30 Rock (2006-2013)
Enter 30 Rock. For those of you who haven't seen any of it, 30 Rock was a game-changer at the time it was first released in 2006. There wasn't another show with its unique brand of comedy (no thanks to writer, creator, and star Tina Fey) or its unique style. To this day, the only show that comes close is Fey's other creation Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (which I've already talked about twice).
This uniqueness of style is primarily due to two things: the show's single-camera setup and smash cuts. The camera setup distinguishes it from most more conventional sitcoms that run in the vein of Cheers, Seinfeld, Friends, and the like. Instead of having a more traditional aesthetic, 30 Rock feels more cinematic and grand with its cinematography, which actually makes the show feel even more ironic and satirical than it already is because the show's content is anything but cinematic. The show's prolific use of incredibly detailed smash cuts, on the other hand, make the audience see even better the ridiculous events the characters refer to offhand. The fact that they are so well done and fully realized just goes to show how dedicated the production staff were to making this a great show.
A lot of praise is deserved for 30 Rock's writing as well. Tina Fey and company use a lot of surreal humor to demonstrate the ridiculousness of NBC, and it works well — so well that I am honestly surprised NBC was OK with it. Some of this is due to the aforementioned style — especially the smash cuts — but I feel most of it comes from the writing. It is so witty and fast-paced that it makes me gawk at how much of a comedic punch they can pack into a single exchange of dialogue. There's typically a lot of inside jokes in the show which can make extended viewing of 30 Rock very rewarding.
The performances of the cast are also stellar. My personal favorites are Jane Krakowski and Alec Baldwin, the former playing a relentlessly dumb self-centered actress and the latter portraying a meddling studio executive at NBC. They both have tremendous amounts of comedy dedicated to their characters and their situations, and they both give themselves to all the jokes perfectly. Baldwin in all honesty probably gives one of the best performances on a sitcom that I've ever seen, mostly due to how deadpan he plays the role of Jack Donaghy. It makes all the corporate ridiculousness seem so much more believable because he plays everything so straight.
30 Rock is easily one of the greatest sitcoms of the past decade, and it helps itself a lot with how its wry sense of humor makes it an interesting commentary on today's society. Tina Fey struck gold here, and because of how much people loved it, it has led to a whole array of single-camera irreverent workplace sitcoms that have caught on with a dedicated fanbase in the same way. Even though it's not the first show to do what it does, it does its thing so well that I cannot help but recommend it to anyone looking for some very sharp, witty, socially conscious comedy.
My recommendation: If you don't watch it, that's a dealbreaker, ladies.
My grade: 86
Where to find it: Netflix
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