I have been a little late getting into 30 Rock but I’m glad that I did; it’s the funniest new comedy on TV since The Office.
There are two shows this season based on the behind-the-scenes makings of a live television show, but only one of them is worth watching, and it’s not Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I’ve never been able to sit through a full hour of Studio 60, and it appears many Americans are with me; it’s a ratings disaster. If it weren’t for the big creative team behind the show, it would’ve went away along with Smith and 3 Lbs. to cancellation heaven.
But 30 Rock is different. The show’s star is also it’s creator, Tina Fey, and features Alec Baldwin in one of his best roles in years. Fey plays Liz Lemon, the head writer of a SNL-esque sketch comedy show called “The Girlie Show” which was forced to add the mentally-ill but wildly popular Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) as a cast member.
For the record, let me state that I have never found Tracy Morgan funny, or even tolerable. He was a waste of a cast member on SNL in my opinion and I honestly can’t remember ever laughing at one skit he was in. That being said, Fey has created the perfect outlet to prove that he actually IS funny and he shines in his role.
Now here’s the problem. The ratings for this show aren’t that great, but NBC has thankfully ordered it for a full-season pickup. It’s great to see that they’re not pulling the plug on this show in hopes it will turn out to be as successful as The Office has become, another show which started off slow ratings-wise.
Unfortunately, the idiots who run NBC are out of touch with the demographic for this show. I don’t know who they’re aiming for, but I can pretty much guarantee that if you like The Office and that brand of witty humor, you will find 30 Rock hilarious.
The Office became successful mainly through iTunes, at a time when there were limited shows available. The Office’s strong word-of-mouth buzz, coupled with the curiosity of the tech-savvy in purchasing television episodes through iTunes became the series’ saving grace.
If NBC is hoping for that to happen with 30 Rock, they are sadly mistaken. iTunes is not going to break this show because people are not aware of its brilliance. There’s little buzz, and buying TV on iTunes is old hat. Other networks realize this, and that’s they’ve created opportunities to view past and current episodes of their content for free (ad-supported) online. Unfortunately, NBC doesn’t allow you to watch all the back episodes of 30 Rock at their website, so you’re limited to watching just the most recently aired one.
How does that make any sense? Does anyone even know when this show’s regular time-slot is?! I didn’t, and I’m pretty damn TV savvy. (It’s Thursday @ 9:30). NBC should be doing everything they possibly can to get this show out there, for free, so people can get hooked.
In the meantime, stream the episodes that have aired already from the links below. Get caught up, and help spread the word and ratings of this show so we’ll see it next year too. As of now I am only able to find the first 4, but I will keep updating as I track down more.
Episode 1: Link
Episode 2: Link
Episode 3: Link
Episode 4: Link
People, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times…30 Rock is one of the best new shows on TV. Some of my friends have taken my advice and are now obsessed, but if you have yet to check it out, DO IT!