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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, April 18, 2024

What would Liz Lemon do?

“30 Rock” is the only television show that I have binge-watched and actually felt truly addicted to. There is just no other way to describe the show besides plain good. "30 Rock,” starring and created by Tina Fey, ran on NBC from 2006 to 2013. The series is loosely based on Fey's experience as the head writer for “Saturday Night Live” (1975 - present). The television show itself takes place on the set of a fictional "SNL"-like sketch comedy program “The Girlie Show” (or "TGS"), with Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski playing "TGS" stars Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney, respectively. Fey stars as "TGS" head writer Liz Lemon. A little fun fact about the series' name: It refers to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, which is the address of the Comcast Building and the location of NBC Studios.

I started watching “30 Rock” really not knowing what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I got into the show and its characters. The show is really fast-paced and consistently exciting in terms of plot, and this makes it especially good for binge-watching. Consecutively watching episodes helps the viewer to keep up with the complicated storyline.

The most interesting part of “30 Rock” is the drama that takes place between all of the actors and writers on "TGS." In each episode, there is almost always some form of drama that is currently stressing out Liz. These mini incidents are almost always caused by Jenna or Tracy. For example, both the "TGS" stars are always threatening to quit their jobs. The long-running joke with Tracy is that he is never consistent or on time for work, and his excuses for being so are never within the realm of reality.

Liz is also the butt of constant jokes as she attempts to balance her personal and work lives, yet it becomes apparent to the viewer that her personal life does not really exist. In one episode, Liz is asked to take a week off work for a sexual harassment issue, and it is the only time the viewer ever sees her completely relaxed. I will not give too much away, but Liz’s “vacation” ends in near chaos.

Liz’s relationship with her boss Jack Donaghy, who is perfectly played by Alec Baldwin, is also really entertaining because it is more of a friendship than any kind of employee-boss relationship. The two of them lean on each other for support and guidance, making them a very unlikely duo.

Since I watched these episodes in such a short amount of time, I really started to feel for the characters. I wanted them to succeed, but I also wanted them to mess up in the most horrific ways because that is what creates entertainment. As I watched “30 Rock,” I felt myself wanting to be more like Liz Lemon and trying to emulate her in my daily life. I watch so much television, especially for this project, and I never think about how the people behind the screen are real people just like me -- real people who end up making tons of mistakes, too.