It's true: while
The Office and
Extras may have had the better stories,
Emmy-winner 30 Rock was, in fact, the funniest show on TV this season. People have been calling it a sort of
"spiritual successor" to Arrested Development, and the comparison is apt, though
30 Rock is more mainstream-friendly (less original, too, but it's hard to fault them for borrowing
Simpsons jokes). It's to the show's credit that they found a way for Tracy Morgan's schtick to not get old (mostly by playing him off Jack McBrayer's uber-naive NBC page Kenneth.) Also worth noting: turns out the Jane Krakowski/Rachel Dratch swap may have been a good call, as Krakowski is actually really funny as a self-obsessed grown-up theater kid. More bonus points for incorporating Chris Parnell as Doctor Spaceman (his surname is three syllables,) a sort of real-life
Dr. Nick Riviera, and for bringing in Emily Mortimer for a few episodes as Phoebe, the underhanded appraiser with "avian bone syndrome."
Season One is on DVD, and it's worth a watch if you haven't checked it out yet.
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