# God, 30 Rock is good. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483 "2009-05-15T01:59:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/41 "2009-05-15T17:52:48Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > “The other kidneys are singing now.” It was only one other kidney. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/42 "2009-05-15T17:53:33Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > That was Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5. [Paris Hilton]Hot![/Paris Hilton] Beautiful voice too. Watching it without knowing who he was I was wondering if he’s a Broadway star. > [@featherlou](#): > > Dr. Spaceman is one of the best parts of the show - “I don’t know how to say this - die a bet is? Die abit ees?” The _Amadeus_ parody at the end of last season when he runs in wearing the cape [and of course Dr. Spaceman is wearing an 18th century cape] as Tracy is at death’s door creating his combo porno and video game was one of the great moments in recent history. [QUOTE=featherlou] Apparently Jenna is fairly feisty - I liked her taking off her earrings as soon as they announced a special guest. [/QUOTE] I loved her stealing the microphone from Michael Stipe. Too bad she wasn’t in her “Janet Joppelin” (or whatever the character’s name is) mode. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/43 "2009-05-15T17:53:51Z")
Originally Posted by Sampiro Who was “please to meet” guy? > [@HelloNinja](#): > > That was Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5. That was hillarious too. Mostly because you don’t expect a mumbling non-actor musician to pull something like that off. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/44 "2009-05-15T17:55:23Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > It was only one other kidney. And that other kidney was Sheryl Crow. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/45 "2009-05-15T17:55:59Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Ummm… that was 2 1/2 years ago. It’s a rare show that hits its stride in 2 episodes. Damn, it doesn’t feel like that long ago. So it’s changed? Thinking back, maybe not “hit their stride” but I liked all my favorite shows right away. To this day I actually have no ass, because I laughed it off during the pilot of Arrested Development. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanTigerTamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@SuntanTigerTamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanTigerTamer)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/46 "2009-05-15T18:04:50Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I loved her stealing the microphone from Michael Stipe. Too bad she wasn’t in her “Janet Joppelin” (or whatever the character’s name is) mode. Janice Jormp Jomp. That episode nearly killed me. Probably my favorite half hour of television this year. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/47 "2009-05-15T18:05:21Z")
I agree that 30 Rock started a bit slow, but I would suggest you give it another shot **Cisco**. S1 and S2 are both available streaming on Netflix, if you have a subscription. When it hit its stride, it really got good. Of course, I might be biased because there was an episode that reunited the **Night Court** cast, and that was enough to make me love it forever. It also has my all time favorite sitcom line. “Ignore the Detour sign. It’s a trap.” ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/48 "2009-05-15T18:05:29Z")
The show is extraordinarily different than it was in the first several episodes. The humor isn’t the same as Arrested Development, but there’s some overlap in the worldview. The last few eps are up on Hulu and [NBC.com](http://NBC.com). I wouldn’t try the oldest of those (Jacki Jormp-Jomp), because it was a bit of a weak entry. But any of the others is a great exemplar of what the show is now. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/49 "2009-05-15T18:14:03Z")
Favorite line of the night (because it’s true on so many levels): Declan McManus: “Listen, when someone starts talking in the middle of a song, you know it’s serious.” As true today as it was for Elvis and for _Never Been to Me_. [Kidney Now Video on YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiF51PuvORU) until the copyright Nazis attack. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/50 "2009-05-15T18:22:16Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Ummm… that was 2 1/2 years ago. It’s a rare show that hits its stride in 2 episodes. I dunno. I actually think that, if someone loathed the first two episodes, that’s a pretty good sign that it’s not the show for them. It’s definitely gotten better, but the characters and type of humor were pretty well established early on. I was sort of underwhelmed by the charity song, though the episode was great (god bless you, Dr. Spaceman! And was that Molly Shannon attacking Jenna on the talk show?). I’m pretty sure I actually quote this thread’s title – ‘God, 30 Rock is good’ – after every episode. It really is a delight. ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/51 "2009-05-15T18:38:43Z")
My wife and I saw Tina Fey on Letterman a week or few before the 30 Rock debut, and thought she was terribly unfunny, and did not expect much out of the show after that. The only reason we even started watching it was because we happened to leave NBC on after The Office. I loved it after the first episode, and it is generally the most consistently funny show on television. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/52 "2009-05-15T19:51:03Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > I dunno. I actually think that, if someone loathed the first two episodes, that’s a pretty good sign that it’s not the show for them. It’s definitely gotten better, but the characters and type of humor were pretty well established early on. I kind of agree. My favorite sitcoms of this decade have been _Arrested Development_ and _It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia_, with _30 Rock_ in a very close 3rd (it might have barely beat out IASIP, if there weren’t so many weak episodes mixed in with the great stuff). But while it didn’t start brilliantly, I do think the style of humor was there from the beginning. Personally, I think it’s the best comedy on network TV (and this comes from someone who absolutely hated Tracy Morgan on SNL), but it has stayed fairly consistent in tone. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/53 "2009-05-15T20:00:43Z")
Elvis! The line about being an international art thief was great. Clay Aiken being Kenneth’s cousin was cute as well. I admit I didn’t get the MASH parody. What I like most about 30 Rock is I never know _what_ I’m going to laugh at in any given week. Whilst the characters are all pretty clear and set, how they will interact to create comedy is rarely cliche and predictable. It’s the only sitcom I watch. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/54 "2009-05-15T20:10:23Z")
> [@LateComer](#): > > “A grown man crying about a chicken and a baby? I thought this was a comedy show.” Brutal and awesome at the same time. How the HELL did I miss that? I refer to that episode all the time. (I’ll remember something and say “Oh my god it wasn’t a chicken, it was a babbbby!”) Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/55 "2009-05-16T03:25:35Z")
Is it just me or does [Elvis Costello](http://www.mymusic.com/DI5/graphics/elvis_costello.jpg) as he ages resemble [Phil Silvers](http://www.cinemaretro.com/uploads/madworldphilsilvers.jpg) (right)? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/56 "2009-05-16T03:40:48Z")
As in being homely, middle-aged men? Nah, Elvis is MUCH uglier. ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/57 "2009-05-16T14:51:15Z")
Finally watched this episode. I think I laughed hardest at the incredibly awkward game of catch. I do love this show, and Alan Alda was great. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/58 "2009-05-16T19:14:43Z")
> [@Idlewild](#): > > Finally watched this episode. Me, too - it is really well done. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/59 "2009-05-16T21:17:48Z")
I had to re-watch it because one of my guests at the time had to leave, (we get together to watch The Office, but now Park’s [and especially] 30 Rock’s fan base has FINALLY come to include others in my circle), and I had to walk her to her car. I felt so stupid watching it over again because the first time I forced myself to laugh at parts that I could have only really understood if I had seen the beginning. It’s kind of a habit. If I don’t get it. Or just don’t hear a joke… I assume it was meant tio be funny and chuckle so as to not look stupid. Anyway great episode. I don’t frequent 30 Rock threads as much, and I’m sure this had been mentioned at some point but; Katrina Bowden who plays Cerie is SO jaw-droppingly HOT! I may come off as a skeez… Of course Tina Fey is totally cute as well, and Jane Krakowski, they also get extra points for being able to play such goofy characters; but whenever Katrina gets screen time… I just can’t look away. Just thinking about her makes my hand form into a fist, while my eyebrows are raised, and I just… bite my knuckles!! She Gives me the vapors. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483/60 "2009-05-17T16:31:44Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > I don’t frequent 30 Rock threads as much, and I’m sure this had been mentioned at some point but; Katrina Bowden who plays Cerie is SO jaw-droppingly HOT! I may come off as a skeez… Of course Tina Fey is totally cute as well, and Jane Krakowski, they also get extra points for being able to play such goofy characters; but whenever Katrina gets screen time… I just can’t look away. Whenever I see her I do notice how hot she is, but I also think, man, how skinny must that chick be? She’s half the size of Tina and Jane, who are actress thin. I also checked IMDb and found that she won’t turn 21 until September. That means she must have been 17 when the show first started shooting in 2006. No wonder she can still look so incredibly young and dewy. (And she’ll have serious issues turning 30.) Because of my OCD tic to always credit the writer, I need to remind people that the smother the baby storyline is taken directly from Cynthia Ozick’s short story, “The Shawl,” which was published in 1980, three years before the M_A_S\*H finale. It’s in every possible best collection, including [Best American Short Stories of the Century](http://www.amazon.com/Best-American-Short-Stories-Century/dp/0395843677) and deservedly so. Simply one of the best and powerful short stories ever written. Speaking of feeling old (was I? I don’t remember. We old people get like that. Like what?) I think I recognized only Elvis Costello, Clay Aiken, Cindy Lauper, and Sheryl Crow out of all the Kidney Klan. Do the math. Now that Sheryl is established as a former classmate of Liz’s does this mean a Very Special Episode next season? And same for Clay and Kenneth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-30-rock-is-good/496483.md?page=4)