I'm not going to lie, folks. I identify with Tina Fey, rejoiced along with everyone else when Tracy Morgan joined Twitter, and now harbor an age-inappropriate crush on Alec Baldwin. 30 Rock was the subject of my second-ever published piece (as an adult) of pop culture criticism. But I thought last season of the little comedy that could was a colossal mess. The guest stars at the beginning of the season may have dragged in some ratings, but they were almost universally forced and awkward (with the exception of Megan Mullally as Liz's potential adoption liaison). Liz's adoption narrative started promisingly and then essentially vanished. Josh essentially vanished. Pete essentially vanished. Salma Hayek was no match for Edie Falco, either as a comedic actress or a as a sparring partner for Alec Baldwin, and the idea of a rich guy dating his mother's nurse isn't as amusing as two high-powered folks on opposite sides of the political divide going nuts for each other. The Jon Hamm arc was strong, but never so good as the first episode, the deranged and genius "Generalissimo":
I think that was actually the show's core problem this season, that it wasn't frequently wacky enough. By far the best episodes of the season, "Do-Over,""Reunion,""Generalissimo" and "Kidney Now" were the ones in which the characters do really, truly insane things. Having Jack meet C.C. at an off-track betting parlor with pre-teen miners? Having Jack turn a Little League team into the War on Terror? Having Tracy take Liz all over New York and talk her onto a stripper's platform? Having Isabella Rossellini bust a bottle and go after Tina Fey with it? Have Liz muddle through negotiations with German television executives? Give Pete a Stone Phillips wig imbued with manhood? All of those things are truly crazy, and truly funny as a result. 30 Rock is a funhouse mirror, and it doesn't work if the concepts aren't distorted enough. I hope the show, which returns tonight at 9:30 EST, can have those kinds of strong ideas in every episode this season, since 30 Rock is also essentially a problem-of-the-week procedural, with Liz and Jack as partners.
I have a theory that the writers' strike, in addition to foreshortening the television season during which it occurred, produced a weak follow-up season as a result of pent-up ideas that hadn't really been winnowed out well. I think Bones had this problem as well, but the show is off to a phenomenal start. So given that evidence, and the spate of fantastic new shows on this fall, give me hope that 30 Rock, now that it's gained enough in the ratings to make NBC more comfortable, will also regain its creative footing.