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'30 Rock' is back and proves it's the best
NBC
The misadventures of Liz Lemon, played by ''30 Rock'' creator Tina Fey, resume as the show returns for its fourth season tonight.
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Published: October 15, 2009
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The best comedy on television returns tonight without missing a beat.
The opening sequence alone proves why "30 Rock" keeps winning Emmys. At least it proves it to those of us who get the jokes that make fun of network television.
Season four begins with Alec Baldwin's smarmy Jack Donaghy, vice president of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming, fretting over NBC and parent company General Electric losing touch with Middle America.
In these hard economic times, he reasons that "real" Americans would rather eat deep-fried hot dogs coated in cheese than dine on the expensive fancy food that network executives prefer.
On a quest to make the network's skit comedy program, "The Girlie Show," more blue-collar, he orders harried head writer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) to hire a new cast member who is less "elite" than Jenna (Jane Krakowski) and Tracy (Tracy Morgan).
"We'll trick those race car-lovin' wide loads into watching your lefty, homoerotic propaganda hour yet," cynical corporate weenie Jack promises Liz.
All of this is a jab at the cost-cutting, ratings-driven decisions being made at the real GE and NBC, as well as a swipe at "30 Rock" itself which still has low ratings despite winning three consecutive Emmys as the best comedy on television.
Criticism that "30 Rock" creator Fey has created a comedy that is too fast-paced and too clever a satire for mass appeal is turned into comic fodder this season. And yes, "30 Rock" takes a shot at NBC's decision to air "The Jay Leno Show" five nights a week.
The effort to dumb down the product line also will be a running gag this season. Jack notes that GE is renaming a new medical mammogram machine the "Get 'Er Done 2000."
Meanwhile, Tracy hits the streets in order to mix and mingle with Middle America and reconnect with his roots.
Jenna offers to go "country" with her music and ends up in a country music-themed tennis video.
The cost-cutting has not affected Jack's salary, and when loyal NBC page Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) is asked to lie on his time card, he leads the pages in a strike.
Enter guest star Steve Buscemi as a cheap detective hired by Jack to infiltrate the pages and bust up the strike.
MONTY PYTHON: This month marks the 40th anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and you can watch a live reunion of the surviving cast members tonight at 9 online at IFC.com or PythOnline.com.
The Independent Film Channel (IFC) is sponsoring the event at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City where John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin will take the stage for a Q&A discussion with the audience.
This event marks the first time The Pythons have been together in this manner in more than 10 years.
On Sunday, Python fans can tune to IFC for the beginning of a six day "Python-a-thon" during which the network will air a new six-hour documentary "Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)."
One hour of the exhaustive documentary will air each night at 9 p.m., followed by an episode of "Monty Python's Flying Circus."
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