DISQUS

Big Tuna · 2 years ago

How much longer is NBC going to allow 30 Rock to stay on the air. Great show, but the ratings are still terrible.

1.5 million viewer loss from their lead in and 2.5 million less than the Office.

Robert Seidman · 2 years ago

I hear ya, Tuna and I too think it's a great show. One thing it might have going for it is that while on this night its 18-49 demo doesn't stack up that well, compared to all but a handfull of other NBC shows (plus Sunday Night Football) it's one of the better 18-49 demo performers.

Norrie · 2 years ago

30 Rock is just not that funny - I think it has the potential to be funny with the characters and actors it has, but the writing and plots are weak. It is nowhere near the calibre of Seinfeld, Friends or Everybody Loves Raymond. It is just mediocre. It is all in the writing!

Bill Gorman · 2 years ago

I agree with Robert on the show, I like it, but sadly, the viewing public does not.

To Robert's point on 18-49 demo though, 30 Rock is only middle of the road.

Season to Date through 11/5 it's #46 in the 18-49 demo [top four network shows bottom out at about 100, CW shows at about #115].

And for NBC, it's #12 of 21 among 18-49.

However, NBC is a beggar, not a chooser when it comes to mediocre shows, and I bet 30 Rock sticks around.

Robert Seidman · 2 years ago

true it's middle of the pack, but it's close enough to a few of the shows ahead of it that I doubt NBC perceives much difference.

Moreover, if NBC wishes to keep it's lineup of four 30 minute comedies between 8-10 on Thursday, this show would have to be replaced with another 30 minute comedy which seemingly wouldn't fare much better. In the current environment, there seems little incentive to pull the plug.

Eva G. · 2 years ago

I have to admit, I've tried watching 30 Rock, but the behind-the-scenes lives of the variety comedy show people are just not interesting... They should just have 30 minutes of the "variety comedy show" instead.

Ike · 2 years ago

At this point, NBC is performing so badly that it can't afford to throw away a show that can draw a 3.2 rating in A18-49, even if it's expensive to produce. However I'm not sure why NBC greenlit such an "insider-y" show in the first place, given that Fox's brilliant "Action" with Jay Mohr also failed several years ago. But the ratings bar is lower now, and "30" is improving in the ratings this season.

Personally I thought last night's episode was uproariously funny. I laughed so hard that I scared the hell out of my cat.

Matt · 2 years ago

30 Rock is the funniest show on television. The problem is, it's also the brightest show on television. The writing and plots are too challenging for the casual viewer. The show moves at such a quick pace it's hard to grab all the jokes thrown in.

It suffers in the ratings because it scares the average TV viewer. If you are not laughing every second of 30 Rock, it's because you didn't understand something. There's no other explanation. If you don't laugh, you're either not smart, or not informed.

Tina Fey said she'd work on slowing the pace down to try to grab more viewers this season. But as to date, it hasn't. I'm glad. I like a challenging smart comedy. It's a shame that viewers would rather watch simple comedy than something so complex and unique. But really it's you're loss. If you don't want to put a little effort into your TV experience, it's your own fault when you miss out.

This has Arrested Development written all over it.

Kevin J-M · 2 years ago

I'm glad that 30 Rock is on the air. It's the most consistently funny, absurd, and intelligent comedy on network TV now, and it's the only comedy that, to me, carries the mantle of the sadly missed Arrested Development in wit, speed, and the timeliness of its humor. Every episode has numerous moments that are rib-shakingly funny, and I have to back up my TiVo several times to savor all the layers of humor, as I did this past week with the Lifetime TV parody and the gorilla attack (not to mention the terror subplot).

It's odd to read comments like 30 Rock should be a "variety comedy show," or that the writing is not up to the par of (ugh) "Everybody Loves Raymond." I don't know how to begin to comment on perspectives like those, which seem to not fundamentally understand the humor and worldview of this hilarious show.

Bob Short · 2 years ago

I agree completely with you Kevin. 30 Rock is far and away the funniest sitcom on TV right now. Like the best sitcoms, like "Seinfeld" and (yes) "Everybody Loves Raymond", "30 Rock" is funny because it has great characters played by a great cast. To me, funny is funny, whether the setting is behind the scenes of a TV show or a more "traditional" sitcom setting (e.g., family or workplace). Alec Baldwin was robbed of an Emmy and Jack McBrayer should have at least gotten a nomination.

Jolissa · 2 years ago

30 Rock is the best comedy on TV. No other TV show makes me laugh as often and as hard. Most movie comedies don't make laugh as much in 90 minutes than 30 Rock does in 22 minutes. I'm not into "insider-y" shows or movies, but 30 Rock isn't like that. It's a show about a flawed group of co-workers whose office happens to be the set of a television show. It's no more "insider-y" than the Mary Tyler Moore Show was with the news, or The Office is with paper manufacturers. You don't have to work for a paper manufacturer to get The Office, and you don't need to be a television insider to get 30 Rock.