30 Rock: Kidney Now! and an Apology

I've maybe only watched a handful of episodes of 30 Rock over the course of its three-year run, but not for any particular reason. I've enjoyed every episode I've ever seen, but I suppose I just hit critical mass for television-watching by the end of the week. Strange as it is for a TV blogger to say it, I'm just not that much of a tube-boob. That said, I think I've been neglecting 30 Rock on this blog, so I wanted to highlight tonight's season finale and make a solemn promise to cover its fourth season in its entirety when it airs next Fall.

It wasn't really the premise of "Kidney Now!" that inspired me to cover this episode. No, my impetus was more serendipitous than that. I recently took a cross-country flight and was treated on the plane to an episode of 30 Rock called "Jack Gets In The Game" (in addition to the less-than-appealing film Last Chance Harvey. Seriously, I didn't even wear the headphones for it and it just looked horribly boring). Two things about this episode made me a fan for life. First was Tracy Morgan's "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah". It's a four-line joke that I'm fairly convinced will remain funny for the rest of my life. The second thing was the appearance of occasional guest star Will Arnett. Arrested Development is another great show I never took the time to watch and I'll likely catch up with it this summer, but that's another blog post.

In preparation for "Kidney Now!" I caught last week's episode on Hulu. What strikes me about 30 Rock from these two episodes is just how conducive the show is to high-profile guest stars. Alan Alda is a joy to watch in every role he's ever taken and he's used to great effect on 30 Rock. What's really great, though, is that the cavalcade of music celebrities in "Kidney Now!" are used just as effectively, though in an entirely different way. 30 Rock has the soul of a cartoon, so it was only natural to posit Elvis Costello as a secret international art thief.

I'm also impressed by how well 30 Rock employs cut-away humor. The quick scenes with Jenna on the trashy daytime talk show are classic, as is the aforementioned "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" video. Though I've only seen maybe five total episodes of 30 Rock, I'm already a bit concerned about Tracy Morgan's character and how the show uses him as a B-plot dispenser. Tracy Jordan is a funny enough character and he plays well off of other flat types like Ken, but his part in every episode I've watched has always been my least favorite. My tastes tend more toward deadpan line readings and characters being forced to go against type, so I have a limited tolerance for lovable idiots.

I'll definitely spend some time between now and the season 4 premiere becoming more conversant on all things 30 Rock so I can give the show a much-deserved slot here at TV World. For now, I'll simply apologize for giving it short shrift and say that "Kidney Now!" was some top-notch television.