30 Rock... You Make Me Soooo Happy

30 Rock Season 4 premieres tonight and I just thought, in my joyful anticipation, that I would peruse the Top 5 reasons that I adore this show (though there are many more):

5: The Guest Stars- This could have said 'Salma Hayek' as she has definitely been my favorite of the guests so far. Who knew she had such amazing comic timing? Some of her lines, all the better for how she delivered them, were my favorite part of last season. Like when she comes into Jack's office wearing a tee shirt that says, 'What the frack?' (A Battlestar Galactica reference) and she is telling Jack about her sordid past and, in total seriousness, in her beautiful Mexican accent, says, “I am so sorry to tell you such a dark tale while wearing such a silly T-shirt." Ha! I'll admit that a couple of the guest stars storylines were a tad over-the-top, but part of 30 Rock's charm is it's outrageousness.

4: The Shameless Plugs & Societal Cliches- It has sort of become a joke on 30 Rock to make fun of other shows, and themselves, by having very obvious plugs for their sponsors, like Snapple. Dialogue example:

Pete: Wow! This is Diet Snapple?
Liz : I know, it tastes just like regular Snapple doesn’t it?
Frank: You should try 'Plumagranate'. It’s amazing...
Cerie (the token hot girl, while looking directly into the camera): I only date guys who drink Snapple.

One episode was entitled MILF Island, which is the name of a (fake, obviously) reality show that is cougars (aka, hot older ladies who dig younger men (in case you didn't know, Mom ;)) and underage teens stuck on an island together and pushed into situations where hanky panky will inevitably ensue. Of course there is no way that this show would ever be approved in real live, but I love that they make fun of our society's obsession with reality TV and how far networks push the boundaries for the sake of 'entertainment.'

3: The Witty/Intelligent Writing- Majority of contemporary comics, please watch this show and see that you don't have to go for the bathroom/racy jokes to get a laugh. Quit being so lazy! Watch 30 Rock or watch old episodes of The Carol Burnett Show or The Cosby Show and come up with something original. There are so many clever jokes in this show that you really have to be paying attention to even catch them all. There is a lot of random humor as well, which I love. Most things are predictable these days and so a sure way to stay interesting is to come out of nowhere. Also, I love how many geeky references there are, since I get them all ;)

2: The Cast- The whole ensemble is fantastic, but major kudos to the four main leads, Jane Krakowski in particular, who plays crazy diva Jenna: I first fell in love with her because I was a huge fan of the quirky lawyer show Ally McBeal that she was in. Now she of course is best known for 30 Rock and I have to say, I think she is the funniest part of the show. The way she just throws herself into the most insane and slapsticky situations and can be so vain and insecure and horrible and likable at the same time is just amazing. In 30 Rock they sort of make a joke out of Jane's singing because she is such an attention hog, (Like when Kenneth the pageboy is making everyone laugh in the elevator and she hates the the attention is away from her so she starts singing Wind Beneath My Wings really loud in everyones face! Ha! Also, awkward) but the girl really can sing and has theater credits to her name, which makes me like her all the more. Tracy Morgan is also amazing- it has got to be real talent to act that random and idiotic, and there is no one in the world who can deadpan like Alec Baldwin. As for Tina, she is just plain likable and for starting out a writer, not an actress, I think she gets better as the seasons go on. (Also, in real life her husband is a composer and wrote the goofy/catchy 30 Rock theme music which is one of my favorite ring tones.) Way to be a sexy geek, Tina.

1: The Bromance (sort of)- 30 Rock reminds me a lot of its brilliant predecessors Seinfeld and Arrested Development in that unlike some other funny sitcoms (Friends, The Office, How I Met Your Mother...) you don't get too emotionally attached to the romances of the characters. It stays unsentimental and there aren't ever really any big aaaaahh moments and you don't get really anxious for people to be together, but not so much that you don't care. The main couple of the show is Jack and Liz, though they will never ever really hook up romantically and I wouldn't want them to. Liz may technically be a woman, but what she has with Jack is a beautiful bromance.

So, basically, best said in the words of Liz Lemon... I want to go to there.