Common Sense Observations

Is 30 Rock The New Seinfeld?

Tina Fey’s new hit sitcom, 30 Rock, is getting the ratings and giving die hard Seinfeld fans new hope – and a break from re-re-re-watching old episodes. Plus, unlike Seinfeld, all of the episodes can be seen for free on Hulu.com.

 

There’s no arguing that Seinfeld forever raised the bar for sitcoms. Once the ground breaking series hit its third year, it was hard to find someone who wasn’t watching it and talking about its uniquely meaningless humor. It was, as was mentioned in many episodes of the show, “a show about nothing.” Perhaps that’s why Jerry Seinfeld agreed to make a rare guest appearance on Fey’s new hit show.

 

Despite the lack of plot, viewers fell in love with Seinfeld’s regular characters as well as characters that only made one or two appearances over the many seasons the show ran. Who can forget the library cop named Bookman, the Soup Nazi or Wilford Brimley’s cameo appearance as the Postmaster general, to cite but a few.

 

Tina Fey seems to have dialed up the same winning combination as Seinfeld for her fabulous show, 30 Rock, which co-stars the inimitable Alec Baldwin. Baldwin is perfectly cast as Tina’s boss, Jack Donaghy, a still upwardly mobile, wealthy businessman at the top of his game. Baldwin takes no prisoners, crushes competitors without skipping a beat and believes the end – profits – always justifies the means. But the veteran actor deftly manages to reveal the presence of a deeply hidden big heart and a uniquely insightful manner of supporting his fellow cast members’ characters.

 

Fey’s character in 30 Rock, Liz Lemmon, produces an absurd variety TV show, TGS, on General Electric-owned NBC. The eclectic stars and writers of that show, which comprise the majority of the balance of the cast, are all teeming with hilarious idiosyncrasies and dilemmas that require Lemmon’s constant, often inept attention and moderation.

 

Fey does a magnificent job of creating Liz Lemmon to be a lovable compendium of comedic opposites. She is both successful and a failure. Confident, but insecure. And always endearing and funny. Her brisk interactions with Baldwin, perhaps the show’s centerpiece, will frequently elicit a belly laugh.

 

Also, like Seinfeld, and unlike other successful sitcoms, there are never any moral issues that are seriously dealt with. Many of the 30 Rock characters do sleazy, socially unacceptable things, but the show manages to present them so you never stop laughing.

 

Other members of the 30 Rock cast ensemble include Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan, the wild and crazy movie actor turned TV star who is always interested in ways to further flaunt his celebrity and attract more special attention. Jane Krakowski plays the role of Jenna Maroney, the sexy, moderately scatter-brained, multi-talented co-star of TGS. Jack McBrayer does an incredible job with his small parts as the obsessively dedicated and simple-minded NBC Page, Kenneth.

 

Regular cameos on 30 Rock come from the legendary Rip Torn, and the impressive roster of guest stars has thus far included Oprah Winfrey, Mathew Broderick, David Schwimmer, Steve Martin, Carrie Fisher, Isabella Rossellini and Jennifer Aniston.

 

Fey not only stars in the two-time Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock, she is also the writer and producer. Fey cut her writing and performing teeth during a nine year stint with Saturday Night Live. She’s also been in a couple of movies, and showcased well in the roles she’s been given. But her obvious genius is in writing good, intelligent comedy. Surely, Ms. Fey’s career is going nowhere but forward and up.

 

Of course there will never be another Seinfeld, not really. How can one duplicate the likes of Kramer, George, Jerry and Elaine. Fey’s 30 Rock, however, brings some replacements that are at least on a par with the characters of that great show. I’m confident that in a year or two the names Liz, Jack, Tracy, Jenna and Kenneth will take their well deserved places at the top of the list of legendary sitcom characters.

 

Check your local listings for dates and times of 30 Rock. If you’re a sitcom aficionado, this will positively become your new favorite. And the spectacular writing, casting, acting and lack of plot mean it’s one you’ll be able to laugh at and enjoy over and over again.