Making SNL

Both 30 Rock: Season 1 and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: The Complete Series  are "behind the scenes" shows about shows very much like Saturday Night Live.  While 30 Rock is straight comedy, Studio 60 is more of a drama. Both of them have amazing writers. Studio 60 is written by Aaron Sorkin (West Wing) and 30 Rock is written by Tina Fey.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is the more serious of the two shows.  Like The West Wing, it's witty and biting political commentary, and it holds up well.  It's also quite funny, but it's not a laugh riot.  It does that magical thing that only Aaron Sorkin shows can do...it leaves me wanting to roll my eyes and laugh and cry all at the same time.  It's such a shame that this show was canceled, but it does go down hill in the last few episodes.  Like a lot of shows, it forgets what makes it good, and thinks I care about the characters personal lives. A except the last few episodes, which rate a B.

This show is hilarious.  The first season is pee-your-pants funny, and the other seasons are still laugh-out-loud good.  Alec Baldwin is dead on, and Tina Fey never fails.  Tracy Morgan, while sometimes a little goofy, is also very funny.  This show is fast, smart, and relevant.  One reviewer on Netflix says of 30 Rock, "there is a certain segment of population that likes what I like to call "New York Humor" It will tickle your fancy if you like things like Woody Allen, Seinfeld, and the like."  Funny story: When my parents were first dating, my dad's family used to call my mother (who is from Philadelphia) a "New Yorker" because they thought "Jew" was a slur.  If you don't understand why that's hilarious, you might not like 30 Rock.  The show is reliably funny...even the weaker episodes are still great.    A+ for Season 1, A for other seasons (with an occasional B episode)


Also interesting, this documentary about Saturday Night Live: Live from New York: The First 5 Years. This IS NOT a clips show, it's mostly interviews.