Wow. You sure are shallow. I'm sorry I wasted time reading your article.

I unplugged my TV several years ago. I still have the hardware, and I still love the entertainment, but the "crap that must be endured" became too much for me. There's still a lot of good stuff being produced for television - easy enough to access via the Internet - and I rely on places like Salon.com to continue to inform me about quality shows that I might like to download.

After reading this recent column on 30 Rock ("It's official: 30 Rock is the funniest new show on television") I decided to download the two recommended installments. I was sadly disappointed. That's not such a big deal, since I understand differences in taste and sense of humor, etc. But what struck me most was a feeling that the bar for quality TV had been lowered while I was out of the room.

I guess when you are surrounded by sub-standard fare, then even the most inane can seem impressive by comparison. And I don't mean to suggest that 30 Rock is inane - it is quite humorous. But to suggest that it is the "funniest new show on television" is rather sad to me. And it leaves me wondering - is that all there is? (or maybe, is this as good as it gets?)

Sadly,

I understand both sides, when I started watching 30 Rock I didn't find it all that funny or interesting. That is until the Rural Juror episode, I was laughing my ass off at that one! That episode it was just good bit after bit. So I love Earl, The Office, Scrubs is a snore fest and 30 Rock is now my new love, but I wasn't all that impressed in the beginning.

Plus I love the Tyra hate! She's a great looking woman who wanted to be more than just some dumb model, fine, she wanted to show the world that modeling is harder than just being pretty and standing still for pictures, fine, but now, now she's some sort of walking hyena with psychophants trailing her every move and since she's got total control there's no one controlling her, oh how I miss Janice who would actually argue with Tyra's feel good Plus size models or being so crazy herself she made Tyra look tame by comparison!

I will say about the modeling through it, I thought that was pretty ridiculous too, look I'm dancing and my shoe fell off! - then there is a major Victoria's Secret runway show and I catch the clip where the models shoe does fall off and she models through it! She doesn't stop and put back on the shoe, she just walks on her toes. So maybe a lot of what Tyra does seems lame to us, but maybe it really is useful advise! Plus I'm pretty sure that Tyra had to come up with something bad against Caridee to give any suspense to the show at all, regarding the hypothermia it was clear from the first episode that Caridee was pretty much guarunteed to win compared to all the other girls.

Only a Salon.com reader would confuse A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Neil Young.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could while away every single waking minute on My Yahoo and Google News, while someone far more qualified than you scrubbed your bathtub and walked your dogs and paid your bills and breast-fed your baby and massaged your husband's feet?

Well, no. It might be nice for a few days. But, this is the stuff of life. I've had some of the best, most introspective moments of the last few years of my life while walking my dog!

Keep up the good work! I enjoy "I like to watch."

Perhaps it’s just because I have experience with GE’s inner workings, but 30 Rock is one of the most frighteningly funny shows on TV. Jack Donaghy –is- GE upper management, especially when he proclaims Jack Welch to be the greatest leader since the pharaohs…

I don’t even know why the show is great. Maybe it’s because it’s not really about sketch comedy, it’s just an office comedy, with Liz Lemon as Jim, and Jack Donaghy as Michael. Or maybe Tina Fey’s experience makes it feel more realistic than Studio 60, or maybe the casual rhythm of 30 Rock feels unforced, or maybe the show isn’t trying to convice me it’s saving television as an art form (ahem). All I know is that when Heroes is over, and Studio 60 starts, my husband turns to me and says, “Wanna save television?” I tell him I'm not smart enough for Sorkin, and we flip to Futurama reruns.

Still trying to find my third kind of heat,

TS

evil, narcissistic, unkind, manic self good to no one except herself and those who exploit her all while trying to help girl exploit their blooming niave sexuallity for the power of the planet white men...oh and she's brown.

I hadn't heard that 30 Rock had been renewed! You have made my day! My wife and I have been trying to curb our television addiction as of late, and have severely cut the number of shows we Tivo each week. 30 Rock is one of our favorites and we were both worried it would be canceled because it's so offbeat. After ABC pulled the plug on Invasion, I was wary of giving any new show a chance. I'm glad I read your initial article on the new season recommending this great show because every week it's packed with more laughs than any other in recent memory. Alec Baldwin is just tremendous, and although I never cared for Tina Fey on SNL, she's great on 30 Rock, as is the supporting cast. I'm so glad NBC is giving it another shot next season.

30 Rock is my favorite show. Great cast (don't forget Kenneth) and writing. One of the only shows whose episodes I keep to watch a second time.

Actually, this show and "Sunset 60" (hmm, twice as serious? long? as 30 Rock?) are great bookends. The latter is just so earnest ("Do we *dare* to include this sketch?") and the former so perfectly dopey ("I said only one fighting bear, Frank!").

My only quibble, and I'm surprised at ya Heather, because you normally leave no clothes on the emperor, is that Tina Fey is only schlumpy in the same way Bailey Quarters was compared to Loni. That is to say, Ms. Fey is a very attractive woman, but I do agree she plays the "lovable loser" to perfection.

> I do agree with Rob Anderson, though, that the years Tina Fey was 9(co)head writer were probably the worst years in the show's history.

Um, Anthony Michael Hall?

>Is it just a coincidence that this year SNL is funnier than it's been since Will Ferrell left?

Did you actually *see* the show Ludacris hosted? Granted the Alec Baldwin episode was just superb, but that had as much to do with him as the writing.