Once again, I venture outside of the stated topic zone of this blog, and today we find ourselves settling on the world of television.
After a whole season of worrying that my favourite show, 30 Rock, was going to get cancelled, it was announced that it had been…kind of renewed. A thirteen episode final season. Fans are in uproar, devastated, as they are when anything gets cancelled.
Me? I’m just grateful the show got renewed at all. Viewing figures had plummeted to an all time low, and a large part of me can see why. This season has been brilliant, a real return to form in my opinion. As for Season 5, however? Those were some dark days. Couple a poor last season with the fact that it changed broadcast seasons due to Fey’s pregnancy, and ratings were bound to dwindle. I get the feeling Fey was aware of this, seeing as this last season has been so batshit insane and bloody fantastic that it seems as though she’s stopped caring what people think, which is exactly when she is at her best.
I’m over the moon that it’s been renewed, if only for a final farewell, because it felt very possible to me that NBC could just cancel it, and that would be that. At least this way we get to say goodbye to characters who, while on the whole are obnoxious and hideous, we love for some reason. The vile Jenna Maroney, the ridiculous Tracey Jordan, the pathetic J.D. Lutz.
It remains a mystery to me why 30 Rock has never been more of a hit. Sure it did well with critics, but this was a sitcom which was ridiculous, with it’s fair share of pratfalls and slip-ups, as well as smart and endearing. Fey’s sense of humour knows no limits – after star Tracey Morgan made a cock-up of massive proportions in slating gay people during his stand up act, Fey released a press statement saying what an idiot he was, and then used it for her show. A special length episode in which Morgan’s character, Tracey Jordan, does the exact same thing, and then when attempting to write an apology writes one to the wrong organisation.
30 Rock has been a treasure. The fact that it wasn’t a hit over in the UK at all defies logic, seeing as we love ourselves some slapstick mixed with witty repartee, but go figure. I’m just glad I got to see the show at all, and I know it’ll be on I revisit regularly, if not every damn night. Bravo, Fey and co, and I look forward to seeing just what you can achieve next season now that the boundaries are well and truly out of sight.
bywayofthegreenlinebus 