For The Sake Of Balance
30 Rock is pretty damned good.
It is much more like the way a real comedy show is done. But more importantly, it is very, very funny.
What needs to be adjusted is that Tina Fey
May 19, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
I loved the STUDIO 60 pilot, but it’s getting worse with each episode. I can’t imagine Alec Baldwin getting caught up w/ a weekly waste of his precious, haranguing-the-innocent time, so I’ll give Fey the edge for now.
I just couldn’t fall in love with 30 Rock. I’ll give it another try though. For Studio 60, yeah, I’m not so much into it anymore. Unlike Heroes, my god, that show is just simply awesome!
I thought 30 Rock sucked. My girlfriend and I sat through the entire first half, not laughing at anything, before she finally turned to me and asked if we could change the station.
Granted Studio 60 is twice as long and three times as pretentious, but at least it’s gotten me to laugh a couple of times.
I didn’t find it all that funny either. I like Baldwin in that type of role and I laughed a few times, but overall it didn’t do much for me. Not something I will make time to watch.
30 Rock was okay. I agree the Baldwin scene’s were the strongest.
I still miss Arrested Development though.
Hell, I still miss Andy Richter Controls The Universe.
I have a new hero, and his name is Hiro. Ya ta!
For a sitcom I thought it was decent…but that’s with the understanding that most sitcoms are garbage. I chuckled a couple of times. I do think Baldwin looks very comfortable on the show. But I wonder if “Crazy Black Guy” character will keep up laughs every week. I won’t be there to find out.
Here Here Eddie, you want a show with out a laugh track and doesn’t need one. Arrested development is the one.
I just started catching up with Arrested Development with it’s current syndication run on G4 and it’s easily one of the funniest shows to come out of network television. I’m really sorry I didn’t support it when it was on for real.
It’s also made all the current shows suck in comparison and left me with the blahs about this year’s entire crop.
I too really liked 30 ROCK and I too am done with STUDIO 60. I mean, I’ll watch it like I’ll watch a trainwreck but DP was right, it’s done for.
30 ROCK started off a little slow but when Tracey Morgans character showed up, it took off! I love that line in the fancy restraunt:
“Do you have apple juice?”
“No.”
“O.K…I’ll have a vodka tonic instead.”
Also loved Judah Friedlander and the rest of the cast.
The one new show that’s gotten me really excited has been Friday Night Lights. No one is watching it, and it’ll soon be cancelled – though NBC has said they’ll stand by it despite the low ratings – but it’s brought the drama and humanity that tv’s been missing for a while. I’m finding it to be at least as good as the movie, with the potential to be even more.
I’ve also been having a love/hate relationship with the third season on Battlestar Galactica. The resistance stuff is so powerful (who knew you could sympathize with a suicide bomber?) and really takes on the intricacies of a post 9/11 and Iraqi War world without talking down to the audience that it completely deserved its Peabody Award as one of the best dramas on television. Unfortuantely the two other storylines are just so weak that I think they keep the show from its full potential.
Let’s see what happens the next two episodes before we judge Galactica.
The suicide bomber/New Caprica story arc is supposed to go four episodes, I believe.
I personally lurved the first two episodes.
I also dug thirty rock. And I agree that Tracy Morgan’s Apple Juice line was brilliant.
And I am enjoying how well The Office is layering these serialized storylines in their narrative.
I’m having a hard time spending up to twenty bucks to go see a flick, when I can watch a nice 16×9 HD broadcast in 7.1 surround at home while we’re in this Golden Age of Television.
Plus so many flicks that I missed last summer, because they didn’t seem worth the investment, I catch on the premium cable HD channels – and am having a fairly quality cinematic experience at home.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats being in a real theatre and having a real communal experience at the movies, but it’s got to take quality product like The Departed to get me out.
There’s just so much good shiyat on TV.
Look how many of the “quality” actors are going to TV.
I wonder as technology for the home gets more cinematic in the viewing experience, if that might change the perception that working in Television is less glamorous than film?
And I don’t think it will anytime soon, but it’s undeniable there is a shift in quality in terms of content being generated for television.
Give me a break. This thing is a piece of shit that tries way, WAY too hard (as you mention twice). I laughed once…at Tracy Morgan in his whitey tighties.
And how do you glean “Emmy-good” from Alec Baldwin? First, it’s a very rote and fairly inconsequential performance, and second, the show just doesn’t feel good enough to ever be considered an awards player on any level, let alone performances.
I’ll stick with the heightened, unrealistic drama of Studio 60, I think.
Yeah, you can stick with STUDIO 60 for another month cuz it’s gonna get cancellllled.
The Tracey Morgan space filler at the end of the show had me crying. He spewed out like, every cliche black comedian line and it was just classic!
NBC isn’t going to cancel Studio 60. It’s a prestige show for them. If anything, they’ll pull it, rework it and have it back out later in the schedule.
I’d expect 30 Rock to get the cane first…
30 Rock was totally predictable, and hardly Emmy material, but it’s fun to watch Tracey Morgan be a nut, he was hilarious.
Tina Fey just isn’t a very compelling personality to me, and her writing has always seemed way too happy with itself – instead of writing sharp dialgoue, she writes stuff aimed at 8th grade girls. Alec Baldwin is great, but please, give him something actually interesting to say – the microswave oven gag was LAME!
And Jane Krakowski, I wish she would just go away. Has never been funny, has never been sexy, has always been annoying.
I’m still riding with Studio 60. This past week’s episode was the best so far, nice pacing. But the love story at the center is gonna kill it, with Matthew Perry and whats-her-face nobody can stand. Hopefully NBC fires her and Krakowski and replaces them with one of those dumb blondes everyone loves so much…the “smart” ones suck…
Alec Baldwin was great on 30 Rock, but I dunno if it’s a show that can sustain itself.
I missed this week’s Studio 60, and I am sorta tempted to DL it, but I may just not…
I loved the first episode of Friday Night Lights. I really do hope NBC sticks by it. I have the second episode on my desktop and will watch it this Tuesday before watching my dear Veronica Mars on UPN!
As for BSG, that season opener last week was the best premiere episode of this young TV season. Every other show needs to take lessons…
and how about Lost’s first two episodes? I’m liking it so far…if they’re going to jump the shark, it’s going to be this season though. I pray they don’t.
Best New Show? Dexter. By a mile. Or two. CSI meets American Psycho… And it works so damned well. You owe it to yourself to give it a shot.
Ugly Betty is an entirely random blur of nothingness. To see it succeed is slightly baffling.
Vanished & Kidnapped were total snorefests, but it was surprising to see Smith pulled so soon. The price tag easily factored in to its exit.
Lost is getting hammered by fans, but it’s nice to be near the tipping point of some answers at last.
Heroes thinks it’s more important than it is, but still remains a tasteful keeper.
Battlestar rocked hard tonight.
Amanda Plummer killed. She is the female Walken.
Per Variety, ratings for this week’s episode of STUDIO 60 were up 9% from last week. It’s the best new show in ages and the word is starting to get out. So there.
Well, one of the better selections at least. If they make with more of the baseball to window moments, then smooth sailing could be ahead.
The ratings dance between CSI & Grey’s is a laugh riot.
Since when did 30 Rock get funny? I thought this show was embarassing given the talent involved. The people I watched it with gave three chuckles during the half hour at most. If it doesn’t pick up, I see the show getting canned rather quickly. But I’m hoping it can recover from a sketchy pilot with too many actors trying to be funny on a script that feels like washed up SNL writers penned it rather than what should be some of the hotter talent in television comedy today.
30 ROCK wasn’t bad at all, though I can see Tracy Morgan’s character become real tiresome real fast. If it were the only such show new this fall, it would seem a lot better, but it simply pales next to the brilliance of STUDIO 60.
I am Cadavra and I’m becoming a broken record on this show!
Cadavra, I don’t think anybody minds the 30 Rock talk but I beg you, don’t take Spam Dooley’s life tips too far.
Krazy, I’ve been catching up with Arrested Development too, through DVD. It was on air down here at 11.30 at night so I always missed it, but it is probably the best sitcom since Seinfeld went off the air and Friends went lame.
We’ll have to wait many months to receive any of these new shows though so I don’t really care. But, Baldwin shouldn’t be surprising anyone. His work on Will & Grace was hilarious, despite the show falling apart around him.
Krazy, I’ve been catching up with Arrested Development too, through DVD. It was on air down here at 11.30 at night so I always missed it, but it is probably the best sitcom since Seinfeld went off the air and Friends went lame.
We’ll have to wait many months to receive any of these new shows though so I don’t really care. But, Baldwin shouldn’t be surprising anyone. His work on Will & Grace was hilarious, despite the show falling apart around him.
And Baldwin’s always sensational on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. His Tony Bennett impression never fails to crack me up, and the GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS/Santa’s Workshop sketch was as funny as anything they’ve ever done.
I’m watching 30 Rock right now. It’s moderately funny and Jane Krakowski has had a lot of work done on her face since the last time I saw her in anything.
She’s obviously also lost a fair amount of weight…or did she just SEEM zaftig standing next to Calista?
No, the big difference I was noticing was that her face used to be round and now it isn’t.