“I have an actress problem.†“Don’t try to move the body yourself.†Is this why we continue to watch 30 Rock — cleverly recycled dead-hooker jokes? We certainly didn’t tune in last night for the labored getting-your-hair-did gag, which could not have been saved even by the wonderful Sherri Shepherd (who plays Tracy Jordan’s wife). Way to get your African-American humor on, 30 Rock! (“Yakoff’s Nubian Bling Explosion†— now there’s a black joke for white people. We laughed immoderately.)
Does it speak to the state of the show that the self-referential, young-urban-professional jokes hardly get us, but the wacky, Liz Lemon–pantomining-basketball-spinning stuff does? (See the truly hilarious video below.) Or are we just backlashing on the self-referential, young urban — white urban, not code-for-black “urban†— professional humor? Maybe we’re just in a permanently heightened state of meta, as instilled by 30 Rock itself. It’s probably better if you just tell us your candidates for an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony. Or your favorite chuckle lines (dibs on “off-brand eye surgeryâ€). Okay … go!