Caffeinated Clint
“The Cooler”. “The Aviator”, “Elizabethtown”. “The Departed”. “The Good Shepherd”. “30 Rock”. Pick the odd one out?
Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan ,Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin definitely isn’t a member of SAG’s savvy artists roster – he’s chosen unwisely so many times it’s a wonder the actor’s guild still accepts his membership renewal each and every year – but that’s pretty clear, considering the man a ) nixed the chance to reprise his role in “Red October”, as Jack Ryan, for “Patriot Games” to star in a forgettable off-Broadway play b) tossed Kim Basinger to the curb like a shortened cigarette and c) accepted a lead role in a rather mediocre sitcom just as his film career was starting to kick off again.
“The Cooler”. “The Aviator”, “Elizabethtown”. “The Departed”. “The Good Shepherd”. “30 Rock”. Pick the odd one out?
If it isn’t bewildering enough why “30 Rock” (as in “30 Rockerfeller Plaza”, the address of NBC studios) survived while the similar-themed and much superior “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” died a quick death, it’s an absolute head-scratcher trying to work out why Baldwin – still one of the best actors around, despite his temperamental career – jumped aboard the series. If it was “The Sopranos”, “Entourage” or even, “Heroes”, then maybe you could understand Baldwin’s enticement to television – but for a middling 22minuter that falls somewhere between an “My Name is Earl” and a “Greg the Bunny”? Man, that’s Panadol-evoking stuff. It hurts to even try and think what might’ve coaxed him to the NBC show (besides greenbacks).
Not surprisingly, since it’s executive produced by its creator and stars several ex-regulars of the show, “30 Rock” is like the sitcom equivalent of “Saturday Night Live” – now and then there will be a ripper gag, but most of the time, the jokes are flat, unfunny and more wacky than witty.
The thing that show has going for it though is Tina Fey, a former “SNL” star and writer whose damn both likeable and rather funny (she also proved she’s a mean screenwriter – with her biting teen satire “Mean Girls”) in near everything she does. Here, she plays the head of a sketch comedy series called “The Girlie Show” – and yes, the show looks as crap as it sounds – whose cast is headlined by an overbearing comedienne (Jane Krakowski) and a comic with a knack for imitating celebrities (Lonny Ross).
Baldwin plays the new head of the network – someone who has decided that the show is lacking something. In an attempt to breathe new life into it, as well as help the ratings, he recruits hot movie star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) to join the cast. Needless to say nobody’s very happy to see him.
If only Fey wrote a little more for the show, it might be funnier. I dunno. Something is definitely missing. You’ve got some good actors here – Baldwin is pretty good, Jane Krakowski (“Ally McBeal”) is giving it her all, and Tracy Morgan (another ex-SNL’er) can by amusing – but there seems to be a real lack of imagination or flow to the show. Or a combination of both. And again, how did Aaron Sorkin’s wonderful “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”, which was customarily solid and immerse with terrific moments, manage to get the chop when the lesser show, “30 Rock”, still airs? (Like why Alec Baldwin returned to TV, it’s a question I’m unable to answer.)
Still, I will admit that as the season progresses “30 Rock” gets better – you grow a little fonder of the characters, the jokes begin to work [better, anyway] and the writing seems to improve [a bit].
Commentaries by the cast (including Baldwin!), numerous featurettes, deleted scenes and bloopers accompany the 22-episodes on offer.
Rating : 
Reviewer : Clint Morris
