I used to judge comedies on how many times I laughed-out-loud while watching. You'd think this is a reasonable, practical formula to judge something whose purpose is to induce laughter. Yet, it doesn't always work that way. Some comedies have a feel, a vibe that goes down smooth and makes up for a lack of laughs. This is unquantifiable, obviously, and there is sure to be disagreement regarding with what programs this phenomenon occurs. However, I think we can all agree that it does occur. It's the reason people actually pay to see Reese Witherspoon romantic comedies; those films aren't that good or particularly funny, but the audience feels comfortable around her. Tina Fey does the same thing; there are funnier shows on TV than 30 Rock, but not many are as fun to hang out with. For a half an hour.
With 30 Rock, Tina Fey has created a comedy which, even when it isn't funny, is a joy to watch. Tina Fey has a lot (everything) to do with this; she stars, produces and writes the show. 30 Rock doesn't take itself seriously and, as a result, the show isn't afraid to veer into the absurd and shun any semblance of realism. The show has succeeded admirably in the first two episodes with the kind of joke that, while not making you openly laugh, puts a smirk on your face. These kinds of jokes are about a million times better than outwardly bad jokes. If a show makes you laugh frequently, but also has a number of jokes per episode that bomb, you won't enjoy it. It's like in poker: the bad hands stick to you memory banks with much more veracity than the good ones. Last night's 30 Rock episode revolved around the efforts to assimilate movie star Tracy Jordan into the cast of "The Girlie Show". But, you know what, the plot doesn't much matter. Every episode, you will have performances by three talented comedic actors: Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, and Alec Baldwin. Each has their own style and each is funny. 30 Rock has the ingredients for a long-running, successful comedy. Now, people just have to watch it. -Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer