30 Rock - Season 1 - Complete [2006] - DVD (Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan, Scott Adsit - Dir: Don Scardino)

Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. Remember Arrested Development? Smartest, funniest show on television. A critics' darling. An Emmy-winner for Best Comedy Series. But no one watched, and it was cancelled. Will history repeat itself with 30 Rock? It's the smartest, funniest show on television. A critics' darling. An Emmy-winner for Best Comedy Series. And it finished its inaugural season in 137th place! Hopefully, people will discover all that they missed with this Season 1 set and 30 Rock will, better late than never, find the audience it so richly deserves. A behind-the-scenes workplace comedy in the grand tradition of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show, 30 Rock stars comedy geek goddess Tina Fey as Liz Lemmon, who juggles her hapless personal life with her chaotic career as the producer and head writer of an SNL-ish sketch comedy show. She has a new boss, cunning and ruthless GE executive Jack Donaghy (Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award-winner Alec Baldwin), who insists on being her mentor, and a new star, medicated, loose-cannon comedian Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), who steals the spotlight from the show's flighty star, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski).

Briskly paced and perfectly cast, 30 Rock rewards viewers with brilliant dialogue (when Liz asks Jack why he is dressed in a tuxedo with no formal event to attend, he coolly responds, "It's after six; what am I, a farmer?") and fresh characters you haven't seen on a hundred other sitcoms. Jack McBrayer is the series' scene-stealing breakout star as NBC page Kenneth, a sweet and innocent "rube." The ensemble's seemingly spontaneous byplay invites repeat viewings to catch jokes and sly bits of business you might have missed (in "Tracy Does Conan," listen for the initial confusion over how to pronounce Tracy's less-than-ethical physician, Dr. Spaceman, or, in "The Hair and the Head," watch for the Katie Couric slur on the wall of what is purported to be NBC anchor Brian Williams' trashed office). In a season full of gems (including "Black Tie," featuring Paul Reubens as severely inbred royalty), there are only a couple of comparative clunkers, but the pleasure of this ensemble's company more than compensates. 30 Rock is highly recommended for people like Kenneth who just love television so much. And by the hammer of Thor, watch season 2! --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews of 30 Rock - Season 1 - Complete [2006]

Martin Fielding
Findon, West Sussex United Kingdom
31st December 2008

Funny on many levels
One of the pleasures of Xmas is the time to get off the beaten track and I have been catching up with the multiple episodes of the first series of this show on late night Channel 5. I was interested because I had seen Fey's Palin impersonations and also read about her in a late 2008 Vanity Fair.
The quality of the writing (all Fey per the credits) is fantastic - one example from "The C*** Word" episode - Fey to fellow worker "He just called me a word that rhymes with the title of your favourite Todd Rundgren album!" Fellow worker "What rhymes with Hermit of Mink Hollow?"
A great talent!

MR Qureish A KHANBHAI

29th December 2008

Very Funny
One of the funniest tv shows i've seen in a long time. It is designed to be one of those shows you can watch again and again! Great fun!

Severn Boy
Worcestershire, England
23rd December 2008

Sporadically amusing, the critics are wrong, the public is right.
There seems to be some hand-wringing going on about this one - how can such a gem get such critical acclaim, yet be so cold-shouldered by the public?

I think the answer is relatively simple - the show isn't all that funny. There are some brilliant moments in it, admittedly, but you have to sit through a lot of dross to experience them.

Also, many people are put off by the idea of well paid Hollywood bigshots, like Baldwin, satirising the very media world they are so much a part of. They portray themselves as critical outsiders subverting the system, but make a very nice living by being very much part of it.

So yes, it's relatively painless, but the reason the show is relatively unknown and unwatched is pretty clear - it's just not worth watching for very long.

Xander
Glasgow UK
29th November 2008

Seinfeld Returns
30 Rock is simply the greatest American comedy show since Seinfeld. Shown very late at night (early morning) for only a few episodes in the UK, the first season is now out on Region 2 DVD and the second season is out on Region 1 in the States. If you are a fan of comedies like Seinfeld and Frasier simply buy these DVDs; you will not regret one minute of it. Alec Baldwin is the stand out for me; his character, acting and comic timing in 30 Rock has totally changed my opinion of him (think along the lines of Jeremy Piven's character in Entourage and you're going down the right road).

Season 2 was cut short by the writers strike last year (only 15 episodes) but season 3 is now in full swing on US television, and deservedly so.

If buying the dvds, another bonus of the Region 1 NTSC discs are that they are packed with extras not on the UK versions (but remember you will need a multi region DVD player)

GeeJayBee
Cardiff
27th October 2008

Seriously Funny
This is a great example of the type of ensemble comedy series that the Americans do so well. A great central cast, quirky storylines and entertaining guest appearances make this a must watch.
Would recommend this on a par with Scrubs, How I met Your Mother and Arrested Development.