Hiatus

I can still remember when 30 Rock came to the UK. It was grabbed up by channel 5 and I give them credit for that because, with hindsight, it was a hot property. However at the same time they also snapped up a similar show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It then proceeded to schedule them one after the other on the same night, with 30 Rock following and thus starting at close to 11pm. The next thing they did, or rather failed to do was really market them in such a way that the show got the attention it deserved. I never bothered watching it because, as I have read others saying, Studio 60 didn't really appeal to me as a show to start watching and, by association, I just didn't bother with 30 Rock.

In the US the show is now in its third season and a browse of DVD's made me think that a reduced price for the first season was perhaps worth a look given how many good things I have since heard about it. Funnily this echoes how I started watching The Wire (I picked up seasons 1 & 2 for cheap in an HMV sale) and I suppose I should have seen this as an omen. I say this because, like The Wire, 30 Rock is really, really good at what it sets out to do. Of course content and aim-wise the two shows are chalk and cheese but both now hold a special place in my heart. For a time, the word "sitcom" would have put me off from the very start but I think this is because I still think of lame BBC1 prime-time affairs, or the endless daytime TV filler sitcoms where the targets appear to be uniformity and blandness rather than laughter. 30 Rock could not be further from those because so much of it is set up purely for the purposes of comedy and it seems like the plots are built around this rather than the other way around.

The strength of it is the amount of characters that are already in place and can be called on as a part of the main narrative of each episode or simply be used for a few lines or scenes that are the funniest thing in the whole bit. Well, it is not so much the characters but rather how good the individual actors are and how sharp much of their dialogue is. Fey is the central point for much of the narrative but also gives herself plenty of laughs as well, mainly from her deadpan and slightly neurotic character. Morgan is the real hoot though. His character is clearly Martin Lawrence and he plays to that cliché really well, greatly helped by the writing, with plenty of erratic turns and twists. Krakowski surprised me with her comic touch and she plays well even if she never feels to the fore of any episode. Even more surprising though is Baldwin, with his gruff deadpan and biting remarks, he is the frequently the best thing in any given episode. As with everyone else, I love Kenneth and part of the reason is just how good McBrayer is at delivering it. In supporting roles the material is lesser but everyone is still reliable when called upon – I won't list them all since there isn't really anyone who is a weak link performance wise.

Season 1 of 30 Rock is a refreshing experience. It is very funny, very fresh and the short episodes make it punchy with it. The plot doesn't matter too much but is yet good enough to provide a frame to prevent any episode just feeling like a sketch show rather than a sitcom. Well worth checking out and I'm very glad I did, the only downside of catching it on DVD being how quickly I ripped through it all.

The twenty-first episode and season finale of the first season of 30 Rock is a near-perfect finale of the very funny first season of a well-received show. This episode seems more different than others from the past, but this show mainly exists to tie up loose ends. The acting is brilliant as usual thanks to Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and Tracy Morgan whom are as good as ever.

This episode, "Hiatus," has Tracy Jordan still missing. However, Kenneth knows of his whereabouts and he refuses to tell. Meanwhile, Tracy is kidnapped. Meanwhile, Liz is having trouble managing her long-distance relationship with Floyd. Jack's mother comes to visit him and takes a dislike for his fiancée.

Overall, this episode is very funny and has some amusing jokes. The guest appearance by Sean Hayes is really good and he interacts well with Tracy. Looking forward to watch a funny Season 2. I rate this episode 9/10.

Hiatus, the first season finale of 30 Rock, is as clever a sample of metatelevison as there ever will be: a finale about a finale (kind of a reversal of Seinfeld's fourth year, which ended with an episode centered around a television pilot).

The episode begins in an unprecedented way for 20-minute comedy shows (minus the occasional two-part story on Friends): Kenneth says "Previously on 30 Rock" and we see the events from the previous show that made Tracy go in hiding after he thought the Black Crusaders were coming after him. He's now being "protected" by Kenneth's cousin Jesse (Sean Hayes), who quickly turns all Annie Wilkes on the poor comedian.

Meanwhile, panic abounds over at NBC, since they still have one episode of TGS to air before the summer hiatus and Tracy has to be in it. The stressful situation isn't doing much good for Jack's health, which gets even worse when his mother Colleen (Elaine Stritch) comes for a visit and expresses reservations about his new fiancée Phoebe (Emily Mortimer).

The brilliance in Tina Fey's writing is all the more obvious with this episode, which reflects her real-life concerns: just like Liz must find a satisfying conclusion for the 2006-2007 season of TGS, she needed a finale that would keep fans waiting for the second series. She pulls it off artfully with the usual string of quotable lines and self-referential insanity, with the addition of two guest stars whose comedic ability few would question: Hayes, always the funniest thing in NBC's hit Will & Grace, has the same flamboyant charm here, with an added hint of madness, while Stritch, who won an Emmy for her performance (bravo!), gives Alec Baldwin a run for his money with a portrayal that matches all the ghastly things we've heard about the character in previous episodes.

In short: an artistic triumph. Oh, and still very, very funny.