Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m continuing my coverage of 30 Rock (2006-2013, NBC), which is currently available, as of this writing, on DVD and streaming.

30 Rock stars TINA FEY as Liz Lemon, TRACY MORGAN as Tracy Jordan, JANE KRAKOWSKI as Jenna Maroney, JACK McBRAYER as Kenneth Parcell, and ALEC BALDWIN as Jack Donaghy. With SCOTT ADSIT and JUDAH FRIEDLANDER.

30 Rock’s third season is great, boasting the firmest command on the leading characters yet, as the series’ awareness of how to best feature them only continues to rise with their further exploration, while a still-elevating sense of abandon when it comes to big idea-led comedy that feels sketch-like (less based in literal realism) also moves the show aesthetically closer to its Saturday Night Live roots. However, despite this rising character know-how and loosening comedic freedom, the show’s novelty of premise is naturally dwindling, and inevitably, these increasingly bold idea-heavy setups are starting to not always be well-connected to the series’ situation — either its tangible backstage-of-a-variety-show construct or, more broadly, the topical, parodic, and media-focused themes that are more uniquely evocative of SNL. In fact, as the series is going bigger with its humor, it’s also starting to become more hit-and-miss (like sketch comedy as a genre) — and this will continue throughout the rest of the run… That said, this is still another stellar year for 30 Rock, with a high baseline of quality yielding episodic results that, if not as consistent as Season Two, nevertheless has highs that are just as high — and sometimes higher — thanks to bigger comedic swings and even bolder sketch-like stunts (such as star casting, which continues to be a 30 Rock calling card). And while I might argue that Two’s reliability, via a strong supportive relationship between big ideas and the full situation, begets more of the kind of sitcommery we’re accustomed to laud, the version of 30 Rock that exists in Three better resembles what the show is like, generally speaking, for the remainder of its run, and in hindsight, what it is as a collective seven-season entity. To that point, it also aired at a time when Tina Fey was perhaps at her own cultural zenith, recurring in fall 2008 at her old stomping grounds, SNL, as that show’s satirical take on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. That natural but deliberate kinship between SNL and 30 Rock similarly pushed this sitcom to the apex of its own cultural relevancy (critically and commercially) — another point of evidence that makes Season Three a competitive choice, rivaled only by Two, as the series’ finest ambassador: its time capsule collection. And this excellent list — all high highs (the lows are removed) — is proof of 30 Rock’s continued “best-sitcom-on-TV” excellence.

 

01) Episode 37: “Do-Over” (Aired: 10/30/08)

Jack works his way up from the mailroom as Liz is investigated by an adoption agent.

Written by Tina Fey | Directed by Don Scardino

Season Three’s premiere has to restore the status quo that the end of Two disrupted — specifically, it has to get Jack back into his old position at the company, which means he has to formally leave politics and work his way back up (from the mailroom) to upend the power structure that his rival Devon (Will Arnett) put in place via Don Geiss’ eccentric daughter. This opener also has to follow through on Liz’s realization in Two’s finale: her newfound objective of wanting to adopt a child. That’s a goal that will indeed become part of her character’s arc throughout the remainder of the run — mostly linked, more broadly, to her efforts to find the right guy with whom she’d like to settle down and have a family — but the adoption notion itself is explicitly explored in this entry’s hilarious A-story that boasts Megan Mullally as the agent who comes to Liz’s job to investigate her and interview all her cohorts. There’s a lot of madcap fun here that takes advantage of the individual characters, along with 30 Rock’s growing sense of uproarious whimsy — culminating in a head injury that Liz hopes will allow her a “do-over” in making an impression. Ultimately, the adoption idea has to be put on ice after this, as the show basically slow-walks Liz to her inevitable endgame, rendering this (and the previous finale) one of the true peaks for her character — a point of clarity in direction that the series must delay until it’s ramping up to its actual closer in a few years.

02) Episode 38: “Believe In The Stars” (Aired: 11/06/08)

Liz meets Oprah on a plane and enlists her to help settle a feud between Tracy and Jenna.

Written by Robert Carlock | Directed by Don Scardino

If you’re looking for this offering on the streaming platforms, don’t bother — it was removed a few years ago by Tina Fey in an abundance of sensitivity regarding a bit in which Jenna dresses up as Tracy to imitate him, thereby donning blackface. It’s, I think, an audaciously absurd moment in a subplot where the two are at war over residuals from Tracy’s pornographic video game (and Tracy indeed dresses up as Jenna, à la White Chicks) — and its evidence of 30 Rock‘s elevated sense of comedic abandon, its willingness to go out and take risks for the sake of a big gag or joke, similar to the kind of swings we’d see on a topical, taboo-breaking sketch show like Saturday Night Live. But this half hour is full of that audacious spirit, particularly in the A-story where Liz unburdens herself on a plane to Oprah, whom she enlists to help her solve the Tracy/Jenna feud. Unfortunately, we soon learn that Liz was high on pills during the encounter and hallucinated Oprah — she was really talking to a random young Black woman, which is both a shocking and uncomfortable reveal that plays to Liz’s delusional qualities and the chaotic imperfections that make her an anti-Mary Richards for the messy, meta, and seen-it-all 21st century. Speaking of meta, the subplot of Kenneth finding out the Olympics (which were televised recently by NBC) was staged is another bit of media parody, in validation of 30 Rock’s identity, which is well-invoked throughout this classic that uses the characters well in support of big, bold ideas. I suggest you get the DVDs to see it — it’s an all-timer!

03) Episode 41: “Reunion” (Aired: 12/04/08)

Liz is shocked by her reception at her high school reunion.

Written by Matt Hubbard | Directed by Beth McCarthy

My choice for this season’s Most Valuable Episode (MVE), “Reunion” is an atypical sample of 30 Rock that nevertheless also evidences this year’s increasing habit of putting aside the series’ regular trappings — its primary 30 Rock setting and the behind-the-scenes-of-a-comedy-variety-show premise — for bigger comic ideas that have less to do with all that. Fortunately, in this case, we’re going somewhere else to earn a fresh and very satisfying exploration of the central character, along with her primary relationship. Specifically, this is the entry where Liz goes to her high school reunion and realizes, contrary to her belief that she was the shunned outsider bullied by the rest of the cooler kids, that she herself has been remembered as the bully — the mean loner who used humor and sarcasm to torment everyone else trying to get close to her. It’s a beautiful reversal of expectations that emphasizes Liz’s comedic complexity, for she’s no Mary Richards — and she’s not even Murphy Brown, for at least Murphy was aware of her gruffness. No, Liz has a bit of delusion — just like Jenna and Tracy and Kenneth — and that makes her more of a utilizable tool in a show like this, which needs a lot of runway with regard to quirky, wacky, big idea-driven notions in the Saturday Night Live vein. Accordingly, I look to this offering as perhaps the most revealing examination of the Liz character and why/how she’s able to exist in this series as the structural anchor of a traditional workplace ensemble while also feeding the comedic sensibilities that are also seminal to its unique appeal. That’s why it’s my MVE… However, I love what the other leads get to do here as well — it’s smart to have Jack accompany Liz to her reunion, and there are many fun moments between the two that ground these proceedings in the situation’s primary relational dynamic, as the subplot where Tracy and Jenna are jealous of being upstaged by Kenneth in the elevator is also a great showing for them. So, this is a sublime outing for the characters all the way around — a testament to 30 Rock’s proficiency with its leads. (Oh, and for those who like to keep track — Matt Hubbard’s script for “Reunion” earned an Emmy. Other wins this year for the series went, again, to Alec Baldwin and to the show at large — for the third time in a row — as the Outstanding Comedy Series.)

04) Episode 45: “Retreat To Move Forward” (Aired: 01/22/09)

Jack regrets inviting Liz to join him as moral support at a corporate retreat.

Written by Tami Sagher | Directed by Steve Buscemi

As with the above, this is another installment where the action of the A-story is set away from the show’s usual trappings, but it works because it’s still about the primary characters and their relationships. Here, Jack invites Liz to be his moral support at a corporate retreat where he proves to be quite nervous — with his nerves getting exacerbated by quirky Liz Lemon and the goofy, distracting brand of chaos she brings, which starts to further embarrass him. That’s an interesting dramatic notion that finds conflict in their otherwise solid, and actually intensifying, bond, based on their inherent temperamental differences as characters. And the climax, when Liz deliberately humiliates herself to divert attention away from the fact that Jack just embarrassed himself on a hot mic, is a unique, beautiful show of friendship that makes this, I think, a key showing for their relationship. Meanwhile, there are many laughs in the subplot as well, as Jenna goes to extremes to prepare for playing Janis Joplin in a biopic — a hilarious SNL-like bit of parody that runs throughout this year but is especially well-applied here, as Frank takes advantage of her overzealousness with the help of false facts on Wikipedia.

05) Episode 46: “Generalissimo” (Aired: 02/05/09)

Jack realizes he looks exactly like the villain on Elisa’s grandma’s favorite telenovela.

Written by Robert Carlock | Directed by Todd Holland

Jack’s main love interest in Season Three is Elisa, his mother’s nurse, played by Salma Hayek. Now, I must admit that Elisa is not my favorite of Jack’s temporary paramours — the fact that she’s Puerto Rican is basically the extent of her personality — but Hayek is well-matched to Alec Baldwin as a serious actor with a certain gravitas and intensity. And of all the episodes in their arc, this is my favorite — for it’s the funniest, boasting an amusing idea that affords the series an opportunity for much media parody, as the show spoofs telenovelas when Jack realizes he looks exactly like the villain in Elisa’s grandma’s favorite Spanish-speaking soap; so, in his efforts to be accepted by the family, he must also find a way to make his doppelgänger likable. That’s hilarious and perfect for 30 Rock — enabling SNL-like sketch comedy cutaways supported by the situation and its established narrative. I also appreciate this funny script for thematically connecting that A-story to the subplot of Liz making herself seem like a suitable match for her attractive neighbor Drew (Jon Hamm) by using information she’s gleamed from snooping through his mail — a bit of dastardly scheming that works well for her character and reminds us of the dysfunction that will complicate her quest for a partner.

06) Episode 49: “Goodbye, My Friend” (Aired: 03/05/09)

Liz befriends a pregnant teen while Jack mentors a pitiable Frank.

Written by Ron Weiner | Directed by John Riggi

There are a lot of great character-based ideas in this solid but probably underrated installment that also claims some clever thematic cohesion, as both Liz and Jack take on authoritative, parental roles with two people who need some guidance. For Liz, it’s a pregnant teen who emotionally plays upon Liz’s renewed desire to adopt a child and raise a family of her own — an objective that’s been established but mostly sidelined outside of episodic story since the premiere, despite remaining crucial to her depiction because it’s now a condition of her happy ending. For Jack, he bonds with Frank, whom he takes on like a son and convinces to follow in his own footsteps — much to the chagrin of Frank’s debuting mother, played by Patti LuPone, who’s well-cast in this recurring role. However, what I most like about the Jack/Frank subplot is its use of Harry And The Hendersons as a running source of referential gags — with a John Lithgow cameo as the cherry on top! — because that’s such a winning indication of 30 Rock’s innately parodic media-about-media premise and topical sense of humor, which explicitly invokes SNL. Accordingly, I think this is a terrific sample of the series all the way around — with the show’s situation well-explored from all of its key angles.

07) Episode 50: “The Funcooker” (Aired: 03/12/09)

Liz is extra stressed when she can’t get out of serving jury duty.

Written by Donald Glover & Tom Ceraulo | Directed by Ken Whittingham

Liz being forced to endure jury duty is a comical setup for an excursion that then gets to play with her mounting anger as she becomes increasingly unhinged by the stress of juggling this civic responsibility with her maintained work obligations. The best scenes use Liz’s murder case to parallel her frustrations — e.g., when the comedic Jackie Hoffman, playing the defendant, confesses why she snapped: she just could no longer handle her difficult colleagues anymore, both of whom were coincidentally also named Tracy and Jenna. And from there you get the gist of this entry’s raison d’être: emphasizing Liz as the harried anchor forced to deal with looney toons and their problems — such as Jenna’s newfound drug addiction and Tracy’s rebellious choice to keep cursing on TV since he can afford to pay the FCC fines, all while Jack labors to come up with a name for his new “pocket microwave” product (which is naturally absurd). You see, it’s all designed to make Liz snap as well, and that’s perfect because this is a smart concoction of inherently amusing ideas based on the characters and in support of the basic premise, where Liz is the frazzled showrunner of a s*it show — a wonderful play to the literal elements of the series’ situation, with much humor in supply.

09) Episode 52: “Apollo, Apollo” (Aired: 03/26/09)

Jack tries to recapture his childhood joy while Liz learns Jenna has slept with Dennis.

Written by Robert Carlock | Directed by Millicent Shelton

Admittedly, I’m not crazy about the idea of Liz finding out that her friend Jenna secretly slept with her ex (Dennis), for even though the show tries to play it differently than expected — with the comic tension coming from Liz’s attempts to not be bothered — it still feels like contrived rom-com fodder that’s less about the characters in contrast and more about circumstantial drama. However, this script is comedically elevating, and that subplot is bolstered by more effective stories surrounding it, with the uniting theme of characters trying to fulfill long-held dreams. As Jack’s endeavor to recapture youthful happiness is fairly introspective — while also allowing for an appearance by Batman‘s Adam West as himself (a reminder that 30 Rock is “TV about TV”) — a lot of the lunacy comes from the staff’s efforts to satisfy Tracy’s desire to get to space by building an experience on a soundstage and tricking him into thinking it’s the real deal. It’s a one-joke notion that provides this episode a sense of big fun, again enhanced by a fast, quippy script (which includes a great and character-based gag where we see through several different leads’ eyes — a key example of sketch comedy meeting the sitcom form).

10) Episode 58: “Kidney Now!” (Aired: 05/14/09)

Jack arranges a charity musical benefit to aid his biological father, who needs a kidney.

Written by Jack Burditt & Robert Carlock | Directed by Don Scardino

The final two episodes of Season Three introduce Alan Alda as Jack’s biological father — a man who is his temperamental (and ideological) opposite, now in dire need of a new kidney. So, the basic idea of this finale is that Jack arranges a starry televised benefit to raise money and awareness for his new father’s kidney — which is really a chance to climax with a faux-serious kidney song sung by a bevy of big-name guests. It’s all very Saturday Night Live — a gimmicky centerpiece that I would intellectually reject on most sitcoms but value here on 30 Rock because of its unique and specific situational needs, which insist that anything so evocative of SNL is, in fact, a reflection of its identity and the things that make it comedically special. What’s more, the moment is so memorable in the history of 30 Rock at large that I felt like I couldn’t ignore it… Meanwhile, I also appreciate the subplot of Liz and Jenna becoming famous for a recurring sketch that’s starting to give Liz a sense of fame — an interesting setup that suggests lots of fresh ideas for comedic stories in the coming season, rendering this a very effective finale.

 

Other episodes that merit a look include: “The One With The Cast Of Night Court,” which packs in some meta media parody regarding Night Court alongside a gaudy guest stint by Jennifer Aniston in a memorable comedic subplot that tries too hard but nevertheless evokes SNL‘s sensibilities in the process, and “Señor Macho Solo,” a funny entry where Liz awkwardly dates a man played by Peter Dinklage (it looks like an updated take on an early Mary Tyler Moore story). I would have loved extra room to highlight those two above in particular, but I also considered both “Gavin Volure,” which excitingly guest stars Steve Martin as a friend of Jack’s who dates Liz, but in a story that I don’t think lives up to its comedic expectations (and the subplots don’t help either), and “Mamma Mia,” which sets up the finale by introducing Alan Alda as Jack’s dad in a clever Mamma Mia-like plot. Lastly, I’ll also take this space to cite “St. Valentine’s Day,” an idea-rich rom-com outing where several leads have disastrous Valentine’s Days filled with big-laugh scenarios that I wish were more character and/or premise-connected, “Larry King,” another memorable idea-led script that feels like a Nat Hiken show — with mounting chaos because of a public error, and “Jackie Jormp-Jomp,” which has more fun with this year’s extended Janis Joplin biopic subplot for Jenna.

 

*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Three of 30 Rock goes to…

“Reunion”

 

 

Come back next week for Season Four! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!