“The Next Big Underrated Comedy?”

Another void that needs filling is the chasm left by Arrested Development. Again, a near-impossible task (though Flight of the Conchords does get pretty good by the end of its run) but until that special sitcom comes along there’s 30 Rock. Ignored by all the magazines and pundits who raved about the smugly abysmal Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 30 Rock covers similar ground but without being all preachy and condescending about it.

Focusing on the writer of a comedy show as she deals with a new know-nothing boss, an insane new star as well as all the existing writers and talent on the programme, it’s actually pretty good and contained at least three laugh-out-loud moments – more than you get in an entire year on BBC3. The digs about cash-counting executives ruining TV shows and strangling creativity are far less heavy-handed here than the Perry and Co alternative, though Alec Baldwin is great as the suit who’s decided to shake things up for no other reason than to ‘make his mark’.

Actually, the casting is all pretty good. Writer and star Tina ‘Mean Girls’ Fey is thoroughly likable and doesn’t hog all the best lines, while any show featuring Jane Krakowski is a good thing – especially as she’s so willing to be the butt of all jokes. In fact the only thing not going for 30 Rock is its ridiculous time slot, C5 following in the grand BBC tradition of putting its best stuff out in the middle of the night. It’s still too early to really be sure, but 30 Rock could be the next big underrated comedy.