1. Iconic Characters
Although there are many elements that make 30 Rock 30 Rock, I put the characters first. There is no woman who would not identify with any of Liz Lemon’s personality traits. Let’s not even connect it to gender, there is no person who would not identify with Liz Lemon. Eating habits, the inability to start sports, his workaholics, the right or wrong decisions he takes in his personal life are all elements that make us love him and make him realistic. Of course, although it is exaggerated in the name of comedy, when we look at the basics, Liz Lemon actually represents a part of us all. While watching the path he takes throughout the series, the development of his character and bring him to life with his own unique methods, one feels that his own life will be on the right track.
Jack Donaghy is a perfect parody of people we see on LinkedIn and wonder “how did this guy get here?” Every sentence that comes out of your mouth is like a TedX speech, but it is an absurd whole of sentences that may belong to one percent. This character, who seems to have solved life on the surface, also has an inept private life and observing the ups and downs in his career creates a good dynamic in the series with Liz Lemon. Of course, we should also thank Alec Baldwin, who has taken over every scene since his first scene in the series.
2.SNL and Tina Fey
30 Rock opens a brace to my missionary and I want to do a little missionary for Tina Fey, the creator of the show. After all, 30 Rock was inspired by Tina Fey’s years as an editorial at SNL; 30 Rock is unthinkable without Tina Fey. The influence of SNL, which he served as an editorial and actor between 1999 and 2006, is frequently felt in 30 Rock. No, I am not talking about the TGS, which 30 Rock is the subject of, is a sketch show like SNL.
The biggest contribution of Tina Fey and SNL to 30 Rock is the culture of never being wasted. Even if the style changes, the jokes never stop. Even the lines between the conversations that should be monotonous are full of jokes. Nowadays a sitcom classic, which we were not used to in the 2000s, interrupting the dialogue suddenly and going back and forth to the memory mentioned in the sentence, is one of the frequently and skillfully performed tricks in 30 Rock. Every dialogue, every little scene, every facial expression is full of little or obvious jokes. There are small sketches in the series even for shows that are just to fill the dialogue. 30 Rock is a perfect combination of a classic sitcom and a comedy sketch show.
We don’t call Tina Fey one of the most successful names in comedy for nothing, she knows how to market comedy. If you have watched the Golden Globe ceremonies, you have understood how successful it is in hitting exactly twelve in one sentence. The sentences that fit the personality traits of the characters and turn into slogans are one of the hallmarks of 30 Rock. Just like Tina Fey’s another masterpiece, Mean Girls, 30 Rock is a “quote mine” for fans. 30 Rock and Mean Girls is one of the most quoted series and movies over the years, thanks to Fey, who also applied the tradition of putting the breach in a single sentence in the shows he wrote.
3. Falling Fourth Walls and Commodifying
It would be unfair to subvert every right decision taken to Tina Fey’s genius. With the combination of his vision and talented team of writers, the series really stands out. Take in-series commercials, for example. An uncomfortable situation for every TV drama; It is necessary to highlight the brand without disturbing the audience. The 30 Rock crew, on the other hand, do the opposite and include the commercials in the script. “Can we get our money now?” saying is my personal favorite. The joke writes itself, both the brand and the series win.
Ads aside, 30 Rock metal is at a level that can be read in textbooks. While making fun of reality shows with “Queen of Jordan”, Survivor with “MILF Island” and talent contests with “America’s Kidz Got Singing”, he does not neglect to make fun of NBC, the channel he broadcasted in between. Anything can be made a piece of humor for 30 Rock, no one is safe.
4. Live Sections
There are two special episodes that make 30 Rock unique. Most sitcoms are shot without an audience, it is possible to leave a margin of error in those shot with an audience. 30 Rock, on the other hand, with a tempo from SNL, released two episodes that were shot at the time it was aired, without disturbing the airtime of the series. These two episodes, which are beautiful enough to be among the best episodes of the series, including many names we know from the comedy community, make 30 Rock truly unique.
5. The Right Decisions Made Beyond Time
The fact that the two main characters of the series are never in love is perhaps the best decision the series has made. The “mentor / business husband” or “student / cousin” relationship between Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy is the middle of the show. This mutualist and dynamic between the two, which never goes one step beyond platonic, is the kind of relationship we are just beginning to see in the TV series. Especially in the early 2000s, consider this: it was almost impossible for the heterosexual male and female characters in the leading roles not to come together. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin’s totally friendly chemistry and Fey’s writing prevented this from happening. What is left to us is one of the rare series where the leading roles do not have a relationship.
In short, 30 Rock is one of the most successful sitcoms of the twenty-first century. Many details you will notice new even while watching the fifth, you will hear a new joke that you missed while laughing at the previous joke. If you have plenty of time at home or are looking for a drama to accompany you while you eat, 30 Rock will not let you down.
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