Throwback Thursday: 30 Rock

Tina Fey's oddball NBC sitcom 30 Rock turns ten years old this week. 

This isn't as far a throwback as usual, but after reading this article on Vox on Tuesday about the 10-year anniversary of 30 Rock, I thought it was fitting to celebrate this wacky, weird and wonderful sitcom. 

30 Rock debuted on October 11, 2006, and I dove into it about two years later. I still remember when and where I was when I watched the pilot, which isn't much I can say for most other shows. I was in college, working an early morning shift at the front desk of my residence hall and there wasn't much to do to keep me awake but stream Netflix. At the time Netflix had just started its streaming service (I know, I know, I'm old) and 30 Rock was one of the better titles available. I fell in love as soon as Tina Fey's Liz Lemon started passing out hot dogs to bewildered people on the streets of New York. It was about 3 minutes in. 

From there, 30 Rock took on a life of its own, completely different from anything else on network TV at the time. There are other workplace sitcoms that 30 Rock crossed over with, mainly The Office and Parks and Recreation, and those are both great shows also. But 30 Rock, to me, stands above the rest, and I'm willing to bet will be remembered as the greatest of the three. 

The best part about 30 Rock is its meta-ness. As a show on NBC about a show on NBC (TGS with Tracy Jordan, an SNL-like variety show), 30 Rock was able to make some deep cuts on the ridiculousness of television, celebrity, politics, workplaces, relationships, and more. It also gave us some of the best comedic lines in television history, as well as some delightfully hilarious memes. 

If you haven't yet delved in, I highly suggest you do. All episodes of 30 Rock are available now on Netflix.