TV: The end of ’30 Rock’ is near

(Creative Commons photo by flickr user iamtheloop)

(Creative Commons photo by flickr user iamtheloop)

Posted by Sam Bouchat on Friday, Jan. 25 at 12:07 pm.

Jan. 31 marks the series finale of “30 Rock”, closing the seventh season and the world’s window into the hilarious and unorthodox life of Liz Lemon.

How can I convey the stories Tina Fey created through the show’s 137 episodes since 2006? Should I talk about Lemon’s various hilariously flawed boyfriends, like uptight Brit Wesley Snipes (Michael Sheen), or the airline pilot with a female name Carol Burnett (Matt Damon), or immature trouble-maker Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters), or even her intangible fantasy-man, Astronaut Mike Dexter? Should I mention Lemon’s strange but touching friendships with unpredictable and mentally unstable Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), vapid and arguably insane Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), or her special, mentor/mentee relationship with her boss, millionaire and clichéd Republican Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin)?

Is “30 Rock” defined by its main plot — a woman desperately struggling to manage a flourishing career as head writer for a sketch comedy show on NBC, along with a failing sex life and questionable social skills? Or is it more made up of its smaller stories — Jack’s wife Avery getting kidnapped in North Korea and consequently married to Kim Jong-un, or NBC page Kenneth Parcell’s apparent immortality?

This goodie bag of insanity wraps up this month with Lemon’s marriage to sweet, boy-faced Criss Chros (James Marsden) and their attempts to have or adopt a child, the death of Jack’s mom and even more emotional events that will leave audiences, hopefully, contented with the ending of a phenomenon. What happens next for comedy genius Tina Fey should have us all excited.



  • Mark Odin

    I feel like the show is centered on the relationships made throughout the years between Liz Lemon and her insane staff. As much as she wanted to pull her hair out with their antics, Liz Lemon managed to keep the show going for such a long time. I am going to catch up with the last couple of episodes before this week’s finale since they were recorded on my DISH Hopper through PrimeTime Anytime. I didn’t need to worry about missing new episodes of 30 Rock when I work nights at DISH because my DVR automatically records three hours of the four major networks during primetime and watch it when I have time for TV.