Coming after the amazing fifth season, Season 6 of 30 Rock feels like the show is starting to run out of steam, with a mixed batch of new characters, and an insanely uneven level of quality.
Season 6's storyline makes a big status quo change right from the first episode: Liz has a boyfriend, and a great one too. Criss Cross has the only relationship with Liz that doesn't end in disaster, and it's awesome to see her finally put her dating life in check. However, Criss himself isn't as funny as Liz's previous boyfriends, and I find him kind of boring at times. James Marsden is definitely no Matt Damon or Jon Hamm. Meanwhile, Jack spends the whole season dealing with Avery getting lost in North Korea, a premise which I find absolutely hilarious. However, I was disappointing by their breakup soon after their return given how much I enjoyed their relationship in Season 5. My biggest gripe with the season's storyline, however, comes in the form of the new character Hazel. Kristen Schaal can be hilarious, and she was great in Gravity Falls, but Hazel just feels irritating and intrusive throughout the season, and I wasn't a big fan of her ending up with Kenneth either.
The comedy also wasn't nearly as strong as Season 5, though still better than the fourth season. At its best, Season 6 had some really funny episodes, probably some of the funniest in the series. This season's meta game was pretty amazing, poking fun at Dancing With The Stars by the very first episode. However, I do feel like the season took a bit of time to really get going, and even then, the second half of Season 6 had some of my least favorite episodes in the show. The season also had a bunch of sequel episodes, which were mixed. On one hand, the second live show was even better than the first, but on the other hand, there was a second Queen Of Jordan episode, in case the first one wasn't bad enough.
Despite its mixed quality, when Season 6 is great, it can be absolutely amazing:
Alexis Goodlooking And The Case Of Missing Whiskey: It was only a matter of time until 30 Rock parodied mystery stories, and this one pretty much nails it. I also like how this episode finally fleshes out Frank, who previously had been one of the more one-note writer's room characters.
Standards And Practices: This episode is just peak 30 Rock. Tracy and Jenna trying to hog the camera in their own way, Jack's hilarious rivalry with a little child, all culminating in a fast-paced and chaotic finale where Kenneth manages to bleep out Tracy's curse words in real-time, which is probably one of his most badass moments ever.
Kidnapped By Danger: This episode appeals to the film geek in me, as Liz Lemon actually puts her writing skills to use when trying to adapt Avery's kidnapping to film. There's also just the amazing Jenna subplot where she tries to get Weird Al to parody her song for the movie.
Live From Studio 4B: If the first live show wasn't funny enough, this one goes full sketch show, and is packed with hilarious parodies of past SNL sketches. Not to mention the massive roster of guest stars, all of whom have previously appeared on either 30 Rock or SNL itself. A true love letter to the comedy that 30 Rock is based on.
Overall, Season 6 was a very mixed and uneven season. At its best, it went in some great plot directions and had some of the funniest meta humor in the show. At its worst, it had some annoying characters, frustrating decisions, and some of the show's weakest episodes.
3/5 Stars
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