8 Commentary tracks, "Tina Fey Hosts SNL", "30 Rock Live at the UCB Theater", "The Academy of TV Arts and Sciences Presents: An Evening with 30 Rock", deleted scenes

"30 Rock" beat the odds to become a Emmy winning TV series AND get renewed (something that didn't happen to its rival show on CBS). The second season shows that Jerry Seinfeld despite the flop of his Microsoft commercials (probably the WORST commercial campaign designed within the last decade) has drawing power and an almost mythic allure due to his classic TV series. In the first episode of season two Jack (Alec Baldwin) plans on bolstering his ratings by digitally inserting Seinfeld into every show on NBC something that irritates the comedian. Meanwhile writer/producer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) buys a wedding dress…even though she ISN'T getting married. All the while Jack must fight off Devon (Will Arnett of "Arrested Development" fame) who continues to scheme and try to find ways to get Jack's job. Lemon must deal with her idiotic star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), insecure friend/star Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) and her often dim-witted staff. It's all part of normal life for Lemon and the wacky folks at NBC. Even the minor characters get their moments on the show which is unusual (well except for "The Office"). ***

"30 Rock" continues to be (along with "The Office") the best half hour comedy on TV. Fey and her crew of writers/directors/producers/cast make this the most manic and addictive show on TV by playing with the perception of life within a TV network. ---

Image & Sound:

Once again we get a very nice transfer for "30 Rock". Colors are bold throughout and blacks solid. Clarity is very nice with minimal digital artifacts. Audio sounds quite crisp and clear. ---

We get eight commentary tracks featuring Will Arnett, writer Judah Friedlander, stars Tina Fey Jane Krakowski all of which are often amusing and enlightening. The best commentary tracks tend to be a mixture of cast members and/or cast-writing/directing staff since we get a bit of information about the shooting of the episode, observations about performance and humor adding flavor to the mix. ***

We also get the table read (the first rehearsal) for the episode "Cooter", deleted scenes and "30 Rock Live at the UCB Theater" which is an often amusing bonus. The former is fascinating to watch simply because you can see how the episode evolves from the first read through and mentally compare it to the final episode. ***

Tina Fey hosting "Saturday Night Live" and the presentation at The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences: An Evening with '30 Rock'" round out the extras in this set. The extras are very good and quite generous for this popular series. Many of these extras help make up for the fact that we're only getting 15 episodes (again, the Writer's Strike is to blame for this but, really, it comes down to the studios and networks NOT willing to share profits with those that actually MAKE the shows). ---

Final Words: