat); Kenneth led a strike against the offensively large disparity between the pages’ paychecks and those of management. In short, classic 30 Rock, no?
You’d think winning a slew of Emmys and being extraordinarily funny would help Tina Fey and 30 Rock to achieve a certain measure of comfort — no lessening of ambition or funniness, but, you know, the confidence that the sitcom has become a Thursday-night fixture.
Yet Fey, who must be pretty exhausted just starring in and writing her show, dragged herself out onto the talk-show circuit at all hours of the day and night, doubtless under pressure from her own work ethic and from the network to drum up a bigger audience. She journeyed from The Today Show to The View (the gals wanted to know when she’s gonna impersonate Sarah Palin again — Tina’s mouth said, “If she runs for President” but her eyes said, “Oh, please, get a new subject, willya?”) to The Late Show with David Letterman, where she was hilarious on the subject of her recent Harper’s Bazaar cover-photo shoot.
Meanwhile, the media is circling her show in what may look like a shark but smells like a backlash:
A New York Times review of the season premiere contended that Fey is a lousy actress who hinders her own smart show.
Also on Thursday, a USA Today piece ventured that 30 Rock can’t take its place among the great sitcoms unless it gets bigger ratings.
To the first accusation, I say: Baloney. On two levels. First: excellent sitcom stars don’t have to be capable of vast range. To take just one example, Roseanne Barr was a pretty stiff performer during even the best years of Roseanne, and she still helmed a great show.
To the second, that persistent ratings question: My colleagues should be grateful that one of the very few things NBC has done right over the past few years in not jumping the gun as Fox did in prematurely cancelling Arrested Development.
I’m not saying Tina Fey and 30 Rock are poor, defenseless victims being bullied. Indeed, the extremely sparky season premiere came out swinging — at NBC, at dumb-sitcom cliches (“Is this really just our first week back?” Liz/Tina sighed), and at dumbness wherever it exists in pop and political culture. But this notion that the show hasn’t quite fulfilled its glorious potential… that’s more ridiculous than anything Jenna or Tracy could dream up.
UPDATE: Variety reports that the season premiere declined from last year, 3.0 rating and 8 share in the 18-49 demo, down from 4.1/10 for last season’s premiere.
What gives, folks?
For more on 30 Rock:
Jerry Seinfeld is also not such a great actor and it didn’t take away from his show. I liked last nights show and will continue to watch as long as NBC keeps it on!
Agreed. Jerry Seinfeld was the first defense that came to mind against that ridiculous argument. My friends and I are huge Seinfeld fans, and still love to point out when Jerry starts to crack a smile during a scene. The show even made fun of this when TV Jerry got his own sitcom and everyone on set said he was a bad actor.
Tina Fey is great on 30 Rock, on and offscreen.
you know why it has to beg for viewers? Because it’s just not that funny and the cast, especially Alec Baldwin and Tracey Morgan, are not likable in the least.
Hype, Hype, Hype.
Well everyone has there opinion and own sense of humor. This show is great. It’s wity and 10x better than a lot of other shows on tv. Baldwin is great and yeah Morgan kinda does the same thing every episode, but overall it’s a A++++ show
Fey is highly overrated and Morgan doesn’t belong on network television.
Since when does somebody have to be likable to be funny? Was George Costanza likable? No, he was a horrible person but possibly the greatest character in the history of sitcoms. This show is brilliant, best comedy on TV right now. Viva 30 Rock!
Here, Here!
I could not agree more! It is NOT funny!
This show was lucky to have survived through it’s third season. It only managed to do so by stunt casting and Fey’s spot-on, yet tired Palin impressions.
I watched last night and didn’t think it was that funny. I found The Office to be way more funny
Man, last night’s episode SUCKED. It was embarrassingly bad, and I can’t believe Tucker didn’t acknowledge. Love the show, but agree that it just wasn’t funny. AT ALL.
It’s not funny it’s INCREDIBLE FUNNY, but maybe you only like hillbilly humor… Thank God for 30 Rock, it’a a real gem of comedy
30Rock is absolutely the best thing on television right now, at least in comedy.
To each his own. I love most of the characters on 30 Rock. I could do without Tracey, but I LOVE Jack. Almost everything he says has me LOL. Hopefully the show will survive even with lower ratings. According to Jim survived for YEARS and that show sucked.
It was a funny episode, and I think the NYT review is maybe overly contrarien (sp). One would expect NYT to love the liberal-minded hip-ish comedy, so they decline to do so. I think Fey is great. Not Streep, but great.
You’re wrong. It was bad.
The quotes from the NY Times and USA Today are ridiculous. And your examples of Roseanne and Arrested Development are the best evidence to dispute their specious statements. That said, last night’s episode was a bit off for me. It had some moments…Pete’s wife trying to lure Liz into a 3-way…Kenneth’s garbled Southern talk with Jack…everybody forgetting who Josh is. But the Tracy and Jenna stuff didn’t quite do it for me.
Last night was the funniest 30 Rock I’ve seen in a long time. That “Comrade Obama” line had me laughing for awhile. That and “We are intercoursing each other” followed by the entrance of the wife….priceless.
Yes, Arrested Development was a great show, but can we please stop blaming Fox for canceling it too soon? They gave it three seasons. I’d say they gave it more than a shot.
Still A+ televison for me**
If one doesn’t find Baldwin or Morgan the least bit likable, then I can only assume they must never watch 30 Rock. Alec Baldwin has been fantastic as the stereotypical corporate honcho relegated to slumming it with the talent. For the most part, he’s the straight man glue that holds all the zany pieces of this show together.
It took a long time for Tina Fey to grow on me, but I now find her character’s stilted delivery and awkwardness charming (and intentional).
Kinda surprised by the extent of backlash some critics are trying to push for. The premiere wasn’t their best episode but the show’s premieres are never its strongest work. But there are always fantastic laughs. Loved the Liz/Pete storyline last night. Tina Fey is a workhorse; in addition to those interviews, she also filmed 30 Rock, had the premiere party and hosted the Light the Night charity event.
USA Today can suck it. What does that make Arrested Development then?
I absolutely LOVE 30 Rock!!!! Forget the critics, exactly what are they looking for in 30 mins of television anyway??? I enjoy all of the characters and you can tell that the actors are enthusiasic (sp) about their work. My DVR is locked to 30 Rock on Thursdays…I absolutely LOVE 30 Rock. I’ve never seen Alec Baldwin in a better role than the one he plays on the show. Did I say that I absolutely LOVE 30 Rock!!!!
I keep trying to like this show, and there are moments that I do, but most of the time, I just don’t find it as funny as all the critics that are yelling at me to WATCH IT, WATCH IT! Of the four comedy shows yesterday, Community was actually the best with the Office second, and then 30 Rock-at least to me.
Really The Office above 30 Rock AND Parks & Rec? I didn’t watch Community so I can’t comment on that but The Office had one of their worst episodes last night. The mafia plot was going nowhere! I hated that Andy was involved because I love that character and him and Dwight egging on Michael was ridiculous.
I agree totally. Love 30-Rock and last night’s office pretty much confirmed for me that Jim and Pam getting married signals the beginning of the end of the office, and even though Michael is supposed to be the main character that the show truly revolves around Jim and Pam and always has.
The thing to understand about 30 Rock and Arrested Development is that the characters are concentrated versions of the personality quarks we all have. They both in the same vein as Seinfeld, just smarter and less dry.
IT’s not John & Kate + 8 and not American Idol so people dont like it. The low ratings for 30 Rock and the cancellation of Arrested Development are simply because America has become a country of half backed hillbillies that only love reality TV. These great sitcoms are simply too witty and too smart for people to understand. They would rather watch white trash wallowing in their own stupidity via reality TV then take the time to “get” smart comedy like this.
I am almost positive 30 Rock will be cancelled some time soon and replaced with a reality TV show about midgets losing weight while trying to date a super model chef.
Amen! Americans love spoon fed mush
completely agree. you need a brain, as well as cultural and political awareness, to completely “get” this show. sometimes you even need to think a little to get the joke. god forbid that the couch potatoes exercise that muscle..
Hmmm. I have a Ph. D. and am pretty culturally and politically aware. And yet I don’t find 30 Rock funny. I’ve tried to watch it several times, and found bits here and there that were amusing, but the show overall leaves me cold. So your sweeping generalizations are patently wrong and say more about you than the “couch-potatoes”–who are sitting on the couch, just like you, watching TV.
I’ll admit that it’s over saturated with reality tv but there are no real great original programs outside of Lost. The Office is probably the best comedy but is by no means to be considered original. 30 Rock tries too hard and fails.
How presumptuous and arrogant to assume that people who dislike “30 Rock” are “half backed hillbillies that only love reality TV.” I have a degree in Film and Media studies (Latin honors attached), and I have failed to see the humor in the handful of episodes that I’ve attempted to watch. Comedy is, and always will be, a subjective form, so there’s no need to berate people for not subscribing to your same viewpoint.
As an aside, I will say that I find most of the current half-hour comedies unbearable (“The Big Bang Theory” being a notable exception), but nothing gets my goat more than being told that my disdain for something is rooted in my lack of sophistication to see its wit and intelligence. I’m a theatre geek for goodness sake!
You lost me when you complemented Big Bang Theory. That sh1tcom is typical of the laugh-track garbage that dumb americans love.
Thank you! I totally agree-some people just want to feel superior to others and since they happen to like this show, that makes them better than the rest of us. And BTW-I did like Arrested so I guess that only makes me a 1/4 hillbilly.
It’s the most worthless form of criticism — the “you don’t like it because you’re too (fill in the blank), or not (fill in the blank) enough, to appreciate it” argument. Valid criticism consists of analyzing a work and demonstrating its value, but it’s much more difficult to do that than it is to hurl insults at people.
WTF does half-backed mean? You really like yourself don’t you? You’re probably one of those people who preaches about how intolerant some people are, then you go on to trash anyone who isn’t like you. It is possible to like 30 Rock AND some reality TV, you know. I know because I do. There are plenty of intelligent people out there who simply have a different sense of humor. YOURS is not the only correct opinion, and EVERYONE who does not share it is not a “half-backed hillblly”, whatever the hell that means.
Unless you’re one of those people who kept Everybody Loves Raymund on for all those years… then your opinion is wrong.
I love a good, smart comedy (read: The Office, Arrested Development) but I reaaaaally dislike 30 Rock. Yes, I’ve seen the show. I gave it a chance, but I found that I dislike Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and Tracy Morgan so much that nothing could overcome that, no matter how many critics tell me I should watch it. If NBC had anything going for it, this show would have never had a chance to win all those Emmys, since it would have been cancelled in the first or second season due to poor ratings.
Season 1 was promising. Season 2 petered out about midway through. Season 3 was too highly dependent on stunt casting and trying to be too catch phrasey. This latest episode borders on boring. This show is in no way to be compared to the greatness that was A.D.
I totally agree. Don’t compare it to Arrested Development, which was timeless, funny and brilliantly acted. 30 Rock jumped the shark the moment Salma Hayek strolled in.
IMO, Arrested Development also sharply lowered in quality in season three. The first two seasons of both shows are the best of the best. I hope 30 Rock will take the opportunity of a 4th season to swing back.
AD only declined because they were shown the door prematurely. Fey has no excuses other than she has a turkey on her hands.
NBC’s past “Must See TV” was COSBY, FAMILY TIES, FRIENDS, ER. Unfortunately, neither “The Office” or “30 Rock” are those type (above) shows. And so the shows are in the ratings cellar.
I enjoyed all these shows back in the day, but if you TRULY think “Family Ties” is a funnier show than “30 Rock” you are clinically insane. “The Office” is one of the sole bright spots in NBC’s schedule… and the reason these shows get poor ratings is due to their parent network. At this point, nothing short of a show called “NCIS Idol” could make people watch NBC.
Comedy now is a completely different game than it was in the 80s and 90s. You can’t compare those shows to what is airing now. Also, television in and of itself is different now, what with DVR and online streaming episodes, so it’s difficult to play the ratings game.
Tina’s a better actor than Jerry Seinfeld ever was. 30 Rock isn’t more popular because of lines like this “are you a pre-op trans centaur?” you have to watch the ep twice to hear it, let alone get it. with BBT you get three things 1) Sheldon being fussy 2) geek jokes and 3) Penny’s boobs hanging out of her halter top. viewers know that’s what they’re getting every week. 30 Rock is more work to watch…that’s why I love it.
You’re clinically insane….”Tina’s a better actor than Jerry Seinfeld”…..wow
Um, she is. Maybe not the better comedian, but better actor? Definitely. Jerry Seinfeld’s character was completely one-note (again, Seinfeld is my favorite sitcom of all time so I’m not criticizing), but Tina Fey slips into all sort of modes to play Liz Lemon.
Agreed except maybe on the Tina/Seinfeld thread (I like both). I used to love BBT, but now wach week on The Big Bang theory we get 1) Sheldon’s picky about food joke 1) Sheldon and Leonard have a contract for his OCD 1) Sheldon couch cushion joke 1) Bazinga 1) raj can’t talk to women 1) Wallowitz is a horny jew…you can set your watch by them