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Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/04/2007 Rating: Nr
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
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Customer Reviews: - Good, but not for me.
This is probably the hardest review I have written on Amazon because how do you give a show a good rating without really liking it? Well here's my attempt at answering this question.
30 Rock is a well-written, well-acted, funny show. I can see the comparisons to Arrested Development in that they are both quirky. However, I think 30 Rock has an even bigger plus because the main character (Tina Fey)is much more likable and easy to identify with, than the main character in Arrested Development.
That said, to me the sign of a great show is how badly I want to see the next episode. And in this respect 30 Rock failed miserably. To be honest, I just stopped watching it halfway through the season.
I don't know if this was the show's fault or the fact that I had just finished watching "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", a Sorkin vehicle that treated the same subject matter (a late-night comedy show) from a dramatic perspective rather than from a comedic one. Studio 60 just blew me away, and perhaps this made me judge 30 Rock more unfairly.
Would I have changed my mind if I had stuck it out? Probably not. I watched all 3 seasons of Arrested Development, and stayed with my original feeling of overall acceptance but not total adoration; which leads me to believe that this genre (quirky comedy) may not be for me after all.
But I can honestly say that for those who love this type of show, 30 Rock is definitely a winner. Enjoy it. As for me, I will continue to wait for the next Sorkin hit.
...more info - 30Rock is much better than the DVD cover would have you believe!
When I first saw the pilot for this show I was disappointed. Alec Baldwin was brilliant but the rest of the show was mis-firing. It wasn't until a few weeks later when I saw another episode that I became instantly hooked (watching the pilot after some other episodes places the characters in perspective and makes the pilot funnier, but it's still the weakest episode).
The show is really funny, even after multiple viewings. All the cast work well, even the supporting cast, and some great guest stars. The only thing that could make the show better is some running jokes between episodes. And change the theme music, I can't stand the theme music!
Bonus features:
Deleted scenes are great, pity they weren't recut into the episodes for DVD.
The wrap party compilations was pretty good.
Evening with Kenneth is some of the cast in character and very funny.
Behind the scenes are humorous, but seeing the sets in `real life' kind of destroys the magic.
The commentaries are not good. They suffer from being solo commentaries and consist mostly of long pauses and random facts that aren't that interesting. You would hope getting a few of these people together would be really entertaining so maybe they'll do some group commentaries next time.
(5 stars for the show, consider the bonus features as, well... a bonus!)...more info - Great show, great price!
I bought this for my wife Black Friday weekend. Amazon had it for 14.99 and I used my Prime membership to get it by Tuesday.
Funny show and loved the deal!...more info - love it every week, even re-runs
Tina Fey is one of the smartest comedy writers right now and she is putting her talent to excellent use.
Kenneth is a surprisingly awesome charachter.
Let's use the word zany, just for fun....more info - Funny show.
I dont know if I like this show more because its funny or because Tina Fey is sexy. Good Stuff!...more info - modern satire that's hard edged but never cruel
Tina Fey's brilliant 30 ROCK is a hard edged, but never cruel, modern satire of corporate life and pop culture. It's fun, surprising and often fast paced.
30 ROCK may seem like a farce, but in it's own humorous way it touches on real issues. For example, 'The Baby Show' episode where Liz Lemon gets overwhelmed by baby mania, or 'The C Word', where Liz faces a real world problem that confronts many middle managers, whether they should be friends or bosses for their staff.
The extras for the Series are fun although I would have liked to have seen an interview with Tina Fey in there.
The early episodes are a bit slow to get going, but still fun. I recommend newbies to the 30 ROCK series, start with Disk 2, and return to Disk 1 after they have built up an appreciation for the characters and storyline. Disk 1 episodes give some of the origin and background story ....more info - Good show, but far away from being the best...
Althoug this is a solid show (thanks in great part to Alec Baldwin's talent and charisma), there's no way I can undertand it having won so many Emmy's and other nominations as best comedy. No way.
This is a conventional show by all accounts. It has absolutely none of the wit, the boldness, the intrincacies of the plots of a "My Name is Earl", for example. Heck, "Two And A Half Men" and even "The Big Bang Theory" are outright more fun, more clever, more dinamic.
I bought this first season without watching any episode on TV, base on the high remakrs it obtained. I was utterly dissapointed, but, as I said before, the show itself is good. It's just not nowhere near greatness.
...more info - The Rural Juror... Try Saying That 3 Times Fast
Liz Lemon (you gotta love that name) is surrounded by chaos, and without her, the world would fall apart without somebody keeping it spinning and/or GE would lose tons of money. 30 Rock is simply a show about crazy, over-inflated egos, and the girl that tries to keep them all together. And while Tina Fey amazingly plays the straight girl (to the confusion, and bemusement of some), the show's humor comes from the out of control egos, from the dumb blond, Jenna, self-proclaimed mental, Tracy Jordan, and the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming, Jack Donaghy (NOT Donahy).
Amazingly, the only episode that is a complete mess is "The Pilot," but as the show progresses, and finds its footing after a mere 4 episodes. From there on out, it's brilliant. The show creates compelling and humorous storylines, crafting great characters along the way. The humor is not always prevalent however, especially in Liz Lemon's personal storylines, but the show certainly has its moments, such as the classic fireworks spectacular that you have to see to believe. The show also greatly benefits from pitch-perfect casting. Also surprisingly, the show doesn't misuse, overuse, or abuse its use of guest stars (in this season).
I must admit, it took 3 years for me to get into the show, but once you get into it, it compels you to keep pressing on. I don't really know why, or how they do it. They just do it. And the show deserves all the acclaim it receives, and yes, it deservedly beat The Office for at least this season. I look forward to spending more time with Liz Lemon, the best named character on TV....more info - Why watch TV?
I hadn't seen 30 Rock, just heard about it. Saw a preview on iTunes and it cracked me up. Took a chance and bought this DVD set. Unbelievably funny. I was hooked. Watched an episode each day on my computer on the train home. Went through the DVD way too fast but I don't thinkI could stand waiting a week between episodes on TV. Can't wait for season 2 to come out. ...more info - One Great Show With One Big Annoying Flaw
I only watch one show on TV regularly but started watching this show for some reason that I can't recall besides being a fan of the Astronaut Jones skits Tracy Morgan used to do on Saturday Night Live. I was hooked on 30 Rock from the first episode.
This show is laugh out loud funny and very clever. The characters are great and interesting. This is one of the most funny shows I have seen on TV in quite a while. Unfortunately, while I am joyously laughing at the comedy in the show, there is a part of the show that frequently takes me out of the moment of laughter and escapism that it provides and that is The SHAMELESS, blatant and frequent use of product placement.
My god, it seem as if the iphone, Xbox 360 and Halo are characters on the show. Don't get me wrong,I still recommend this show. I own all of the above products and enjoy them very much but the frequent reference and camera time that those products gets through 30 Rock is quite annoying. It sometimes make the show feel like one huge commercial and shoots me down mid-laughter. I can't recall ever seeing product placement standout so much in a TV show. It really takes away from the art.
So there is great, clever writing with good characters in 30 Rock but you can almost see an Apple and Microsoft logo stamped on the screen.
...more info - Bound to be a Classic - Tina Fey Rocks "30 Rock"
I stumbled on "30 Rock" quite by accident one Thursday night when there was nothing much to watch. I don't know why I wasn't attracted to it when it first came out ... but I can only guess some sort of other distraction.
"30 Rock" has grown to become my FAVORITE comedy series of all time. I don't say that lightly either. I love Tina Fey and with her Sarah Palin imitations she gained new notoriety and I think more and more people began to give "30 Rock" a try.
One try (the 3rd season) and I was ABSOLUTELY hooked. I received seasons 1 and 2 for Christmas and have just eaten them up over and over. Any time I need to pull myself out of the dumps, I put on some "30 Rock" and enjoy several episodes at a time. I love Kenneth and Tracey ... aww heck, I love them all.
I am a late bloomer for this show but a definite junkie., I, too, am startled to discover how many people really don't know the show or have not watched it?? Like me I guess. One or two episodes and you are hooked.
It's the best. :) ...more info - 30 rock
Tina fay and cast are great in this half hour show. the DVD is well worth the buy. ...more info - Not sure? Start here and you'll love it.
I saw a couple episodes on tv and I really didn't like it. It just didn't make sense. But then I saw the first few episodes of season 1 and I'm hooked! It's hard to stop watching. If you're not sure about the show, watch the first couple episodes and you'll love it....more info - Not overrated at all....very funny and superbly made...
I never really cared for Tina Fey (or Tracey Morgan) when they were on SNL. The truth is I don't really care for SNL in general. I found Fey's Weekend Update annoying, and the writing was very weak during her tenure as head writer (but she did a great Sarah Palin impression). That's why watching 30 Rock is such a great surprise. I started watching the show recently, and I really liked it a lot. So I decided to start at the beginning of the series.
Fey is much more livelier and funnier on this show than she was ever on SNL, and the writing (done by her and her team of writers) is very funny, filled with excellent one liners, great performances by all, and the series doesn't feel overly quirky or forced, like a lot of sitcoms that are desperate to be "clever" often do. Fey is excellent as Liz Lemon (cute name), and Tracey Morgan is really good as Tracey Jordan, an overbearing, yet hilarious, star of a sketch comedy show. Alec Baldwin shows again how talented he is with comedy. Jack Macbayer plays Kenneth the page in hilarious fashion without being too stupid or dorky, and Judah Friedlander is funny as the nerdy, gruff writer who wears a hat with a different saying on it in every episode (ninja expert is my favourite).
It's really surprising how some actors can be absolutely abysmal in certain situations, but when put into another situation, they excel. Morgan and Fey do this here with aplomb. Perhaps they are better playing one character as opposed to doing sketch comedy coming up with different characters ever week. Judah Friedlander's performance is a surprise too. The first film I saw Judah in was a really bad film called Duane Hopwood where he played a standup comic, and he was awful. So whenever I would see him in something, I'd think about that crap film. Seeing him here makes me realise he's damn funny. Sorry, Judah.
Some have said this show is overrated, but it isn't really. It is very good, and it's one of the better series out there. ...more info - One of the Funniest Shows on TV
There is no reason to expound on this topic for a long dissertation. Simply said, this is hilarious T.V. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are great in this show. The cast and ensemble work are excellent....more info - The Tracy Morgan character is a major turn off
I would give this show more stars but I dislike the Tracy Morgan character. What is with black characters still shuckin' and jivin' like it's 1940? Didn't these black people attend American schools? So why are they still incapable of speaking correct English? What were they doing in school for 12 years? Why are they still acting like they are part of an imbecilic minstrel show? What is with the endless black dialect? I know this is supposed to be a comical character but I found him so annoying that I gave up on the show. Hey, Tracy! There's a black man in the White House! How about stepping into a time machine and zooming forward to the year 2009?...more info - I love the show!!!
I am not that into American comedies nowadays. My husband tried to make me watch "arrested development", "The simpsons", etc. But I just can't make myself like them. They ARE funny shows, don't get me wrong. But I just can't watch a show while not liking any of the characters in them. To me it's like that hollywood is trying to promote the "mean" as if it's the new "cool".
"30 Rock" proved that we CAN make a real comedy without making it mean or evil!!!...more info - Tina Fey is a Genius
This is the funniest sitcom on television right now, and it is the creation of one of the greater female minds in the industry. Not only is Tina Fey an incredible writer, but she is an insanely funny actress too. She is beautiful but plays nerdy so well that she seems just like one of us normal folk. My favorite scene of the first season is the leather pumpkin exchange between Liz Lemon (Fey) and her potential love interest. It is a very short moment about halfway through the season, but it is one of those instances where there are multiple layers of totally relatable comedy. I couldn't stop laughing because I've been in leather pumpkin situations a number of times myself.
Although Tina Fey is so awesome that she could easily do an entire show of just her doing jokes by herself week after week (and I'd still be perfectly content), there are also hilarious performances by Jane Krakowski, Alec Baldwin (still sexy), and Tracy Morgan.
Frankly, I don't know why more people don't watch this show. It's unfortunate when I go into work after having watched another fantastic episode, and no one has seen it. Then I have the awkward task of trying to describe a scene that was so funny I almost peed my pants, but of course I can't do it right, no one thinks I'm funny, and it's the leather pumpkin fiasco all over again....more info - wow
wow I own the first and second season of 30 rock and its truly amazing. its staring Tina fey and Alec Baldwin. they all do there best in this show to make a great show. ...more info - Really Funny
30 Rock is a great show that has won many awards. Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey make a great duo, and the other characters are great. The show has tons of cameos as well, including LL Cool J, Jerry Seinfeld, and Rip Torn. There are some extras and outtakes, but not as many as I would want. Why buy this when you could download the series on NBC? It plays easier and you can watch it on your TV. ...more info - Still Laughing
I was in a poor mood when I sat down and popped the first "30 Rock" DVD into the player. It didn't take long for this show to turn things around.
Tina Fey and the whole cast are hilarious in this show, and the writing is fabulous. They made my evening....more info - Light and enjoyable
Nice sitcom. Funny in an elegant way. My daughter, who is 17, found it outright hilarious. Perfect for the hard-core Obama crowd...more info - I (heart) Tina Fey
30 Rock is absolutely the funniest, most whimsical show on television today. The writing on this show is intelligent. There is quite a bit of dry humor. And all the characters are hilarious. Watch one show and you'll be hooked. ...more info - Just as smart as it is hilarious
I think "30 Rock" is one of the smartest comedies I've seen in a while. Because the show is surreal, it can get away with almost anything. Tracy Morgan is brilliantly hilarious. My favorite episode is "The C Word," because it's an absurd and hilarious commentary on contemporary racism. The range of humor on the show will make it accessible to anyone, but with any good show, it's best when you start at the beginning. ...more info - Underwhelming letdown
I got to watch this show after it came out on DVD, and I honestly tried to give it a chance, especially after hearing all the rave reviews about "30 Rock"'s being a "smart comedy," yada, yada, yada (to paraphrase the apex of genuinely smart comedy, "Seinfeld"). The series dramatizes the production of a network sketch comedy series, and features Tina Fey, who was a writer and star of "Saturday Night Live" during some of its least funny years. Fey's whole snarky routine in this show is really tiresome, and I don't think she has the personality to sustain an entire sitcom. In fact, if you want to cure overpopulation problems in the world, you can start by putting her picture on billboards and other signage to help dampen all libidinal interest. Perhas Fey can find greater success among the other unfunny comedians who have turned to political commentary, such as Jon Stewart, Al Franken, Bill Maher, and Janeane Garofalo....more info
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