30 Rock

By Heather Salerno Mad Men and 30 Rock were the big winners at last night’s Emmy awards, scooping up the trophies for Best Drama and Best Comedy. The rest of the big winners were pretty much repeats of last year: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Bedford’s Glenn Close (Damages) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) snagged...

By Heather Salerno SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES: Kristin Chenoweth, “Pushing Daisies” Amy Poehler, “Saturday Night Live” Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock” Elizabeth Perkins, “Weeds” Kristin Wiig, “Saturday Night Live” Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty”

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By Heather Salerno Community’s a quirky little comedy that fits right in amongst NBC’s other Thursday night quirkfests: The Office and 30 Rock. (Sorry, I can’t muster up much enthusiasm for Parks and Recreation – at least not based on last season’s lackluster laughs.) Photo courtesy of NBC)

By Brian Howard 30 Rock — Jack’s daddy issues and Liz’s boyfriend/baby issues sucked the life out of me. If not for Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer, Jane Krakowski and all the minor characters who get too little screen time, I’d have given up sooner. Again, I’ll keep watching, because this show is still the funn...

By Brian Howard But while those two have been on the straight and narrow, Alec Baldwin continues his pattern of woes, thankfully unrelated to alcohol or automobiles. Baldwin has since apologized but added that he thought most people understood it was a joke. Of course it was, just not a very funny one.

By Brian Howard NBC MID-SEASON 2010 SCHEDULE THURSDAY 8- 8:30 p.m. – “COMMUNITY” 8:30-9 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation” 9- 9:30 p.m. – “The Office” 9:30-10 p.m. – “30 Rock” 10-11 p.m. – “THE JAY LENO SHOW” f FRIDAY 8-9 p.m. – “Law & Order” 9-10 p.m. – “Southland” 10-11 p.m. – “THE JAY LENO SHOW”

By Brian Howard 30 Rock gained a higher profile in its third season, but I remember Alec Baldwin questioning after the second season how long he wanted to be involved. He was going to quit to write cough a parenting book, which I think he managed to write without quitting.

By Brian Howard I like that this is a show you’re not inclined to think too deeply about, and yet it gives you food for thought if you want it. It can be just plain funny, or it can be a little deep. It’s more like 30 Rock that way than The Office. Actually, it’s more like 30 Rock than even 30 Rock was this season.

By Brian Howard I’m on record as not caring a wit about anything to do with Jack’s family. Still, it was a decent twist to have Alan Alda’s Milton, on learning Jack is his son, embrace him in the sure knowledge that he’d found the kidney he’d been looking for. I can only hope that they do as much with that storylin...

By Brian Howard I’d never heard of white people being unable to tell the ages of black people, but the episode did convince me Tracy could be 60. You know who can rap? Liz and Pete were channeling Rob Base. Kenneth too. And I would know since I’m right around the same age.

By Brian Howard With encouragement from Liz and Tracy, Jack begins a search for his real father. When Tracy introduces his newly discovered illegitimate son to his friends at “TGS,” Liz and Pete question the son’s intentions. Meanwhile, Jenna and Liz fight for the spotlight when Jenna gets recognition f...

By Brian Howard NBC unveiled six new series for fall 2009 at yesterday’s network “In-Fronts” in New York. Three series not mentioned here, because they’re not technically new, are Southland, Parks and Recreation and a six-episode run of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday.

By Brian Howard Now throw in SNL’s Amy Poehler—the closest thing to Tina Fey at SNL since Tina Fey left for 30 Rock —and it was like this show came with a fall pick-up built in. That said, I don’t see this show working very well on Thursdays, particularly in the new, shortened prime-time format.

By Brian Howard I would watch a show based entirely around Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan and wild monkey. After watching her struggle with that five-gallon water cooler bottle, I reached one conclusion: Tina Fey shouldn’t do physical comedy. Liz and Grizz have a past. Tracy said “Twist!”

By Brian Howard This is episode four of a six-episode run, and this show is pretty solid and consistently funny so far. Already, Chris Pratt’s occasional one-liners have stolen the show for me, but Amy Poehler is showing she can anchor her own show. I’d like to see them do more with Rashida Jones, who I’m remi...

By Brian Howard NBC, you gave us The Office and 30 Rock in recent years. Once upon a time you gave us Seinfeld. All three required your patience to survive. Combined with other great shows throughout the years, I’ve come to expect your network to be the place to turn for good TV.

By Brian Howard How else to explain the hilarity of Liz Lemon shouting “Puerto Rican!” every time she saw Salma Hayek’s Elisa. Tina Fey can pull that off, and she knows it. Jenna had one of the lines of the night after the gang pranks her to teach her a lesson about trying to poison Kenneth.

By Brian Howard I know, I know. I owe you all recaps of last night’s episodes of The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation. It was a stellar night of TV, but it’s also been an insane week. So I’m behind and playing catch-up. Don’t worry, I’m working on it. In the meantime, I implore you all to [...]

By Brian Howard “Jackie Jormp-Jomp” was such an annoying title that I wasn’t even looking forward to this episode. That it turned out to be the latest title for Jenna’s rights-less Janice Joplin biopic redeemed it perfectly. While she got a glimpse of life after death and Liz got a glimpse of how the jobless...

By Brian Howard I know it’s based only on one episode, but I feel like adding Parks and Recreation to the Thursday night lineup and ditching Scrubs and the ill-conceived Kath & Kim has given NBC a solid comedy block worth parking yourself in front of the TV for. The only weak link is Earl at 8 p.m., so I plan to...

By Brian Howard I’ll jump in where I usually do, with the Kenneth-Tracy-Jenna story line, because this season that one’s usually the funniest. I didn’t buy that Tracy would go to Kenneth’s house to feed his bird. He’s an International Superstar. He doesn’t feed his own birds. Still, it was cool to see Kenneth...

By Brian Howard Between Parks and Recreation, the funniest debut of a new sitcom since 30 Rock, a brand new episode of 30 Rock itself and two new, nonconsecutive episodes of The Office, it was an embarrassment of comic riches. Not to complain, but it all kind of flowed together in the end.

By Brian Howard NBC’s prime time Thursday lineup is a tad confusing, with two nonconsecutive new episodes of one show and the debut of another. But hey, at least there’s no Kath & Kim! Here’s the schedule with episode summaries, or in the case of Parks & Recreation, a series summary. You can read my r...

By Brian Howard But I’m back, and I have to weigh in on the latest one-two punch of must-see-TV doled out by the Peacock. Chuck has surpassed The Office and 30 Rock as my favorite show, and Heroes is showing signs of returning to the form established in its heady first season. This week’s episodes further ceme...

By Brian Howard I’m somewhat at a loss here on a Thursday with no Office or 30 Rock to look forward to tonight. For starters, here’s the link to Liz Lemon’s 1-800-OKFACE ad from last week’s 30 Rock. Spoiler-monger Michael Ausiello of EW.com had the following to say about the season finale. It ain’t much, but it s...

By Brian Howard I don’t know what was most liz-worthy: Liz’s sex line commercial (that was incredibly long), Jack jacking or Jack’s list of things to do by 50 (Peggy Fleming, va-va-voom!). Wait, it was Tracy’s wordplay with the 70s space drink Tang. No, the $7 price tag on Kenneth, as per Jack-vision.

By Brian Howard It’s been a while since I really enjoyed two straight episodes of 30 Rock, and I can’t remember the last time both 30 Rock and The Office were especially good on the same night. But Thursday marked both milestones. (I recapped The Office’s “New Boss” here.)

By Brian Howard Read the rest of my reaction and watch the full episode and clips from Tracy Morgan’s stint on SNL after the jump… By the way, Tracy Morgan hosted SNL this week. I missed it because I’m physically incapable of staying up late and because Hulu mitigates the need to watch actual TV. So here’s a few...

By Brian Howard If it’s a criticism to call it not quite great, so be it. I still love the show, have never missed an episode and tap in to the online fandom on a daily basis. I hardly rewatch episodes anymore like I used to, though. And as much as I’ve enjoyed this season, all the episodes seem to run together with f...

By Brian Howard If you’re not going to fix what’s wrong with 30 Rock, just have Jack and/or Liz interact more with the secondary (and much funnier) characters on the show. And I loved that Jenna starred in a sketch called “Diaper Chicken.” How could you cut that? Photos: NBC Universal)

By Brian Howard It’s been a while, but The Office is back and is paired with a new 30 Rock. The promos and episode summaries have me thinking we’re in for a pretty good night of TV between the two, from an utterly changed Frank to the worst place to pick up women this side of the morgue. Here’s [...]

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By Brian Howard The Kenneth-Liz matchup was a good move. Odd pairings have been a boon for The Office this season too. As always, some heavy Tracey action makes any episode better. That said, Alec Baldwin seems to be mailing it in lately, and the Elisa story is really dragging. I guess we won’t see her for a while...

By Brian Howard Jack considers taking the next step with Elisa, but will he be able to choose between his commitment to her and his demanding career? Meanwhile, Tracy’s interview on “Larry King Live” sends New York City into a panic. Out in the chaotic city, Liz Lemon recruits Kenneth to venture out to Quee...

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By Brian Howard just wanted to weigh in on the 30 Rock/McDonald’s scandal. That’s tongue-in-cheek there. I didn’t have a problem at all with McDonald’s and its McFlurry dessert being featured so prominently in last week’s episode. Here’s a statement Tina Fey issued last week.

By Brian Howard But in the end, not even Jenna’s masterful Michael McDonald interpretation could save these sweet kids from one unavoidable truth: Kenneth isn’t black. No, not that one, that she’s hot and Kenneth’s just plain not. Brutal. No offense to Jon Hamm, and I’m sure Mad Men is a fine show, but he’s go...

By Brian Howard “Where’s Holly?!?” Michael bellows. “Michael?” a lanky young salesman asks. “Michael Scott? From Scranton?”  “Yes. Who? What? I’m Michael Scott. Where’s Holly Flax? She’s in HR. She has great boo—” “Michael, she left yesterday,” lanky guy says. “She said she couldn’t take it any longer,” a n...

By Brian Howard So I was stoked to see old Andy (pictured in his 30 Rock guest gig as Liz Lemon’s brother) would be making an appearance, in near-identical character to Det. Barker, on next week’s episode of Chuck, “Chuck vs. the Suburbs.” He’ll play the suburbanite neighbor of undercover marrieds Chuck and...

By Brian Howard In the end, it all tied together, which is a 30 Rock staple you can always rely upon. But the mojo seems to be gone. After fixing her telenovela, all abuela needs Jack to do now is fix NBC News. Not a moment too soon, right? Tracy has been looking fat all season, if you ask me. Now he sounds old. (Loved it...

By Brian Howard Kenneth: Good morning sir, what’s that on your foot? Kenneth: You can’t eat candy if you have diabetes. Kenneth: It’s not a myth. Gentlemen, back me up here. Kenneth: How do you not see the connection? Kenneth: I don’t think that’s right.

By Brian Howard I have to admit, Thursday nights wear me out. Yes, a TV blogger is whining about TV blogging. But hear me out. I recap both 30 Rock and The Office, and I can’t start watching either until 9, and they’re not over until 10. Factor in time for pausing the DVR while I scribble down funny quotes and any ins...

By Brian Howard OK, so it’s way too late to post a 30 Rock recap by now, but my Internet went down Thursday night and I only had time at work on Friday to post an Office recap. “Give me something to suck on,” the New York Daily News quoted the blogger as writing.

By Brian Howard The stuntcasting has gotten old, the Liz-adopts-a-baby storyline isn’t working for me, the funniest characters (Tracy, Kenneth, Jenna) get too little screentime. Heck, I’m still missing the Rachel Dratch cameos that used to be a staple.

By Heather Salerno “30 Rock” triumphed with a trifecta: Best Comedy Series, Best Actress in a Comedy (for Tina Fey) and Best Actor in a Comedy (for Alec Baldwin). Plus, Tracy Morgan delivered what might be one of the best acceptance speeches ever: ” I’m the face of post-racial America. Deal with it, Cate Blanch...

By Brian Howard It had me going from Liz’s distracted opening exchange with Jenna. Jenna: Liz, did you hear? Jack: No. When Tracy’s on his death bed french kissing his wife, he’ll think of Jack. At least when he takes her in the hallway, Frank gets to watch. Poor Kenneth.

By Brian Howard Did you know 30 Rock returns tonight? Meanwhile, according to NBC, Hayek will play a recurring love interest for Jack Donaghy, which I think we can all agree would be Alec Baldwin’s dream come true. He’s a funny guy, but she’s out of his and Jack’s league. Heck, she’s out of Brad Pitt’s league.

By Brian Howard Things had been so quiet at 30 Rock. Tracy Morgan hasn’t worn an ankle bracelet in a while. Alec Baldwin hadn’t left any lengthy voicemails for anyone. But Rip Torn, who plays GE CEO Don Geiss, has disturbed the calm with his third drunken driving arrest in five years.

By Heather Salerno In comedy, the nominees are: “30 Rock” (NBC); “Californication” (Showtime); “Entourage” (HBO); “The Office” (NBC); “Weeds” (Showtime). And in the comedy categories, Tina Fey continued her march toward world domination: She and “30 Rock” co-star Alec Baldwin were nominated, as well...

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By Brian Howard Photos: NBC Universal, Associated Press The Office is back! No, not the way I said 30 Rock is back earlier today. The Office never left that way. It’s been a pretty good season so far, with several good though no great episodes. That could change tonight. Here’s the episode summary for “The Surp...

By Brian Howard And Jack (Alec Baldwin) does a bit of self-discovery himself. Once again, GE’s CEO job falls just out of reach as Don Geiss (Rip Torn, giving a clinic on how to be a guest star) wakes from his coma and decides to keep his day job. So Jack joins Liz at the reunion—improbably, sure, but to great effe...

By Brian Howard The thing is, something seems to have happened to Liz Lemon between last season and this one. Maybe it was Tina Fey’s high-profile trip to Palinville. Suddenly she was getting the plaudits her work on SNL and 30 Rock had long ago earned her.

By Brian Howard I loved Night Court back in the day, and I love 30 Rock in this day. So why didn’t I love Thursday’s retro-crossover as much as some people? Well, I took a few days and thought about it. Credit where it’s due, though, Tracy Morgan can’t speak without unleashing torrents of yuks.

By Brian Howard Worst of all, the last two weeks it’s felt like Tina Fey has become the least inspired guest star of all. Her Palin-ride to the celebrity stratosphere has stifled the Liz Lemon of old, for me, and that is an egregious turn of events. It was the flawed appeal of Liz that gave the show its human appe...

By Brian Howard It's with that in mind that I regret to say 30 Rock returns Thursday with a good but not as great as I was hoping Season 3 premiere. Maybe I built it up in my mind after six months of withdrawal. Or maybe I'm experiencing Tina Fey Fatigue. I can't help but worry that six weeks of Fey-as-Palin hype hav...

By Brian Howard MUZOPHILE: Entertainment and Music News, Videos, 24/7 Club Hits on Live365, Dance and Techno: VIDEO: TINA FEY Talks SARAH PALIN, '30 Rock' on DAVID LETTERMAN Fox strikes deal with Will Arnett for comedy series—chicagotribune.com

By Brian Howard Not that things didn’t get dicey for a while. Baldwin’s voicemail tirade coincided with Tracy Morgan’s drunken driving issues and was followed shortly after by Baldwin’s seeming threat to quit the show when he went on The View and said he didn’t care if he never acted again.

By Heather Salerno And I'm pretty sure no one fell off the couch when Alec Baldwin finally scored his trophy for his scene-stealing performance on "30 Rock," or when Tina Fey snagged Lead Actress in a Comedy and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

By Brian Howard NBC made it official yesterday the Big O will guest-star in an episode of on 30 Rock this season. She joins a growing chorus of high-profile one-timers that include Al Gore, Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Buscemi, not to mention the all-star recurring characters portrayed by Will Arnett, Rip To...

By Brian Howard By live blogging the mostly highly anticipated episode of the funniest show on television, I'll free myself up at 9 p.m. to focus on the best overall show on television, The Office, for which I can post a prompt recap and analysis without giving 30 Rock short shrift. Of course, my 30 Rock recap/...

By Brian Howard I confront a particular dilemma while blogging about 30 Rock: Tina Fey and Co. say a lot of things in their prime time slot that I could never print in this space. Meanwhile, don’t expect any of the upcoming episodes to be about the TGS writers hitting the picket lines.

By Brian Howard Tina Fey chatted with the media the other day, and there was too much Liz Lemony goodness to cram into a single post. So Remote Access is doling it out over a couple of days, replete with real audio so you can hear for yourself just how awesome she is. Check out Part I here.

By Brian Howard Fey could only talk about 30 Rock, which is finally returning from the writers strike with a new episode April 10. But she did say that Liz Lemon’s endorsement of McCain (in a season one scene with Jason Sudeikis as love interest Floyd) was an example of the way the show likes to put things out t...

Remote Access 30 Rock holiday episode will be LudaChristmas Remote Access, NY - Dec 13, 2007 You’re going to wish every week was Shark Week because the prime-time pickings are getting slim, and you won’t have Tina Fey and Co. to kick around for a ...

By Brian Howard Download: (more…) Looking back at last week’s 30 Rock, we still can’t believe they landed Al Gore AND David Schwimmer AND Meredith Vieira AND Tina Fey. Well, OK, they had a leg up on the last one since its her show and all. Party with your colleagues at your own risk. Ignore global warming at your...

By Chris Serico Handle the “Truth” after the jump. (more…) As far as scripted television is concerned, the vast majority of my viewing these days involves programming on NBC: Tops with me right now are “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Chuck”—with “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and a resurgent “Saturday Nig...