30 Rock is so funny because its humor is constantly ahead of the game. It plays on the absurdest things we all do, and then multiplies them. An average person’s bad eating habit translates to Liz Lemon chomping on cigarettes in her sleep. Everyone feels unsettled when their best friend is out of commission — when Liz loses Jack to Avery on the latest episode, Liz is so beside herself she uses a Duane Reade bag for underwear when getting dressed in the morning.
The show pokes fun at indulgence of all kinds — Tracy being so rich he’s out of touch with the “common people,” Jenna using a stalker to quantify her fame and missing him when he moves on. In its fifth season, 30 Rock is “post-modern” without being corny or overdone. If you’re out of new episodes or just need a quick 30 Rock fix, check out the apps below to quell your itch.
Scene It? 30 Rock ($1.99)
This app gains points right off the bat for starting with the familiar theme song, giving you that warm and fuzzy feeling that you’re about to be entertained. The app is not the same as the show, but it does deliver in its own way. It’s full of games — play Blerg to complete a quote by Tracy, and watch a video of Jack speaking and guess his next line; play Beeper King (named after Liz’s ex-bf Dennis’ job), and pass the game to the next player after answering a trivia question correctly. Questions range from who plays Jenna? — Jane Krakowski — to who is Jack’s mentor? — Don Geiss.
Morgan Says Soundboard ($0.99)
Tracy Morgan’s character, Tracy Jordan, is known for his snappy one-liners and hilarious spot-on delivery, but Morgan’s humor does not begin or end with 30 Rock. In Morgan Says Soundboard, tap your way through “memorable and classic quotes” of Morgan’s from movies and TV shows he’s starred in, including 30 Rock. Quotes are organized by keyword. Some highlights are “Foxy,” “Sex Doll” and “Denim.”
Fast Food Finder ($0.99)
In honor of the heavy emphasis placed on Liz Lemon’s fast/junk food obsession, this list would not be complete without the Fast Food Finder. After the FFF connects to your current location, the app quickly brings up a list of fast food spots nearby. It features some classics: Burger King, Dunkin Donuts and Blimpie, but even though I live pretty close to several McDonalds, the golden arches didn’t make the cut. The restaurants appear in order of distance from your given location, and aside from the well-known chain eateries, lots and lots of delis were suggested. Certainly, among them, one could find high-fat corn chips and other Liz Lemon classics.
Hulu Plus (Free)
Hulu Plus, the iPhone app, works similarly to Hulu.com. Some episodes are available free for a certain period of time (on Hulu.com, it’s the most recent; here the free episodes seem to be chosen at random, though I did notice several season premieres), and then they expire. If you would like to watch multiple episodes of your favorite shows — such as 30 Rock, and others like Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, for instance — you must become a Hulu Plus subscriber, which is easy to do. For $9.99 a month, you can watch at least 20 episodes of 30 Rock you couldn’t watch without being a member. That alone makes it worth your while, not to mention the other shows you can snag as a bonus.
Television Without Pity Daily Snark (Free)
TWP reviews and provides recaps of your favorite shows. Maybe you missed an episode in its entirety, or you left the room to make popcorn, and didn’t catch that crucial scene. Here, you can catch up — and not with dinky one- or two-line summaries, but with step-by-step, multi-paragraph descriptions of the characters and the plot. If too much information will spoil your watching experience, I strongly recommend holding off until you’ve seen an episode to read the full summary.
