TV REVIEW: Fey and Baldwin roll in NBC’s ’30 Rock’
“30 Rock” is the new Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live”) comedy on NBC. Tina plays television writer Liz Lemon, who writes for a fictional show called “The Girlie Show.”
The premise of the show is like “Studio 60,” another NBC show about producing a sketch show, but the similarities end there. “30 Rock” is purely a comedy.
“The Girlie Show” is under attack from the network big-wigs who want to change the show to nab key demographics in the audience.
Enter Alec Baldwin (“The Departed”) as the most insane network executive ever. I’m a huge fan of pretty much anything Alec Baldwin does.
He has wonderful comedic timing and has great chemistry with Fey.
The company that owns “The Girlie Show” also owns a company that makes convection ovens. Baldwin’s character, Jack, is fresh out of managing convection oven sales and is now ready to conquer TV.
The fact that Jack has never even been in television before makes the show all the more hilarious, showing that it’s not really quality that matters in television; bureaucracy rules like it does in our lives.
The most enjoyable part of the show comes when Jack asks Liz to hire on a new actor for the show, Tracy Jordan, played by Tracy Morgan (“Saturday Night Live”).
Tracy Jordan is the stereotypical actor egomaniac, but with a slight mental problem that once made him run down the middle of a busy New York street wearing nothing but his underwear, swinging a plastic lightsaber at passing motorists. As you can tell, he’s trying to give his acting career a makeover.
“30 Rock” is enjoyable fun for anyone that’s looking for a new comedy in the sea of serialized dramas.
“30 Rock” is on NBC Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
Aaron Peck is the Utah Statesman’s TV critic. Comments and suggestions can be sent to
aaronpeck@cc.usu.eud