Admittedly, reader polls are never the best indicator of what is best or right in this world. One glance at the votes on the Press-Gazette's Web site should tell you that. However, as much as we here at Channel Surfing adore Entertainment Weekly, their latest television-related reader poll came up with some ghastly results. The PopWatch blog asked readers to vote in June on the best TV ensembles. While most of the shows in the Top 10 would probably have a place on our list as well, Channel Surfing bloggersMalavikaJagannathan and Sara Boyd spent more time wondering about those shows that were left off the list. No list will ever satisfy every single person, but couldn't they have at least stretched the list to an even 20?
If you're too lazy to click the link above and go through EW's photo gallery, here are the 10 shows that made it onto their list of best ensembles: "Lost," "Veronica Mars," Friday Night Lights," "The West Wing," "Sports Night," "Hill Street Blues," "Mad Men," "BattlestarGalactica," "Arrested Development" and "The Shield."
So, without repeating those already picked, we'll offer you a few more shows each that belong on this list.
"M*A*S*H" Working in Korea never seemed so appealing -- and this was well before Bill Clinton could come rescue you if you happened to get thrown into jail -- as it did for the doctors and nurses of the M*A*S*H 4077th. A true cast of quirky but lovable characters -- well, lovable except for Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville) -- they worked in tandem to keep this dark comedy relevant even today.
"The Wire" Trying to explain who's who in "The Wire" is next to impossible. The endless list of characters are so embedded into the plots, so integral to the bigger picture, that it's almost easier to speed through its five brilliant seasons than wait for us to come up with a primer. A true ensemble cast is one where a main character like Det. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) can take a back seat during a season and never disrupt the flow of the show.
"ER" OK, so the ensembles tended to change over the years, but the show remained grounded in the variety and diversity of characters that walked the halls of Cook County General Hospital. George Clooney or no George Clooney, the cast and crew of this show weathered the departures and arrivals of many new faces without ever skipping a beat. Best of all, the plot felt continuous until the very last episode. "Seinfeld" Popular culture will sustain Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and George for all of eternity, we imagine, but "Seinfeld" wasn't just about them. A host of smaller, but equally important secondary characters like Uncle Leo, Frank Costanza, Newman, Susan Ross and Jackie Chiles combined with some of the greatest guest appearances made this show a true group effort. After all, what's "Seinfeld" without the Soup Nazi, Bania, Puddy or J. Peterman? Just another show about friends in New York City. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.
"Friends" Go ahead and be like Mr. Thomas Rozwadowski and get your "Pssh, I knew you would say that" out right now. But it's true. "Friends" deserves a place on this list. If for no other reason than because it took six relatively -- and in some cases, complete -- no-namers and put them on Hollywood's "It List" in a matter of only a couple of years. Admittedly, it took some time for these misfits to feel comfortable on screen and really get into their characters, but once they did, it was a TV ensemble made in heaven.
"Flight of the Conchords" Let's be honest, if you remove any cast member from this beautiful equation, it just doesn't work. As much as you need Bret and Jemaine, you have to have Mel and Dave. And if you have Mel, you have to have Doug and when you have a personality like Dave, you have to have Murray. I'd even go as far as saying characters like Greg and Eugene are essential. There's truly not a weak link in the bunch.
"30 Rock" Here's a case where a bunch of semi-successful actors and actresses find their true home and rocket off the charts. The writing of "30 Rock" took people like Tracy Morgan (who was commonly referred to as "the other black guy" on SNL) and Jane Krakowski (previously known as that one chick from "Ally McBeal") and turned them into superstars. And can we talk about Kenneth the Page for a second? Talk about a diamond in the rough. Still not convinced? I think the show's record-setting 22 Emmy noms may help clue you in.
"Gossip Girl" OK, say what you will, but who can deny the power this group of richy-rich teens has had on the nation, nay the wooorrllld! When you have an ensemble of beautiful people who go out on the weekends and get their little love dramas smeared across the pages of US Weekly, there's simply nowhere to go but up. On the show, they truly have the freedom to play dating musical chairs as much as they want, and really, people will tune in. Whether it's off-again, on-again Serena and Dan or finally-together Chuck and Blair, it matters not. These characters are a delight to watch, not to mention a trendsetter of style for the ages.
On vacation and on location: a Television Tour of the Big Apple
Chances are at least one of your favorite shows is either set or shot in New York, even if all you watch is TV Land. The Big Apple plays a significant role in any number of iconic shows because producers and writers love using it to represent the mythic "city." And, why not? After all, would "Seinfeld" be the same had it been set in Omaha? Would we glamorize the girls of "Sex and the City" if they lived in San Diego instead of Manhattan?
With a week to kill in New York -- yeah, I know, it's exhausting to be me -- I decided to go on the mission to find a few of the places I had only ever seen on my 20" TV. Given the depth of pointless information on the Interwebs, it wasn't hard to find locations and addresses, but I decided to one step further and rate my initial reaction on a scale of one to five. Was I wowed at seeing the famed Monk's Diner from "Seinfeld?" Would the hallowed steps of the New York Supreme Court, so often seen on "Law and Order," make me look over my shoulder for Jack McCoy? Read on and find out.
Tom's Restaurant, 112th and Broadway You've Seen It In: "Seinfeld" as Monk's
Just a few blocks south of Columbia University, this was my first stop on my self-guided TV tour of New York. Only the exterior of Tom's was used on "Seinfeld" -- most of the interior shots of Monk's Cafe were done in a studio -- so there's no 70's-style diner decor when you peer in. As one of the few 24-hour joints in the area, Tom's is always hopping, but I didn't feel obliged to go in and order a big salad.
Rating: Three
160 Riverside Drive You've Seen It In: "30 Rock" as Liz Lemon's apartment
I didn't get a chance to head up to Apartment 3B, where Tina Fey's semi-fictional Liz Lemon supposedly resides, but I'm pretty sure the grim looking dude I assumed was the doorman wasn't going to let me in even if I tried. Plus, they're apparently remodeling. Because of said doorman, I had to take this photo sneakily from the side, rather than from across the street as is most often the shot we see on "30 Rock." Either way, this is a great neighborhood to live in -- with vantages of Riverside Park and the Hudson River -- and I am inclined to feel less sorry for Lemon now that I've seen where she lives.
Rating: Two, but only because of aforementioned possible doorman and construction
232 E. Broadway You've Seen It In: "Flight of the Conchords" as the New Zealand Consulate
Thanks to the folks at jaunted.com (an online travel guide), I was easily able to locate the center of the "Flight" universe -- the New Zealand consulate. Actually, this fine building is home to East Broadway Medical Associates, but I half expected an impromptu band meeting to occur. With the real Kiwi consulate in another part of town, this Lower East Side location took to me to a part of New York I had yet to explore and the possibility of getting my annual physical if I had some time. The building looks exactly as it does on the show, perhaps even a bit more rundown, and the folks in the neighborhood are almost exactly like those you see in the show. Minus the racist fruit vendor, sadly.
Rating: Four
New York Supreme Court, 60 Centre St. You've Seen It In: "Law and Order," "Law and Order: SVU" and other members of the Dick Wolf family of shows
Maybe you just have to be an "Law and Order" fan, but I felt like I was stepping on hallowed ground as I ascended the steps of the Supreme Court. Since it was a Tuesday afternoon, lawyers and their clients poured out of the doors, many of them stopping on the columns to take phone calls or chat with other lawyers about motions (hopefully not bowel-related) and dismissals. I half expected Jack McCoy to come bursting through, followed of course by one of his female ADAs and perhaps Jerry Orbach's Det. Lennie Briscoe, fuming about a judge's decision to withold evidence. It was pure, unadulterated, dhung-dhung bliss.
Rating: Five
By no means is this an exhaustive list. I didn't make it to the Greenwich Village house that served as the Brooklyn residence of the Huxtables on "The Cosby Show." I didn't get a chance to stuff my face with cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery as Carrie and Miranda did on "Sex and the City." I didn't stop by the New York Palace Hotel for cocktails with the Van der Woodsens. And, no matter how hard I tried to get into every minivan-taxi between Harlem and Battery Park, I didn't get a chance to be on "Cash Cab." I did, however, get a brief glimpse of Leah Cohen of "Top Chef" fame in the kitchen of her West Village restaurant. Let's hope she wasn't serving fish.
Now it's your turn -- has anyone else seen places from any of their favorite TV shows? Did it live up to your expectation?
Recently I came down with bronchitis (I said bronchitis, not swine flu ... just to be clear) and had the pleasure of re-watching Season 1 of "30 Rock" for two straight days while I recovered.
In my sick and extremely drugged-up state, I had an epiphany. It just doesn't get better than "30 Rock."
I'll admit, I'm a latecomer in the "30 Rock" fan base, only catching on after "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" was quickly cancelled. Clearly, I had chosen the wrong NBC show about the production of live, sketch comedy. My bad.
Having seen the error of my ways, I'm now completely on the bandwagon. Me love "30 Rock" long time.
I didn't realize how great of a show it truly was until I went back to the beginning. Now, I don't believe I've ever said this next statement -- not even for my all-time favorite shows -- but traveling back in time to where it all began, I have to admit even the pilot was spot on. It had a frumpy Liz Lemon who was all about the show's credibility and writing for the fans, not the fame. It had a new Jack -- one who brazenly stormed in to shake things up and rip on Lemon's fashion sense, or lack there of. It was funny -- which is tough to say for a pilot -- and it had a lot of potential, even early on.
Here's why the show works:
-- It's a comedy about sketch comedy that's written by a previous sketch comedy actress. Brilliant.
-- Would Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Adam Levine, Cyndi Lauper, etc., etc. all guest star on one single episode if the show wasn't the greatest thing on TV? I think not. Well, maybe Clay Aiken would.
-- It has a clear purpose: to make people laugh. Whether that's through odd plotlines, poo jokes or Liz Lemon's sound effects (remember "Blargh?"), it's all about the laughs. They won't try to get all sentimental on you -- not when Jack's father is suffering from kidney failure, not when Floyd and Liz break up, not even when Kenneth creepily talks to his skeleton mother.
-- Two words: Tracy Jordan. I remember watching Tracy Morgan on SNL and I never recall him being so spot on as he is with Tracy Jordan. Perhaps that's because it's just an alter ego of his actual personality but whatever it is, it's working. I laugh every time he calls his doctor "Dr. Space Man" and find his slight retardation and self-deprecating racism to be hilar.
-- Kenneth the Page can do no wrong. Honestly, Kenneth could read the phonebook and I'd be in tears laughing.
-- Who doesn't want to be Liz Lemon? Sure, she forgets her own birthday and tends to wear clothing only meant for homeless people or petite men, but Liz Lemon's the coolest. If your man says he wouldn't want you to be like Liz Lemon ... that's a dealbreaker, ladies!
-- Why did Alec Baldwin ever do serious roles? I'm seriously asking. This man is a comedic genius and it pains me to think of the years he wasted as an actor that took himself seriously. Remember that phone call he made to his daughter? Hil-ar-i-ous.
-- It's made it past the third season curse with flying colors. There are a number of shows that have a solid first season, hit a stride in the second season then tend to drift in the third before hopefully regaining strength in a fourth season. "30 Rock" is not one of those shows. It can't miss.
Think I'm full of it? Have a show that you think tops "30 Rock?" Sound off now!
Commercial Interruption: It's an "Office" sandwich, with "Parks and Recreation" filling and a side of "30 Rock"
Sometimes there's just too much television for one Channel Surfing blogger to handle. That's when we need a break to sit back, relax and indulge in some friendly back-and-forth (via email, of course — we don't actually like to speak to one another in person). Bloggers Thomas Rozwadowski and Sara Boyd set up camp and tuned into a Thursday night line-up for the ages -- including Amy Poehler's new show, "Parks and Recreation." While we agreed that certain shows definitely hit the mark ("The Office" and "30 Rock"), we can't seem to agree to disagree on the premiere of "P & R." There's only one option left -- cage match. Last one alive wins.
Sara: When I heard the premiere of "Parks and Recreation" was going to be sandwiched in between two brand spanking new "Office" episodes and capped off with a layoff themed "30 Rock," I had to rub my eyes in disbelief. Did Christmas come early? Was this what that fortune cookie meant when it said, "Good things arrive when least expected?" After a first round of "The Office," I thought perhaps it was all a wonderful dream come true. The slow creation of the Michael Scott Paper Company was quite hilarious -- even if I'm still a little bugged that it's happening in the first place. Seeing Michael's leaning tower of French toast and watching Dwight toy with a Jim lie in front of bossman Charles Minor was all pretty classic. The episode was solid, good ol' "Office." I had high hopes going into Poehler's much-anticipated "Parks and Rec." Perhaps too high of hopes.
The show fell flat for me. I'm a big Poehler fan, but watching her reprise a "Michael Scott"-esque role, big gaping smiles to the camera included, just didn't leave me laughing. Aziz Ansari, however, was the saving grace for me. Any laugh produced during the half hour show was from this man and his character Tom Haverford, who you might call "a bit of a redneck." Ansari was spot on and gave me enough of a reason to try again next week. But as hyped as this premiere was, I don't think it delivered. I give it a "bleh."
Thomas, you clearly have less refined taste in television and would think a farting monkey could have its own show, so I understand why you liked "Parks and Rec." But why don't you explain your reasons for our readers ... just for fun.
Thomas: Mark it down, Boyd. 2:33 p.m., Friday, April 10. I have nothing negative to say about "The Office." NOTHING. In fact, it was the funniest dose from Dunder Mifflin (or the office building's dank closet-next-to-the-bathroom, really) since Season 3's "Branch Closing," which I had mentally marked as the last time I laughed out loud so many times. I know you don't love the plot direction of Michael Scott Paper Company, but now that it's an inevitability, the key is how they're deciding to run with the comedic elements involved. And they're striking the right balance. The new intro that showed all of them in their cramped office, the way Pam and Michael both had mental breakdowns but brought each other back to sanity (Michael's seriousness in Pam's moment of weakness really delivered) ... even the way they wrangled douchey Ryan into the fold as a helpless, hopeless former prodigy, almost like he was a former child actor/loser scraping for any reality TV exposure possible. It was pretty spectacular. My favorite part was the Dwight-Andy bromance and Mr. Schrute finally getting the upper hand on kissy kiss-up Jim. "Oh, the new boss doesn't think Jim Halpert is adorable." Brilliant. The "Take Me Home, Country Roads" face-off was also masterfully done. I'm beaming! BEAMING!
So enough "Office" love for now. It's probably making you wretch. Onto the more controversial of the evening's comedies -- critical whipping boy, "Parks and Recreation." Frankly, I think the national bash-a-thon for this new Poehler project has been pretty lame, especially when it comes from "Office" lovers (I won't finger anyone specifically ... er, that's what she ... nevermind) who STILL think the show has been better than ever through Seasons 4-5. I can understand why YOU didn't like it, and I also didn't think it was the second coming of "Seinfeld" or anything. But I thought "Parks" had at least five big laughs, and I also think there's an important distinction to make between Leslie Knope and Michael Scott.
Yes, they're both socially oblivious. But Michael so badly wants to be liked by everyone, which turned into such an annoying trait long term. Leslie, meanwhile, just thinks she has the world's greatest job and one day will be able to make a difference on the level of Hillary Clinton. Personally, I think a lot of comedy can be spun out of that type of delusion, which frankly, I don't find too far-fetched to have. I'm not a huge "SNL" fan, so I'll admit that my love for "Upright Citizens Brigade" sorta makes me a Poehler apologist. But she's a great facial comedian. She sells a lot with her mannerisms, and I thought when she took a header into the pit of doom, that was pretty rock solid. Ultimately, I found Leslie to be a likable eternal optimist who will be a strong enough character to build an entire show around. I hope the creators prove me right, and maybe at some point, look to diversify the mock-formula after the show finds its legs. I also want to see more cameos by Loudon Wainwright. Man, I love Loudon Wainwright. In fact, I'm gonna go listen to "Strange Weirdos" right now.
So Boyd, do you think having realistic expectations for "Parks" helped me form a more objective opinion? I mean, yes, "The Office" similarities are obvious, but I really didn't find myself comparing notes throughout. In fact, I deliberately avoided doing that ... too unfair. I think the format can thrive in multiple settings, and for a pilot, they hit a lot of high notes -- much higher than "The Office" Brit-rip off pilot ever did. I just hope "Parks" follows the "30 Rock" route and sticks to zany comedy -- Kenneth the page as a murder suspect, Liz sporting Trix up her sleeve -- and saves "caring about characters" in a deep, emotional way for the 8 p.m. hour.
Sara: Hey T-Roz, maybe you and "The Office" should get a room. If you love it so much, why don't you marry it? T-Roz and "The Office" sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S- ... OK, I'm done.
And yes, I agree that as stupid as this plotline is, and as harshly as they've killed the true character of Pam, (remember when she and Jim bonded over the fact that Michael was an idiot and deserved behind-the-back mocking?) I do think they're making strides. But don't call it a comeback just yet. I laughed out loud, and in recent "Office" form, that's saying something. But still, time will tell whether or not this competing paper business has longevity for laughs. That said, "Pam is a lot more fun when Jim's around ..."? Hilarious. Kelly's attempts to get Charles to "want her" -- spot on, my friend. And I enjoyed that Pam finally admitted -- even just for a moment -- that her decision to quit and leave a job where she had health benefits and sat 10 feet from her fiancé could be her greatest mistake. But then again, hey, at least she took a risk and stopped her vanilla lifestyle, huh? That's what we're supposed to think, right?
Now let's get back to the "Parks and Recreation" smack down. I expected more from you, Thomas. You used to join me in a bitter rant about how comedy shows weren't producing laughs and now ... now? You're just a ball of love. What happened to you? You justified a show that was a "C+" at best by saying it had five laughs. Wasn't it that exact same reasoning that made you "Office" bitter in the first place? I'll admit, the show didn't make me want to gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon as some other shows -- I won't mention any names ... *cough* "Office" *cough*-- have done in the past. But it wasn't good. It was just OK. I don't like Leslie in the way that I started off liking Michael. I find her delusional arrogance annoying and not lovable. Not yet anyway. I also think it didn't help that the show premiered in-between two solid episodes of "The Office" and paved the way for a hilarious "30 Rock." Liz Lemon just soars past Leslie Knope -- similar to the way Tina Fey's Sarah Palin rocketed past Poehler's Hillary Clinton. It's like eating filet mignon and then having to settle for Texas Roadhouse's beef tips. It's alright, and you'll eat it, but it's not what you would order if you had the choice.
I'll definitely tune in next week to see if they can change my opinion, but for now, I have to wonder -- where can it go from here? I don't see a lot of potential. Everyone knows it's much harder to go from a "C+" to an "A-" than vice versa. Especially T-Roz.
Thomas: Boooooooooooo. You're probably one of those impulsive critics blaming Obama for the poor economy! Gotta give "Parks" a chance and instead, form a realistic comparison ... you know, like "Better Off Ted." I watched one episode of that "comedy" and laughed zero times. So five BIG laughs -- and several small snickers -- that's pretty darn good for a pilot, even a hyped one. No more Best of "The Office" comparisons for now. If "Parks" doesn't form an identity over time, then it can be rightfully bashed. But right now, it has some solid footing and should at least be in the B+ range on the cusp of earning honor roll status on the ol' DVR.
We can at least agree that "Parks" was better than "Baby Mama," right? Oh, and Texas Roadhouse is gonna so spit in your food ...
Catch "Parks and Recreation" at 7:30 p.m., "The Office" at 8 p.m., and "30 Rock" at 8:30 p.m., Thursdays on NBC.
If you have a problem with Tina Fey -- and if that's true, what the heck is wrong with you? -- Maureen Dowd's frighteningly exhaustive "Vanity Fair" profile on the "30 Rock" star will probably turn you around.
If you're in love with ol' Liz Lemon already, then the piece is only going to turn you into a full-fledged stalker.
It's a must read for anyone who needs a lesson in how to manage widespread fame and keep a sense of humor about it all. Fey comes off as incredibly grounded -- and not in a phony "for publication only" kind of way -- even as she's transformed into an unlikely sex symbol. Smart, gorgeous, funny, wickedly independent -- she seems like one of those naturally funny writers/performers who worked hard to get to the top, and now that's she there, still believes that "what you see is what you get" no matter how crowded her mantle gets with Emmys.
Some of the highlights for those who refuse to read four pages of Internet copy:
“I love to play strippers and to imitate them,” says Fey. “I love using that idea for comedy, but the idea of actually going there? I feel like we all need to be better than that. That industry needs to die, by all of us being a little bit better than that.”
“Tina is not clay,” says Lorne Michaels, the impresario of "Saturday Night Live," "Mean Girls," and "30 Rock," when I ask him how he helped shape her career. Steve Higgins, an S.N.L. producer, observes, “When she got here she was kind of goofy-looking, but everyone had a crush on her because she was so funny and bitingly mean. How did she go from ugly duckling into swan? It’s the Leni Riefenstahl in her. She has such a German work ethic even though she’s half Greek. It’s superhuman, the German thing of ‘This will happen and I am going to make this happen.’ It’s just sheer force of will.”
"She has her principles and she sticks to her principles more than anybody I’ve ever met in my life," says her husband Jeff Richmond. "Like that whole idea of, if you are in a relationship, there are deal breakers. There’s not a lot of gray area in being flirty with somebody. She’s very black-and-white: ‘We’re married—you can’t.’ ” He calls their marriage “borderline boring—in a good way.” And she concurs: “I don’t enjoy any kind of danger or volatility. I don’t have that kind of ‘I love the bad guys’ thing. No, no thank you. I like nice people.”
After weeks of appearing on S.N.L. as (Sarah) Palin, Fey opted to minimize the onstage interaction when the real Palin finally showed up, and despite reams of speculation the reason wasn’t fundamentally political. “Tina was agonizing about it, and I’m drawn to anybody who agonizes about things,” says her friend Conan O’Brien. “She told me, ‘When I fly, I don’t like to meet the pilot.’ On the one hand, she knew: It’s my job to sort of go after this person in a way, but at the same time I know when I meet her, she’s a human being and a mom. She’s not the Devil incarnate or Antichrist.”
And finally ... the scar
Liz Lemon favors her right side. That’s because a faint scar runs across Tina Fey’s left cheek, the result of a violent cutting attack by a stranger when Fey was five. Her husband says, “It was in, like, the front yard of her house, and somebody who just came up, and she just thought somebody marked her with a pen.” You can hardly see the scar in person.
“It’s impossible to talk about it without somehow seemingly exploiting it and glorifying it,” Fey says. Did she feel less attractive growing up because of it? “I don’t think so,” she says. “Because I proceeded unaware of it. I was a very confident little kid. It’s really almost like I’m kind of able to forget about it, until I was on-camera, and it became a thing of ‘Oh, I guess we should use this side’ or whatever. Everybody’s got a better side.”
Technically, the "30 Rock" premiere is next week, but sharp TV spies on the Internet noticed that the Season Three premiere is already streaming on Hulu.com.
To say that Tina Fey has been in the news recently would be a bit of an understatement. Only Sarah Palin-mania could overshadow "30 Rock's" much-ballyhooed Emmy sweep (Best Comedy Series, Best Comedy Actor for Alec Baldwin and Best Comedy Actress for Fey.)
Will all that critical buzz finally equal ratings gold NBC? I gotta be honest, other than MILF Island and Jerry Seinfeld's appearance, I don't remember much of what happened during the strike shortened Season Two, which doesn't mean it bombed or anything. I just have short term memory loss.
I do know that Oprah is supposed to appear this season, though. Blergh.
Real time conversation with Malavika Jagannathan about "The Office" returning tonight:
Me: "New Office and 30 Rock tonight, right?"
Malavika: "YES!" (whoa, easy on the CAPS button)
Malavika: "WHO ARE YOU?" (I said eaaaaaaaaasy on the CAPS!)
Me: "I haven't even seen any promos!"
Malavika: (Still ignoring anything I'm writing.) "WHY DO YOU ASK SUCH A QUESTION?"
Reaction about "The Office" returning from Sara Boyd:
"I feel like a kid in a candy store. If the candy store had promised me delicious candy then closed for nearly five months, only promising to open again someday. Well, that day is today."
Actually, she wrote something that wasn't anywhere near appropriate for print, so the candy analogy will have to work. Imagine Pam as a delightful pack of Skittles. Kevin as an obscene mouthful of M&Ms. Michael as a "man, it's annoying when these bits get stuck in your teeth" Butterfinger. Dwight as a circus peanut.
Either way, YES, tonight marks the return of "The Office" and "30 Rock." We'll have plenty of day-after reaction tomorrow on both shows. In the meantime, fill up on these links o' plenty.
After going so long without a new "30 Rock" episode, do you know which character I miss most? No, it's not Liz Lemon and her acerbic wit. (Heck, I couldn't even be bothered to watch Tina Fey host the ho-hum-phant return of "Saturday Night Live" last week.) It's not Tracy Jordan, who, aside from his hilariously unsuccessful foray into dog fighting, hasn't had much to do this season. It's not even Alec Baldwin's bulldog boss, Jack Donaghy, whose now-defunct romance with a liberal Vermont congresswoman provided the season's best storyline, as well as its best visual gag. ("It turned the children orange!")
Instead I find myself longing to see the smiling face and sharp blue jacket of NBC page and fervent TV-aholic Kenneth Ellen Parcell, played by the equally ebullient Jack McBrayer. I say this, knowing full-well that if I ever met someone like Kenneth, someone so joyfully optimistic, so naively sweet, so aw-shucks good-natured, I'd want to give him a sock in the jaw.
But safe behind his glass TV screen, Kenneth delights me. And thankfully, "30 Rock" is not the only place to catch McBrayer's Southern charm. (He really is from Georgia, and yes, he really does talk like that.) Just this week, McBrayer popped up somewhere so unlikely, it makes perfect sense: Mariah Carey's new music video.
Caution: With Carey skanking it up in lingerie and various other skimpy clothes, video may be unsafe for work.
Jack plays a Geek-Squad-like tech nerd, summoned to Carey's house to fix her computer, show her how to turn it on, etc. It plays out like oh-so-many dirty movies, where the gorgeous, lonely woman greets the pizza boy/delivery boy/Jehovah's Witness boy at the front door, dressed in lingerie and a robe. Mariah gets Jack feelin' emotions, if you catch my drift, and the video seques into a dream sequence. Jack pillow-fights Mariah wearing a Viking helmet and bow tie, Jack and Mariah play laser tag, Mariah takes her pet unicorn for a stroll. (There's probably some symbolism there, but I'm still scratching my head.) Jack, channeling George McFly, is hystercial throughout. And Mariah, channeling 1990s-era Mariah Carey, holds her own, even if the song itself is absolute garbage.
Thankfully, there's even more McBrayer action coming our way, courtesy of the new Judd Apatow comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Starring fellow TV alums Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars") and Jason Segel ("Freaks and Geeks," "How I Met Your Mother"), Jack plays a newlywed honeymooning in Hawaii, whose bride turns out to be ... kinkier ... than he expected. McBrayer is an old hand in the Apatowverse by now, having popped up in the director/producer's "Talladega Nights" and "Walk Hard."
And for even more Jack McBrayer, the guy has tested the waters of the Intertubes, producing a couple of online videos for comedy site Funny Or Die. Entitled "Living 'Neath the Law," the shorts play on Jack's nice-guy persona by having him dish out advice on how to live like a thug. After lamenting on the viewers' need for prescription drugs and delivering my new personal catchphrase, "That ain't no way to live!", Jack demonstrates the proper way to get crack from a dealer, then cut him and leave him for dead in a Dumpster. You can find the videos here and here, but again, be warned, for there is some naughty language.
Until "30 Rock" makes its way back to TV on April 10, these short bursts of McBrayer McGenius will have to suffice.
Much has been written about the writers' strike - we’ve linked to some of the best sites already - but other than a few soundbites and photo ops, the big names haven't been terribly outspoken. Well, unless you count Conan O'Brien and his awesome strike beard (see clip below).
This week, "30 Rock's" Alec Baldwin stepped up to the plate, fitting when you consider that his character, Jack Donaghy, is always trying to mentor Tina Fey's Liz Lemon. At Huffington Post, Baldwin says that while the writers are fighting a good fight, they're trying to make up for failed 1988 strike negotiations, which is why this mess could drag on for awhile.
Of the evil studios, he pulls no punches, writing, "They are owned by huge, creativity-deadening corporations and operated by lawyers and marketing executives who lord over the worst creative decline I have witnessed in a long time, particularly in films. In television, companies like GE view properties like NBC the way realtors view square footage. GE does not care what is on NBC. So long as the programming is relatively inoffensive, they want to earn as much per square foot as they can. In the current strike, the writers expect the buyers to have a soul. The buyers, who cannot count a real filmmaker or television programmer among them, view a soul as an impediment to business."
This was similarly discussed by me a few posts back, and it appears Baldwin knows the networks don't have to blink first because they have plenty of reality-based and game show options to fall back on. Sure, the public might gripe. But they'll sit, watch and wait for a resolution while worrying about their own problems, which, you know, are kinda important, too. Which is why he thinks "the strike should end now. The writers should go back to work. Continue negotiating, but go back to work ... one can envision a future where more scripted programming moves to cable. Eventually, HBO and Showtime, et al, may become the place to find the bulk of scripted shows. With these people calling the shots, anything is possible."
Also, quite humorously, Baldwin proposes that media executives should be forced to face the music (or just put up with Pat O'Brien.) He wants the writers guild to set up a Web site and skewer their bosses, Letterman-style.
"These people have bigger egos than even the stars themselves, but without any sense of humor. I want the WGA to set up a website and on that website we can all post stories about every no-talent, idiotic, amoral producer and executive we have ever dealt with. Just like they do to us on shows like Extra and sites like TMZ. Set up a website and tell the entire world, via the Internet, your own anecdote about some of the witless boobs you have endured in Hollywood and beyond. The strike will end in a week."
It's not often I'll criticize one of my favorite shows, "30 Rock." But a joke that served as a promotion for Verizon Wireless a few weeks ago not only cost an undisclosed (read: exorbitant) amount of money. The lack of subtlety is growing tiresome as random attempts at "product integration" are become more prevalent in primetime.
It's not the fault of "30 Rock's" staff. They're given a direct order from NBC to find the best way to make a cheap plug work within the show - which is no doubt why Tina Fey has spoofed General Electric integration on "30 Rock" while (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) also employing real product placement. It's a necessary evil. I get that. But while Fey's direct turn to the camera asking for cash was meant to be subversive by breaking down the invisible wall, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Apparently it isn't enough that we have to sit through three Pepsi MAX and four Cadillac commercials before the trailers come on at the movie theater. Now marketing hacks are opening the checkbook so TV shows can "cleverly" integrate product mentions into targeted comedies. As detailed in this Hollywood Reporter article, the "30 Rock" joke in question revolved around a scene where Jack Donaghy tells Liz Lemon, "These Verizon Wireless phones are just so popular. I accidentally grabbed one belonging to an acquaintance." Liz responds, "Well, sure that Verizon Wireless service is just unbeatable. If I saw a phone like that on TV, I would be like, 'Where is my nearest retailer so I can get one?' " She then faces the camera and says, "Can we have our money now?"
It's upfront. It attempts to "stick it to the man" by acknowledging the promo. And maybe it'd be funny if the show hadn't already done the same thing with Snapple products back in Season One, which was a hilarious routine directly lifted from the "Motherboy XXX" episode of "Arrested Development." In the now-canceled Fox show, several characters embarrassingly fawn over Burger King, which paid the network for product placement - kind of amusing, when you consider "AD" probably had worse ratings than professional bowling on a Saturday afternoon. In fact, it's been reported that "AD" wanted to call the episode the "Tendercrisp Chicken Comedy Half-Hour." That it got changed might be an indication that open mockery of the King went TOO far. Anyway, it was a classic bit, but not something that'd hit the same mark a second or third time.
To be fair, "30 Rock" isn't the only show doing this. There's actually a top 10 list of product placement shows as charted by Nielsen, with another NBC comedy, "The Office," among those well-known for cutting major integration deals. But if you think about Staples or Chili's mentions in the first few seasons, those were blended seamlessly within the show, and more or less allowed "Scranton" to feel as authentic as the cities we might drive through every day. Even that gets old to writers though, with "Office" showrunner Greg Daniels quoted as saying his sitcom is no longer doing product integration because he "found it pretty impossible to balance the desires of the ad agencies and their clients with the creative needs of the show." Amen.
So first time, really funny. Second time, still pretty good. Third time, now I'm getting annoyed.
Am I wrong about this? Does anyone else care?
-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com
The Green Bay Press-Gazette's TV Blog. Or where we write about characters named Jim and Pam as if they were actually real. Brought to you with limited commercial interruption by...
Malavika Jagannathan Metro reporter All-time shows: The West Wing Gilmore Girls The Wire Current favorites: Desperate Housewives, Top Chef, Flight of the Conchords Guilty Pleasure: E! News
Kendra Meinert Entertainment editor All-time shows: Friends Gilmore Girls Beverly Hills 90210 Current favorites: Damages, 24, Brothers and Sisters Guilty Pleasure: Rock of Love Bus
Adam Reinhard Copy editor All-time shows: Lost Arrested Development Veronica Mars Current favorites: The Colbert Report, Scrubs, The Venture Bros. Guilty Pleasure: SpongeBob SquarePants
Thomas Rozwadowski Features reporter All-time shows: The Wire Freaks and Geeks Breaking Bad Current favorites: Modern Family, Lost, Mad Men Guilty Pleasure: Saved by the Bell
Kelly McBride Education reporter All-time shows: Seinfeld Cheers The Cosby Show Current favorites: Top Chef, Project Runway, The Office Guilty Pleasure: The Biggest Loser
"M*A*S*H"
"Flight of the Conchords"
"M*A*S*H"
"Flight of the Conchords"
Recently I came down with bronchitis (I said bronchitis, not swine flu ... just to be clear) and had the pleasure of re-watching Season 1 of "30 Rock" for two straight days while I recovered.
Metro reporter
Entertainment editor
Copy editor
Features reporter
Education reporter
