Of all the strong Thursday night sitcoms that NBC may or may not be laying to rest at the end of this season, 30 Rock is the only one whose exit seems just right. The Office hung on too long, while if the suits decide to axe Community after its fourth season, it’ll be an unjust cancellation of Arrested Development proportions. 30 Rock, however, is leaving us at the perfect moment: Liz Lemon and friends have been around the block long enough to show us all they’re capable of, but they’re bowing out while still on top of their game, as evidenced by this season’s premiere.
30 Rock has always been at its finest when it’s self-aware and biting the hand that feeds it, and from the opening fake-out (Liz holding a baby and gushing, “I finally have it all!” before she tosses it aside and the camera pans out to reveal she’s coaching someone on how to deliver a line), it’s obvious that’s where things are headed this season. Liz and Jack exchange stories about how they spent their hiatus: Jack divorced Avery, and Liz bemoans “the usual Liz Lemon work-life balancing act” (we feel you winking at us through that line, Tina Fey, and we like it) before offering up that she and Chris are trying to have a baby.
Kenneth and Hazel are apparently dating and living together (!), Hazel makes a pass at Tracy in an attempt to further her acting career and Jonathan makes his triumphant return as Jack’s long-suffering assistant. But the big news is what’s happening at NBC: convinced that Hank will never retire and promote him, Jack decides to “tank” the network and therefore force Hank to sell it to someone who will. What does that mean for us? Hilarious fake NBC shows like Hunchbacks, Homonym and God Cop (tagline: “Crime just got a new worst friend”), the latter of which Jack casts himself in as God. At first he plays coy, but when Liz calls him out on it, he reveals his plan to her.