It’s Thursday night and I’ve gone to sit down and watch the NBC line up of shows that includes all my favorites. Tonight however, it felt empty (even with the long-awaited return of Community). 30 Rock has officially ended and I’m not quite sure what to do with myself.
This incredible show has been on for 7 years and yet it still feels like it wasn’t long enough. I guess the best shows do leave us feeling that way though. Otherwise they overstay their welcome making you wish the show had ended with its integrity intact, much in the same way of How I Met Your Mother or The Office. I know Tina Fey, that wonderful woman, needed the show to end and was quite run down with balancing motherhood, writing, acting, and being her awesome self, so I do my best to understand that it was time. I also know the other actors, Alec Baldwin in particular, fought so hard for the show to stay. Knowing that makes me love and miss it even more. How could you not appreciate a show that has actors who completely believe in what they are doing?
It makes me sad to know this show never did as well as it should have, and never receive the attention it deserved. It was an intelligent and hilarious program that people found easier to ignore rather than try to keep up with the constant stream of jokes. I can understand that for some days, when work has been tough and your brain is fried, you just want to plop down in front of the TV and watch something mindless. That doesn’t mean you need to miss out on the show entirely.
Tina Fey is a genius and my idol (seriously, I had to control all my ramblings of how wonderful she is). She writes witty material and has a unique voice for this generation. Hell, she has a unique voice for any generation. Her character of Liz Lemon has been said to be one of the characters that has brought love and pride to the “quirky” girl. It’s not the “adorable quirky” that Zooey Deschanel has given rise to though. She writes the real, unflattering, but always amusing, “quirky” that so many girls can identify with without having to change what is weird about them into something cute. And if you ever read her interviews you’ll notice it’s that style she has that makes her such a great role model.
So if you haven’t seen 30 Rock yet, it’s not too late to jump on the Tina Fey bandwagon. It’s all on Netflix so you can spend hours watching episode after episode and forget an outside world exists (isn’t that the best way to watch TV?). Trust me, it’s worth it.
Kate can be reached at [email protected].
