“30 Rock” Review”: Does It Deserve a Second Chance?

There’s no doubt that Tina Fey is NBC’s biggest star right now.

So suddenly Ben Silverman looks like a genius for holding off the premiere of “30 Rock” until this week, right?

Well, since I detest the idea of Silverman being a genius about anything, I’m going to hold off on that assessment—especially since you could argue that the network should have struck while the iron was hot and debuted the show in the middle of Fey-mania, instead of at the end.

But I’m hoping that I’m wrong because Fey and “30 Rock” deserve a little love. But I will not be calling Silverman a genius. EVER…

Now, you guys might be surprised about my sudden affection for “Rock” since I was so hard on it when it debuted. But it’s clear to me after watching the season premiere that “Rock” is just one of those shows that has to grow into itself (like “How I Met Your Mother”) and I believe that maybe it has.

And I love Tina Fey…

In the premiere, Liz (Fey) is trying to impress the woman (Megan Mullally) who is evaluating her for the adoption agency. I don’t think I’m giving anything away when I tell you that things don’t go quite as planned.

Tracy (Tracy Morgan) is making tons of money from his video game, but he’s not sharing the wealth with the rest of the cast and crew who helped him create it—especially Jenna (Jane Krakowski).

And Jack (Alec Baldwin) returns from Washington to reclaim his old job from Devon (Will Arnett) and his soap opera obsessed wife. I know that the big name guest stars are getting most of the attention this year, but for me, Will Arnett is always a reason to tune into anything.

The episode is actually quite cute thanks to Fey and her crazy cast of characters. And although he may sometimes complain in the press, I think it looks like Baldwin is having the time of his life in probably the best role of his career.

And some of the inside jokes are absolutely scathing. Only Tina Fey could turn a studio fire into the best joke of the night…

Much like “Mother,” not every joke is a zinger and not every situation is laugh out loud funny. But it’s a show that can really grow on you if you give it the chance. I’m thinking very seriously about giving it a second chance myself…

“30 Rock” premieres Thursday, October 30th at 9:30 p.m. on NBC…

Photos Credit: Nicole Revelli/NBC