For quite a few years now, people having been announcing the death of the US sitcom. Basically, ever since Friends went off screens, commentators seem to have decided people no longer want half-hour scripted comedy. However the success of the likes of Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and 30 Rock would seem to differ. However while the first two are good, 30 Rock is the only one of those thats both smart and genuinely laugh out loud funny.
Much of the reason for the shows success comes down to Tina Fey, who created 30 Rock based on her experience as the first female head writer on Saturday Night Live. Shes also actively involved in the series behind-the-scenes and plays the main role. Her success juggling all these hats mean that if the entertainment industry handed out sainthoods, Fey would probably be the first to get one, as shes almost universally adored.
She is utterly brilliant as Liz Lemon, the head writer on TGS, who spends most of her life desperately trying to deal with the ego and eccentricities of her shows main stars, Tracy Jordan (Morgan) and Jenna Maroney (Krakowski), as well as her boss, Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). In Season 3, Liz is continuing the slow process of trying to adopt a baby, but most of the time shes trying to control the chaos, from going to her high school reunion, only to discover everyone thought she was the school bitch, to getting involved with a man (played by Mad Mens Jon Hamm) who doesnt realise he leads a charmed life because hes so good looking. Jack meanwhile runs over his mother, has a fling with a nurse (Selma Hayek) and finds his exact double is playing an evil character in a Spanish-language telenovela.
30 Rock is a rare beast where all the characters are wonderful. Whether its the stupid but well-meaning star Tracy or the ego-centric Jenna, all the main people in the show are great and played extremely well by a talented cast. Like many others, I have to say my favourite is NBC page Kenneth, a strange man-child played wonderfully by Jack McBrayer. This season we even get to briefly see the world through his bizarre and optimistic eyes with a sequence where he views everybody as Muppets who break into song.
It is a brilliant show, and this is an exceptionally strong season. It scored 17 Emmy nominations, more than any other comedy series ever has for a single season. Fans will also be pleased to hear the DVD box set comes with a good selection of special features. There are various audio commentaries, some funny deleted scenes and some very worthwhile featurettes. These include a look at the making of the scenes featuring the Muppet versions of Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, as well as a featurette focussing on the creation of Kidney Now!, which is a We Are The World style song in the final episode of the season, featuring the likes of Clay Aiken, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello and the Beastie Boys, among others.
While that song has a whole slew of cameos, there are plenty more famous faces who pop up in various episodes, including Steve Martin, Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston. It all ensures this is a great box set for one of the best shows on TV.
Overall Verdict: One of the funniest shows on TV gets a great season box set
Special Features:
Audio Commentaries
Deleted Scenes
Behind The Scenes With The Muppets Featurette
1-900-OK-FACE Full Fake Commercial
Kidney Now! Table Read Featurette
The Making Of Kidney Now! Featurette
Photo Gallery
Alec Baldwins SNL Monologue
Tracy Jordans Rant
Award Acceptance Speeches
Reviewer: Tim Isaac