30 Rock: Season 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Watching 30 ROCK during its second season was a completely exhilarating experience. It had in its rookie year quickly established itself as the funniest show on TV, but during its sophomore campaign the writing and acting got sharper and sharper with each episode. Next to ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, I honestly believe that this is the funniest American comedy series ever.
Most comedy shows, when the writers get a funny joke or idea, they massage it and call attention to it, perhaps even taking a pause to allow everyone to notice and appreciate it. Not 30 ROCK. The jokes just tumbled out and sometimes they were only there if you looked hard for them. The humor came in waves, in layers. For instance, in one episode Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is watching Celeste Cunningham (Edie Falco), with whom he has just had a passionate romantic encounter, get interviewed on a news network. The main point in the scene is that the right-wing Republican Jack is horrified to learn that his flame is a left-wing Democrat, but if you look very carefully at the ticker tape along the bottom of the TV screen, you will see the words "Anne Heche leaves husband for pony" scroll across. And shot after shot during the season features in-jokes concerning the Shinehardt Wig Company ("NOT Polluting Rivers since 1997"), which somehow manages to be the parent company for GE. This is not to say that the main jokes aren't great as well (I mean, just how funny is the idea of the fake reality series MILF ISLAND?). The key point is that it isn't just that they jokes are plentiful and unrelenting; they are GOOD. It is humor with an edge, but it is never less than brilliant.
This year Alec Baldwin will almost certainly win what should have been his second Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy series. Last year news broke about an abusive message he left on his daughter's phone mail service. It unquestionably cost him the Emmy he deserved. But there is simply no question that he is the most outstanding lead actor on a comedy series today. And Tina Fey not only matches him scene for scene in her self-effacing portrayal of GIRLIE SHOW head writer Liz Lemon, but gets additional major kudos for serving as head writer on the show itself. The two of them are backed by a deep and talented cast, from Tracy Morgan in his inspired role as the literally insane Tracy Jordan to Jack McBrayer in his scene stealing role as Kenneth the page (I would love to see him get an Emmy nomination). And in addition to the regular cast there was an endless string of wonderful guest appearances, including return visits from Dean Winters as Liz's horrid (but very, very funny) ex-boyfriend Dennis and Will Arnett as Jack's company rival Devon Banks. But there were some great one-time guest appearances as well, perhaps none as delightful as Tim Conway's portrayal of a TV veteran who shatters all of Kenneth's illusions about the Golden Age of TV. Oddly enough, the one guest appearance that misfired was that by Jerry Seinfeld. It was as if the show ceased doing what makes it so brilliant to accommodate Jerry's guest spot.
The lone mystery about 30 ROCK is why it doesn't attract a larger audience. I won't name names, but there are hosts of truly lousy series that get far larger audiences than 30 ROCK. This show gets the critical acclaim and wins the awards, but it simply doesn't pull in the large ratings. This distresses me. It makes me wonder if America is clueless about great comedy. I don't get it. Never have and perhaps never will. But trust me: this is as brilliant, as funny as TV can get.

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Relive the second season of the Primetime Emmy® Award-winning comedy 30 Rock, the show that the guy who writes stuff on DVD boxes calls “my current assignment” and that Gillian Flynn of Entertainment Weekly has named “simply the best TV.” Created by Golden Globe® and SAG Award winner Tina Fey, 30 Rock features Fey (as TV writer Liz Lemon), Golden Globe® and SAG Award winner Alec Baldwin (as corporate executive Jack Donaghy), Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski (as Lemon’s unpredictable stars, Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney) and Jack McBrayer (as the naive NBC page Kenneth Parcell). Co-workers and friends, they are all trying to balance work and life, with the inevitable result of failed relationships, disastrous parties, at-work drunkenness, hard-core coffee addiction, world-class sandwich eating and occasional attempts to chop down Christmas trees. Join in the behind-the-scenes fun with lots of exclusive content and all fifteen episodes of the acclaimed second season of 30 Rock from executive producer Lorne Michaels.

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Parks & Recreation: Season One Review

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(More customer reviews)When I watched the first episode of "Parks and Recreation", I was let down. It was unfunny, unoriginal, and dull. Being an Amy Poehler fan though, I decided to stick with it to see if it improved. To my surprise, not only did it improve, it became better than most sitcoms out there nowadays. If you reviewed this negatively based solely on the first episode, I would suggest watching the entire season as even I agree with your first episode assessment. If you like "30 Rock" and "The Office", this show fits in nicely to that style of comedy.

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From the people who bring you The Office comes Parks and Recreation, the hilarious saga of government employees and local citizens turning a neighborhood hole in the ground into a new public park. Comedy superstar Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live, Baby Mama) stars as Leslie Knope, an ambitious and hopeful small town government worker, whose dreams are way bigger than her political talents. Created by Primetime Emmy Award winners Greg Daniels (The Office, King of the Hill, The Simpsons) and Michael Schur (The Office, SNL), and featuring a stellar ensemble cast, Parks and Recreation is a \'genuinely funny comedy" (Daniel Carlson, Hollywood Reporter) about bureaucracy, hope and America at the dawn of the Obama age.

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30 Rock: Season One (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Bizarrely, NBC debuted two new series in 2006-2007 that were behind-the-scenes looks at fictional TV shows that bore astonishing resemblences to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. Aaron Sorkin's STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, the more highly touted of the two, did set its fictional SNL on the West Coast, but never really caught on with critics or with many fans and was eventually cancelled. On the other hand, 30 ROCK was an immediate hit with critics and gradually built more and more of a fan base. Though the ratings were never especially strong, NBC has perhaps the best track record of any current network for sticking with quality shows and attempting to nurture a fan base (on any other network both 30 ROCK and FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS would have been cancelled well before the end of the season). Hopefully more fans will discover this superb show and its long term future will be assured.
While the Sorkin series had very tenuous SNL credentials, 30 ROCK's are iron clad. It was created and produced by SNL veteran Tina Fey, who along with Gilda Radner is possibly the most gifted female performer the show has produced. Lorne Michaels serves as a producer, Tracy Morgan is one of the major stars on the show, and a long line of SNL performers appear as guest stars on the show. Rachel Dratch has appeared in so many episodes (albeit as a number of different characters, from Liz Taylor to a Cat Wrangler) that she could almost be considered a regular. It wouldn't be quite correct to call this a SNL spin off, but it comes as close as possible to being that without actually being one.
The show started off as very funny from the very beginning, but it evidenced one of the marks of a good show: it got better and better as it went along. While the writing and the jokes are sharp from the very beginning, the use of the characters got really good in the second half. One of the marks of a good show is that the second half of the debut season is better than the first half. And this one certainly did.
The ensemble cast is absolutely first rate, but three people really stand out. Tina Fey is not only the driving force behind the show, she is delightful as Liz Lemon, the head writer for THE GIRLIE SHOW, the fictional series they all work on. Alec Baldwin is shockingly good as Jack Donaghy, the NBC executive who oversees. He will be certain to get an Emmy nomination, something he will definitely deserve. But for me the funniest thing on the show is Tracy Morgan as an insane (literally) movie actor who joins the show. The overall atmosphere is one of surreal chaos.
I hope the show really takes off with fans this coming season. NBC's Thursday night line up of shows is perhaps the best group of really intelligent comic series ever. Back when they promoted "Must See TV" (which I never watched), they relied mainly on sit coms filmed in front of live audiences. But the current line up features filmed comedies that are smart, funny, and a hoot to watch. And for me they are really are, in contrast to the FRIENDS era, shows that I really feel I must watch.

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Emmy Award winner Tina Fey writes, executive produces, and stars as Liz Lemon, the head writer of a live variety program in New York City. Liz's life is turned upside down when brash new network executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin in his Golden Globe winning role) interferes with her show, bringing the wildly unpredictable Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) into the cast. Now it's up to Liz to manage the mayhem and still try and have a life. Join in the behind-the-scenes hilarity with the complete first season (21 episodes) on DVD.

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30 Rock: Season Three Review

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(More customer reviews)"30 Rock", the NBC sitcom that has the most Emmy Awards (22) for a single year for a comedy series. An award-winning series that is critically acclaimed series that in its first and second year, despite being a series that critics raved about, the series has had its challenge due to its low viewership.
Fortunately, NBC has supported this series and greenlighted a fourth season because "30 ROCK" is unique and one of those rare delights that is on network television. Humorous, entertaining but literally, just a fantastic comedy that has solid writing and a talented cast.
30 Rock is the shortened address of where NBC Studios is located in New York City, ala 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The show revolves around the crew and the cast of the live sketch comedy "The Girlie Show" which is written by head writer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey, "Saturday Night Live", "Baby Mama", "Mean Girls") and stars actress Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski, "Ally McBeal"). But Liz's boss, Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin, "Knots Landing", "Beetlejuice", "Pearl Harbor") decides to add comedian Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan, "Saturday Night Live", "Scare Tactics") to spice up the show and rename it "TGS with Tracy Jordan".
The show focuses on what goes behind-the-scenes of the creation of the show and what is going on in the personal lives of several of the main characters (primarily focusing on the lives of Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy) and focuses on relationships and the unique friendship that Jack and Liz tend to develop, while the two deal with their own love life but also their interaction with the writers of TGS and the NBC Page Kenneth Parcell (Jack MacBrayer, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", "Arrested Development").
"30 ROCK - Season 3' features 22 episodes on three discs. Included are (spoilerless summaries):
DISC: 1
* EPISODE 37 - DO-OVER - Liz wants to adopt but must must please the adoption evaluator (guest star Megan Mullally, "Will & Grace"). Meanwhile, Jack returns and wants his job back.
* EPISODE 38 - BELIEVE IN THE STARS - During a flight back from Chicago, Liz tells her life to Oprah Winfrey. Meanwhile, Tracy and Jenna try to outdo each other on who has the worst life.
* EPISODE 39 - THE ONE WITH THE CAST OF NIGHT COURT - Liz and Jenna's friend Claire (guest star Jennifer Aniston, "Friends", "Marley & Me", "Office Space") comes to visit and falls for Jack. Meanwhile, Kenneth is depressed and Tracy tries to make him happy by reuniting the cast of "Night Court" (guest star Harry Anderson, Charles Robinson and Markie Post).
* EPISODE 40 - GAVIN VOLURE - Businessman Gavin Volure (Steve Martin) falls for Liz. But Gavin has a big secret.
* EPISODE 41 - REUNION - Liz is convinced by Jack to go to her high school reunion and realizes how her fellow high school mates really feel about her.
* EPISODE 42 - CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - Liz takes pat in a charity to help underprivileged kids. Meanwhile, Jack's mother (Elaine Stritch) comes to visit and it stresses him out.
* EPISODE 43 - SENORA MACHO SOLO - Liz wants a child so bad that she mistakes a little person (Peter Dinklage) as a young boy. Meanwhile, Jack starts to fall for his mother's nurse Elisha (guest star Salma Hayek, "Ugly Betty", "Traffic", "Fools Rush In").
* EPISODE 44 - FLU SHOT - Liz fights for the TGS staff to get flu shots but only a few shots are available. Who will get them? Meanwhile, Jack and Elisha want to spend more time with each other.
DISC 2:
* EPISODE 45 - Retreat to Move Forward - With the corporate retreat coming up, Jack makes Liz accompany him.
* EPISODE 46 - Generalissimo - Jack wants to get closer to Elisha but her mother despises him because a Spanish soap opera villain named Generalissimo looks exactly like him.
* EPISODE 47 - St. Valentine's Day - Liz goes on a date with Drew and Jack goes to church with Elisha.
* EPISODE 48 - Larry King - Tracy has an interview on "Larry King Live" and gives out bad financial advise to viewers.
* EPISODE 49 - Goodbye, My Friend - Liz becomes friends with a pregnant teenager working at the donut shop.
* EPISODE 50 - The Fun Cooker - Liz has to go to jury duty and without her to lead, the TGS staff goes nuts without her.
* EPISODE 51 - The Bubble - Liz starts to learn that her boyfriend Drew is living in a bubble and not familiar with reality.
* EPISODE 52 - Apollo, Apollo - Liz's ex-boyfriend Dennis returns and Jack plans his perfect 50th birthday.
DISC 3:
* EPISODE 53 - Cutbacks - With corporate budget cuts, the TGS crew worry about who will get fired.
* EPISODE 54 - Jackie Jormp-Jomp - With what happened in the last episode, Liz must learn to live her new life without TGS.
* EPISODE 55 - The Ones - With Jack thinking of taking the next step with Elisha, he goes to Tracy to learn about married life.
* EPISODE 56 - The Natural Order - Tracy and Liz experience something unique. Meanwhile, Jenna adopts a pet Gibbon.
* EPISODE 57 - Mamma Mia - Liz and Tracy convince Jack to search for his real father. Meanwhile, Tracy finds out that he may have an illegitimate child.
* EPISODE 58 - Kidney Now! - Jack's father (Alan Alda) is going through major health problems, meanwhile Liz starts to get fame as a relationship expert.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"30 ROCK - SEASON 3' is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1:78:1. The television series is shot via single camera and has that drama series style of quality. But for the most part, the show is anamorphic widescreen and picture quality is satisfactory for what you would expect from television on DVD.
As for audio, audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1. For home theater owners with a receiver, the audio is front and channel driven with the dialogue being clear and understandable and the opening theme song coming quite lively. But for the most part, the audio is satisfactory for a comedy. Personally, I had my receiver set at stereo on all channels as my primary selection and preference in hearing the series.
Subtitles are presented in English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"30 ROCK - Season 3' includes quite a number of special features:
DISC 1:
* Flu Shot Episode Commentary with Tina Fey & Jeff Richmond
DISC 2:
* Goodbye, My Friend Commentary with Judah Friedlander & John Lutz
* The Bubble Commentary with Jon Hamm & Jack McBrayer
* Apollo, Apollo Commentary with Jack Burditt & Robert Carlock
DISC 3:
* The Ones Commentary with Jane Krakowski & Jack McBrayer
* Mamma Mia Commentary with Alan Alda
* Kidney Now! Commentary with Tina Fey & Jeff Richmond
* Behind-the-Scenes with the Muppets- (3:10) Tina Fey gives commentary about the Muppets being used on the show and designed after the cast. Behind-the-scenes footage of how the Muppets are being used.
* 1-900-OKFace - (1:09) The embarrassing commercial of Liz Lemon's first and only acting role as Bijou.
* Kidney Now! Table Read - (31:26) The table read for the show with video on the top of the cast going through their scripts and the actual script being shown on the bottom.
* Making of "He Needs a Kidney" - (12:23) The Making of Kidney! Now. A featurette about the final episode of Season 3 which shows how music would become instrumental in this episode.
* Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery - (2:06) A photo montage of the crew and cast of "30 Rock".
* Alec Baldwin's SNL Monologue - (4:50) The opening monologue for Alec Baldwin's appearance on "Saturday Night Live" with Jack McBrayer.
* Tracy Jordan's Rant - (2:08) Tracy Jordan going off on the camera operator.
* Award Acceptance Speeches - Featuring award acceptance speeches for "Emmy's - Outstanding Lead Actress - Comedy Series" (1:19), "Emmy's - Outstanding Lead Actor - Comedy Series" (1:05) and "Golden Globes - Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy" (1:18).
JUDGMENT CALL:
I absolutely love "30 ROCK". The third season showed no signs of slowdown and every episode, you just want to laugh because the characters are hilarious but most of all, the writing is just top notch. And all 22 episodes in the third season does not disappoint at all.
With the second season DVD release from last year, the show was really facing major challenges as the Writers Guild Strike really cut down on the episodes and no one knew if NBC was going to cancel the show but they gave it some time and next thing you know, the show won many awards. The fact that the show has been nominated for 22 awards in 2009 alone is a testament of how people respect the show's writing and its talent. As mentioned earlier in my review, "30 ROCK" is one of those rare and unique shows on television and everything manages to work perfectly.
I've watched Season 3 on television and I couldn't wait to watch the episodes again, that's how much I really enjoy this series. It's witty, fun and comedy that is highly entertaining! In fact, as for favorite episodes, there is just so many. From finding out who Liz Lemon was talking to on the plane ride in the episode "Believe in the Stars", to see the reuniting of the "Night Court" characters and also see Jennifer Aniston's "Claire" getting into mischief in "The One with the Cast of Night Court", Kenneth going on a date with a blind staffer with Tracy's help in "St. Valentine's Day", Jack seeing a duplicate of himself on the Spanish soap opera in "Generalissimo" or Liz and Jack visiting Liz's high school reunion in the episode titled "Reunion"...Read more›

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Re-enjoy the complete third season of the Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning comedy 30 Rock, hailed by The New York Times as \'its third season" and by The Sun as a \'comedy\' shown on NBC\' [which is a] network." Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award winner (and show creator) Tina Fey and Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award winner Alec Baldwin star as corporate executive Jack Donaghy and TV writer Liz Lemon (reverse respectively). Together, Jack and Liz manage the workplace chaos with no help from Liz\'s loose-cannon stars Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney (Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski) and hapless NBC page Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer). The end result is topless break-dancing, professional tetherball, geriatric kidnapping, bird murder, sexual espionage, Appalachian witchcraft, patricide, gay lion tattoos and important life lessons learned from sasquatches.Join in the behind-the-scenes fun with lots of exclusive content and all 22 episodes of the acclaimed third season of 30 Rock from executive producer Lorne Michaels (Hot Rod).

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