30 Rock: Season 1

Saturday Night Live was the basis for this behind-the-scenes look at a variety show, created and executive produced by SNL's Tina Fey. 30 Rock (named for where it's taped at 30 Rockfeller Plaza), stars Fey as Liz Lemon, head writer for a show called, "The Girlie Show," with the main star being Jane Krakowski, who plays Jenna, a very self-absorbed, insecure typical actress.

Within the first two episodes, the show is transformed, to have more mass appeal. New Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming, Jack Donaghy (played by Alec Baldwin). He makes a lot of bizarre choices, including integrating GE product placements, since that's another part of the huge conglomerate he works for.

Even more strange, he decides to change The Girl Show altogether... bringing in a totally insane but famous MALE movie star, Tracy Jordan (played by Tracy Morgan). The show is renamed TGS with Tracy Jordan and makes Jenna absolutely nutty and unstable over the changes. Liz almost quits, but decides to stick it out...

It's pretty funny, and even led to a Golden Globe for Baldwin, based on this first season. I believe there were also several Emmy nominations, but I am not sure it won any???

The show is an interesting mix of just plan outrageous silliness (Tracy sees a blue creature that no one else can) to more intelligent humor (Liz is so absorbed in her biological clock that she accidentally takes a makeup artist's baby home with her, rationalizing it by saying it's like those days when you're on auto-pilot and know you drove yourself home from work, but can't remember how you got there).

One of the funnier roles is played by a guy I'v never seen before, named Jack McBrayer. He plays Kenneth, an NBC Page, who absolutely loves his job, even though nobody can understand why he enjoys the abuse. He's a naive country boy and is so different from the rest of the jaded New Yorkers on the cast.

In one of the scenes when Kenneth's playing poker against Jack, he wins because Jack cannot seem to figure out what he's thinking... everyone around him believes it's because there's nothing going on upstairs, so Kenneth has no tell. Hilarious!

There are plenty of funny episodes and funny scenes. Rachel Dratch seems to pop up in one role or another in about half the episodes and she's so weird, I love her in every role she plays...a crazy cat lady, Barbara Walters, Liz Taylor, an angry reporter, etc.

One episode revolves around a way-too-hot guy who likes Liz. She cannot seem to figure out the deal, until she sees a photo of her great aunt in his apartment and to their horror, discovers they're related.

In another episode, Jack makes Liz pretend she's his girlfriend when his ex, Isabella Rossellini, comes around. It makes his ex nuts, because unlike the brainless models, she believes Jack must really care for Liz. The jealousy gets really out of hand and physical... too funny!

Another episode revolves around Liz trying to help an actor on the show who is a long-time friend of hers, named Josh (played by Lonny Ross), with contract negotiations. Things end up going too far all the way around. Josh refuses Liz' advice and gets an awful agent to help him, and it ends up sparking competitiveness in Jack. He even thinks he's being so smart in negotiating the timing of the meeting, wanting to win even at that.

Many episodes revolve around Tracy's craziness and being surrounded by 'yes men', Liz's insecurities with men and getting married, Jack's power plays, Kenneth's happy go lucky and do anything with a smile attitude, and Jenna's desperate attempts to be a star...including bad plastic surgery and bad movie roles.

There are many funny guest stars on the show: Maury Povich, Al Roker, Will Arnett, Rip Torn, Nathan Lane, Molly Shannon and many more!

One of my favorite scenes was when Tracy and Kenneth start singing together...songs from Annie and the Bodyguard. Oh man, they're nuts!! But somehow it works!

Thus far it's a really good series and this first season has a full 21 episodes. Definitely a worthwhile DVD to check out. It's one of the best ensemble comedies in a long time and sadly, is far more funny than the show's basis, SNL. I cannot remember the last time I watched SNL... and when I did, I distinctly remember NOT laughing. But, I'm glad Tina Fey found a way to take the premise of SNL, retool it into something funny again!