30 Rock
NBC | Release Date: October 11, 2006
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 68 Critic Reviews
Positive:
54
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 4 Review: Baldwin and Fey are entertaining without wearing the viewer out, the cast blends together well, and the way the show is structured--often feeling like a series of sketches--has produced some brilliant TV. Thursday night, however, feels like a semi-private joke. Read full review
60
Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
Season 4 Review: It feels, at times, like the episodes are trying too hard to be self-referential, with lots of jokes at the expense of NBC and General Electric, and with Baldwin seeming to address the audience directly at the start of the premiere. Read full review
60
Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland
Season 1 Review: The jokes that hit their target almost make up for the wide misses. Read full review
60
Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
Season 1 Review: "Write what you know" is a cardinal rule of writing, and Fey certainly knows this world better than Sorkin -- even if "The Girlie Show" is lame, I believe it exists in a way I don't with "Studio 60" -- but the history of failed behind-the-scenes sitcoms and dramas is so long and ugly that she would have been better served using a different setting altogether. Read full review
60
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 1 Review: Nothing very funny happens on “30 Rock” until Alec Baldwin enters the room, and suddenly this new NBC sitcom comes alive. Read full review
50
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 4 Review: Those jokes are supposed to establish Liz’s geek cred, but they mostly serve as speed bumps in the show’s otherwise fast and clever banter. Read full review
50
SlateTroy Patterson
Season 4 Review: In a time span shorter than a T.G.I. Friday's commercial, we saw a pungent contrast between two sets of cultural values. This was all very funny and more than a bit embarrassing. Read full review
50
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray
Season 1 Review: I want to like "30 Rock" more than I do so far, because I've always liked Fey. Yet it could be Fey - the actress, not the writer - I'm having trouble warming to. Read full review
40
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum
Season 1 Review: When he gets a lot of air time and his worst excesses are not reined in, Morgan is the human equivalent of fingernails on a blackboard.... As a result, what could have been a rather savory dish ends up with a rather unpleasant aftertaste. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
Season 1 Review: Too often it feels like a missed opportunity, though there's always hope for improvement, more realistic in this case than most. Read full review
40
Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Season 1 Review: Nobody does a deadpan line reading like Baldwin, and he alone is reason to check out this work in progress and hope that Fey gets the time she’ll need to make this hodge-podge live up to its potential. Read full review
40
Washington PostTom Shales
Season 1 Review: For all the rewriting and reworking, the show needs a better premise and funnier dialogue and, most of all, a more commanding performer in the starring role. Read full review
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