TV Show: 30 Rock

I had no idea when this show started that I was going to enjoy it so much. Usually, when the new season is being hyped, you see one or two entries that pique your curiosity. 30 Rock premiered the same season as a somewhat similarly themed and named show, an Aaron Sorkin comedy/drama called Studio 60. I did like that show, but it only lasted one season. But 30 Rock blows me away.

It’s very rare that I watch a sitcom and actually laugh out loud. If it’s good then I’ll smile, I’ll be entertained, but that’s about it. I laugh all the way through 30 Rock. I chuckle. I chortle. I’ve even been known to guffaw.

Like all great sitcoms, this one is smartly written and wonderfully cast. Remember how Alec Baldwin threatened to leave the country if Bush won reelection? If he had, we’d never have seen his inspired Jack Donaghy. Tina Fey is not only the brilliant force behind the show, she’d be great if she did nothing but bring Liz Lemon to life. I’m shocked at how good Tracy Morgan is.

And Jack McBrayer is so perfect as Kenneth the page, that I had to look him up to see if he was actually an actor. Kenneth has joined the pantheon of all-time great sitcom supporting characters, along with classic misfits like Barney Fife and Kramer.

I don’t know how long the show can hold together, how long the stars will stay, how long the premise can be sustained. But for now, at least, this is one very funny show.