Isn't it funny how often times similar projects are developed simultaneously? More often than not it's complete coincidence, although that is often hard to believe. We see it time and time again at the cinema. Last year the simultaneous development of similar projects took the battle from the big screen to the small screen with the arrival of two shows set in the behind the scenes world of sketch comedy shows.
First up was the Aaron Sorkin creation Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip starring Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford. It was a dramedy that covered relationship issues, writing problems, and generally took a melodramatic bent on the material. On the other side you had the Tina Fey-created (and starring) 30 Rock which is a straight-up sitcom. Two shows entered the season, only one has survived to see a second.
When 30 Rock debuted I wasn't quite sure that I was going to like it, much less that the show would actually last. The show was slightly off-kilter, but it did not feel as if they knew where they were going. They were not on sure footing. I thought for sure that it would get canceled before it reached its sixth episode. Then it dawned on me, this wasn't FOX! Perhaps the show would have a shot. Sure, even though other networks cancel shows that don't perform, no other network has a track record that equals FOX's. But I'm getting ahead of myself—one episode in and it showed a bit of promise but still had a way to go.
The more episodes that I watched, the more I liked it. 30 Rock combines elements of physical comedy, stupid one-liners, and intelligent banter all to increasingly good effect. The show continually got better the further into the series I got. Re-watching the episodes on DVD I have found it to be even better than I remember. The often times seriously off-kilter writing stands out even more when you can watch a number of episodes in rapid succession. I love how it steps away from the sitcom standard laugh track and family setups. It follows in the recent trends of shows like Arrested Development, Scrubs, and The Office. It may not be quite at their level yet, but it is definitely among the better sitcoms.
The cast is led by show creator Tina Fey as Liz Lemon. She is the show runner for a sketch show called The Girlie Show, and she must reconcile new boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin proving to be one of the best comedic finds in some time) and new star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), while attempting to have some sort of personal life. Then there is the matter of ditsy Girlie Show star Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) and the collection of writers (Judah Friedlander, Scott Adsit, Keith Powell, Lonny Ross). Rounding out the main cast is Jack McBrayer as southern-tinged Kenneth the page; he steals so many scenes through the season. Then there are all of the guest stars who come in and steal scenes. Among the guest stars during this first season were Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Isabella Rossellini, Paul Reubens, and Will Arnett.
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