I don't watch a lot of comedies. Those of you who read me on a regular basis have probably figured that out, because all my reviews are about dramas. Occasionally I watch
Two and a Half Men, which I find hysterical, although the humor is wildly inappropriate for an 8pm show. (When it airs at 8pm. Sometimes it airs at 9pm, or even at the half-hour, so I never know when this show is actually on.)
How I Met Your Mother is also a fantastic show, but it's not appointment TV for me. I like
The Office, but I'm probably the only person in the world who finds Steve Carrell off-putting in a bad way. I know we're supposed to cringe at his faux pas, but I just feel nervous and uncomfortable. If the show was all about Jim, Pam, Dwight, and the other plebes, I would enjoy it much more.
But I have discovered a comedy that might become appointment television.
30 Rock. I know, I know, I'm certainly not the only person who thinks this is a great show. The critics like it and the ratings were decent enough that the network renewed it, but not so high that the show's return would be a no-brainer. But this is a funny show. Tina Fey plays Liz Lemon, a sketch comedy writer, and Alec Baldwin is her boss. But this show is more of a workplace comedy than the Sorkin snore
Studio 60. You won't hear characters have deep discussions about Nielsen shares and time slots here. This show has been compared to the
Mary Tyler Moore Show with good reason. Mary worked in a newsroom, but the show wasn't about the newsroom, it was about the people.
And Tina Fey is probably the most likeable Everywoman on TV. She's smart, sexy and has major flaws. It's fantastic. Alec Baldwin is scarily funny. I wait with anticipation whenever he enters a scene, because he delivers a line like a born comedian. I'm not a huge Tracy Morgan fan, but the rest of the cast is comfortably funny - they feel like the type of workplace people that you would choose to be your friends because they keep you sane in an insane world. You
must check out this show.
