PART I: 30 Rock

One of the nicest things to see in Hollywood is a warm, genuine, and long lasting friendship between two people who for every other reason should be bitter enemies. Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler actually seem like they are honestly proud of one another’s successes, which can be a difficult thing to do in the boy’s club that is the world of comedy. Roles for women are not easy to come by, and because these two women fall into the same niche category, it would be easy to give into rivalries and jealousies that ordinarily tear female relationships apart. The chemistry and obviously impenetrable bond between these two women far outstretches any kind of competitiveness they may feel towards each other, which is an endearing quality that makes them seem like chicks you would want to hang out with while sipping a fruity cocktail. That being said, I am going to pit their two shows against each other like vicious dogs, getting them primed and ready to rip each other apart in a gnarly bloodbath.

30 Rock debuted in the fall season of 2006 on NBC and went on for seven seasons. Though it was a big cult hit and a critical darling, it never reached the status of ratings juggernaut that it probably deserved. But who gives a shit? That puts it in the cannon of shows like Arrested Development and bands like Led Zeppelin who weren’t appreciated in their time, either. But that’s the reason that the show’s creator (Fey) calls the show a failure, which I think makes her kind of an idiot. I know commercial success is awesome, but it’s more important to be proud of the work you put out.

There is an old maxim in writing that goes, “write what you know,” and that’s what Fey did. 30 Rock is a sitcom about the behind the scenes action that goes on at a sketch show. It was a show that reflected Fey’s experiences as head writer on Saturday Night Live. The cast of 30 Rock is an incredible ensemble. I’ve said it once before but it still rings true: Alec Baldwin is an asshole. But he is a talented asshole. He wears the role of Jack Donaghy like a perfectly pressed Italian suit.  His dry delivery and uptight character really balances out Tracy and Jenna’s and sometimes Liz Lemon’s zany antics. Tracy Morgan wears the role of Tracy Jordan like a…it’s hard to come up with a metaphor here because Morgan just shows up on set and plays his batshit-crazy self. He’s either a comedic genius or a complete idiot, and I don’t know which is the more impressive. The fact is, Fey, Baldwin, and Morgan get a lot of attention for their contributions to the show, but for a second I want to throw a spotlight on the incredible talent that is Jane Krakowski:

She plays a self-absorbed, dumb blonde, so maybe that’s why she gets overlooked, but she has some of the funniest devices and lines in the show’s run, including her star performance in the movie The Rural Juror, and lines like “Oh, I can play dead. I watched my whole church group get eaten by a bear” and not to mention, “Maybe I’m old fashioned, but when a girl dates a straight man who impersonates her on stage for a mostly gay audiences, she has certain expectations. Fidelity, Paul. It’s not just the name of a bank that sued me.” It’s the kind of show that’s absolutely perfect for syndication, because the episodes warrant a second, third, and even a fourth viewing. There are jokes working at all levels, and sometimes you are just laughing so hard you miss them. Six seasons are also available on Netflix, with the seventh coming soon. You are about to receive your rules, but this article requires your input – hopefully your drunken input. I encourage you to play this game with buddies, and afterwards debate which is the better of the two shows. We will reconvene next week to discuss Parks and Recreation. Which show will come out on top? Leave your thoughts in the comment section!

Your Rules

• Pick a character between Liz, Tracy, Jenna, Jack and Kenneth. Every time that character says the words “Liz” or “Lemon”, everyone but you takes a drink
• Every time Liz overeats, take a drink
• When Kenneth gets verbally abused, take a drink
• When Jenna or Tracy go to Liz with their problems, take a drink
• If Kenneth talks about back home or his backwater version of Christianity, take a drink
• If Tracy pulls up his shirt or shows off his belly, take a drink
• Liz says, “I want to go to there”, take a drink
• If Ceri wears something skimpy, the most scantily clad of you takes a drink
• If John Hamm shows up, the tallest person takes a drink
• If Jack gets a new girlfriend, take a drink
• When Frank is wearing a hat with a phrase written on it, take a drink
• When Lutz does something embarrassing, take a drink
• If Twofer mentions that he went to Harvard, take a drink

You are going to need bourbon for this one, take a shot if:

• Liz breaks up with a guy
• Jenna or Tracy does something selfless (if they do a selfless act together, just take one shot)
• Jack pours a drink

– SR