COMM 380:  Media Criticism

January 31, 2013 marked the end of an era. While this date may seem innocuous and random in fact, it marks a significant date in so far that one of the most important shows of the last 20 years closed up shop. On that day in January 2009, NBC aired the series finale of 30. The seven season show about the staff of the sketch comedy show The Girlie Show (TGS, a not too thinly veiled reference to SNL) handled issues of race inequality, gender inequality, and political polarization with hilarity while presenting stark portrayals of American society as it is today. While many shows, especially comedies and sitcoms, skirt these issues entirely, 30 Rock embraced these differences and inequalities in our society, and ultimately utilized them to discuss these issues in our society as well as make fabulously funny TV.

 

According to Hansen (2013), television networks have been widely accused of neglecting diversity in their shows. The shows exist in a world where the people are attractive, funny, and major problems can be solved in an hour or less. Furthermore, the make-up of these shows tend to be predominantly white, male, and middle-class. 30 Rock both knows this complaint, and ultimately agrees there is an issue. The show then moves forward placing it’s characters in conflicts that inevitably involve race issues, gender inequality issues, and political polarization.

 

This is apparent just by looking at the makeup of the cast and the characters the actors portray. Liz Lemon, the wonderful and hilarious Tina Fey, is a single, goofy, smart, and kooky lead writer of TGS. Compare her to Jack Donaghy, a phenomenal Alec Baldwin, a wealthy self-made white TV executive with strong conservative ties and a great sense for business. Next, there’s Tracy Jordan, Tracy Morgan playing an exaggerated version of himself, who is an outspoken, perhaps slightly crazy, and lovable black comic with a filmography similar to Tyler Perry (Morris, 2013) who still holds ties to being a poor black man growing up while enjoying all the perks of being fabulously wealthy. The rest of the cast includes Jenna, TGS’ star before Jordan shows up, who is an aloof petty diva and also best friends with Liz. There’s Kenneth the paige, a naive midwestern farmboy who’s midwestern sensibilities clash with the hustle and bustle of New York living. Lastly, the writers of the show who are each idiosyncratic in their own way, and not to mention, aren’t classic beauties. In fact, none of the characters are with the exception of Donaghy. Through merely describing the cast, the show breaks all the criticisms had about TV in this day and age.

 

Some of the most hilarious moments of the show come from Tracy Jordan. Jordan-- think a mixture between Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan-- is a walking stereotype of most things about black culture in America. He’s full of contradictions, loud, flamboyant, and always seems to be at odds with the rest of the show. Yet at other times, he’s the most insightful and down to earth character on the cast. Through his character and his entourage, 30 Rock addresses some very real issues that America has with race.

 

Grantland writer Wesley Morris (2013) describes one such instance from an episode in 2010. In the episode, one of the TGS writers “Toofer”, another black character on the show, bursts into Jordan’s office upset over being called a “biggledeeboo” (a real racist slur). To this, Jordan responds that, “Old-school racism is back.” Toofer cannot believe this citing how the president is black and this cannot be the case. To this Jordan responds, “Racism is back because white people no longer feel sorry for us.” That in and of itself is a profound criticism of race relations in America right now. The episode then continues on to reveal that “Toofer” was in fact an affirmative action hire. Upon realizing this, “Toofer,” out of pride quits as a writer for TGS but ultimately cannot find work and is rehired at TGS. First of all, no other show on TV now or in recent history has tackled such a real issue in such stark terms. This is where 30 Rocks truly outshines the other shows on television. All the while, it also contradicts another part of the criticism that television shows wrap up complicated problems in an hour or less. Here, the show rehires “Toofer,” but in no way does it pretend to solve the problems surrounding Affirmative Action or race relations. Instead, it addresses the issue, pokes fun at the absurdities of the underlying themes, then brings the character back into the show. 30 Rock does not pretend to solve the issues it discusses. It’s refreshing that the show even addresses this issue, but it is even better that the writers are not too arrogant as to pretend they have the solutions to solving such issues (I’m looking at you Aaron Sorkin).

 

In the character Liz Lemon, we see a character who is very much like the woman who wrote her and plays her, Tina Fey. Fey, the head writer on SNL for half a decade or more as well as the writer of the classic teen comedy Mean Girls and a New York Times bestselling book Bossypants, came through the male-dominated world that was comedy in the 80’s and 90’s. From the famed improv troop Second City all the way through working at SNL, the comedy scene was dominated by men. Fey, along with several other women in the 2000s helped changed that forever.

 

According to Lauzen (2012), while Fey is viewed by many as a feminist pioneer, she rarely identifies herself in such a way. Fey first and foremost is about getting laughs, but she certainly has a feminist perspective and world view that informs her comedy. In the same piece, Lauzen refers to how one interviewer noted, that she represents, “a new brand of feminism: She worries about her weight while hating that she worries about her weight” (Lauzen 2012). This insight and perspective informs us more on the character Liz Lemon. Lemon constantly sees the double standard in the workplace and the world but also plays into the stereotypes associated with women. Liz both calls out the patriarchy of society, but through her actions, also shows how women can play into the stereotypes.

 

Morris (2013) points out.one episode in particular. Liz hires her comedy hero, but must fire her when she proposes the show does more edgy material. She quits as a sign of solidarity but soon finds herself wandering New York with her mentor in “Little Chechnya.” Liz soon realizes that the ardent stance her mentor has taken is also impractical. This could be taken as a commentary on traditional feminism. Fey is a strong smart woman who wants to empower other women, yet she sees that the traditional feminist perspectives are not without flaws. This is a highly nuanced and intricate way to approach writing. This is just one example of many of how the writers of 30 Rock layer their humor and address issues. Again, as above however, there is no black and white, or right or wrong. Again, it is refreshing to see a show that does not pretend to have all the answers. Instead, it looks at things in shades of grey. The show sees the flaws on both sides of the coin, then makes fun of those flaws.

 

In the character Jack Donaghy, the classic Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock sends up the rich and a harps on the class differences in America. Donaghy is a self-made man who loves business strategies as well as conservative politicians. He is the epitome of what you would expect a wealthy TV executive to be. At one point he argues that the white-man has it the hardest in America because of how they are expected to give back. Yet through all of his bravado and arrogance, Jack learns from those poor people around him. He dates a hispanic woman and attends a quinceanera, and ingratiates himself into the family. With Liz, their political ideologies, lifestyle, and upbringing clash, but ultimately, Donaghy is a character looking to help those around him. His character is a farce, and you end up laughing at his sensibilities, but the audience also finds endearment here as well.

 

30 Rock was the show that television needed, and to this day still needs. According to Hansen (2014) cultivation analysis contends that watching television creates a sense and view of the world that is largely at odds with reality. Speaking to much of TV running today, the lack of diversity on the TV screen could easily lead to this conclusion. Look at shows like The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, and How I Met Your Mother. While critically acclaimed and widely viewed, they in no way shape or form accurately represent the population as a whole. Furthermore, they never address any issues of race, gender or socioeconomic inequalities. Even the show Modern Family, that features two gay parents raising a daughter and a mix raced marriage, the show never deals with the issues mentioned above. For Modern Family, it is just another classic sitcom with the characters only slightly tweaked.

 

In a TV environment like this, one can understand why Gerbner would develop cultivation analysis and why it would give him concerns. While shows like The Office and Parks and Rec have instances where serious issues are dealt with, no one did it more often and better than did 30 Rock.

 

Murray (2013) perhaps put it best referring to the episode where Liz was forced to fire her comedy icon, she says a very poignant and funny line, “You can’t do race stuff on TV. It’s too sensitive.” Well thankfully 30 Rock was able to do race stuff and a host of other issues with skill, nuance, and humor. Here’s hoping there will be much more of that in the future.

 

References

Hanson, Ralph E. (2013). Mass Communication Living in a Media World (4th ed.). CQ Press

 

Lauzen, M. (2012). The Funny Business of Being Tina Fey: Constructing a (feminist) comedy icon. Feminist Media Studies. Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.tandfonline.com.mutex.gmu.edu/doi/full/10.1080/14680777.2012.740060#.VGPzVNygQ8M

 

Morris, W. (2013, January 31). 30 Rock Landed on Us. Retrieved November 5, 2014.