30 Rock: Season Two (2007)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Me Want Food

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

I had never seen this show before, so I checked out three episodes of the new box set, or about the equivalent of a brisk feature film. I found it much funnier and sharper than Tina Fey's feature film Baby Mama. Fey created the show, writes most of the episodes and plays Liz Lemon, the head writer on a "SNL"-like comedy show. She cleverly casts herself in a fairly straight role, surrounded by crazies. There's Tracy Morgan as the troublesome star of the show, Jane Krakowski as a needy actress and Jack McBrayer as Kenneth, a cheerful, na�ve office drone. But the real star is Alec Baldwin as powerful producer Jack Donaghy; he practically whispers his lines, regardless of whether he wants to project kindness or menace, and his low-key performance practically enters Buster Keaton territory. It's nice to see Baldwin fully transformed from a bland, handsome leading man into a superior character actor. Yes, the show treads familiar comedy territory -- its quickie cutaways have already been used in "Family Guy" -- but it's a breeze, and its quick dialogue won me over. Universal released all 15, half-hour episodes of season two in a two-disc box set. Extras include commentary tracks, deleted scenes, and other stuff. Jerry Seinfeld co-stars in the first episode.