the contrarian: "30." Rocks. NOT.

The Ubiquitous Tina Fey, Writing TV's Best Sitcom

Once again, I am contentedly in the minority - TV-wise, that is.

A few years ago, I was bewildered by the euphoria among television critics over "My Name Is Earl." The first show seemed refreshingly oddball. The second show seemed the same. The third and fourth shows? No different. After a few weeks, I had the vague suspicion that I watching the same exact episode over and over again. And, still, despite this glaring creative bankruptcy, the reviewers continued to do head-spins.

Now it's "30 Rock." Exactly what is the big deal, folks? It's been lionized as one of the best sitcoms - ever - as well as the best currently on the tube. Hands-down. No questions asked. Well, I find it without a single thread of humor and, narratively, it's all over the place - a mess really.

The characters are, frankly, unappealing and - let's put it out there - I am so over Alec Baldwin (a favorite of mine, btw) and his redundant shtick.

Much of this is the result of the bad writing - which is supposed to be star Tina Fey's experetise. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, accounting interference from top brass for much of the show's juvenile jokes - that is, until her outburst at the recent Golden Globes, "Suck it!," directed twice at critical internet pests. Real mature. Just like her show.

Not.