The sixth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series on the NBC network in the United States, began airing on January 12, 2012. 30 Rock was renewed for a sixth season by NBC on November 15, 2010.[1] The season began airing mid-season to accommodate Tina Fey's pregnancy.[2] On November 14, 2011, NBC announced that 30 Rock would return at the new time of 8:00 pm.[3]
This season was initially expected to be Alec Baldwin's last, as he had announced he would be looking to expand into other forms of media.[4] However, in January 2012, Baldwin confirmed that he would remain for the seventh and final season of 30 Rock.[5] Season six received positive reviews and 13 Emmy Award nominations.
Synopsis
The story arcs of season six include: Liz has a new relationship and emotionally matures; Jack continues to attempt to recover his wife from North Korea and find his identity at Kabletown; Kenneth moves up (and later down) the corporate ladder; and Jenna reaches a new level of fame thanks to being a judge on a reality show, and considers settling down with boyfriend Paul.
Liz returns from holiday break with a new outlook that leaves her immune to Tracy's acting out over Jenna's new fame as a judge on America's Kidz Got Singing. Meanwhile, Kenneth prepares for the Rapture.
An uproar ensues after cellphone video of Tracy being offensive towards gays is posted online. Liz tries to hide all details of her new boyfriend from Jack, knowing she'll never secure his approval. Kenneth and Jenna call on Kelsey Grammer for a problem only the Best Friends Gang can solve.
Tracy goes on the offensive against Liz by coming to the defense of idiots. Jack faces another challenge from Devon Banks (Will Arnett) and meddles in Liz's relationship with Criss (James Marsden). Jenna and Kenneth get help from Kelsey Grammer in dealing with an unconscious Pete.
Liz looks for a new best friend after discovering that Jenna has traded their friendship for fame. Jack decides to end the page program in order to impress Hank Hooper (Ken Howard).
Liz and Jack argue over her contract. Kenneth is reassigned after being offended by his coworkers at TGS, and Tracy and Jenna's accountant hires them as entertainment at a bar mitzvah.
On Valentine's Day, Criss (James Marsden) and Liz search for a dining room table. Avery's mother (Mary Steenburgen) visits Jack. Jenna and Pete prepare for Jenna's first live performance on America's Kidz Got Singing. Tracy and Frank aid Lutz in looking for a Valentine's Day date.
Jack decides to run for mayor after being mugged. Liz puts her desires above the good of New York. Jenna and Paul (Will Forte) try to act like a normal couple.
Jack learns to appreciate Leap Day while Tracy takes the writers to a restaurant to spend an almost-expired gift card. Liz and Jenna try to seduce an internet billionaire.
In order to hide his relationship with Lynn (Susan Sarandon) from his mother (Patti LuPone), Frank pretends to be Liz's boyfriend. Jack mentors Kenneth. Tracy and Jenna search for Pete's whisky.
Liz refuses to acknowledge Kenneth's new power over TGS. Jenna concocts a new scheme to gain publicity. Jack must serve as parent to his nemesis, Kaylie Hooper (Chloë Grace Moretz).
Jack must come up with an idea that will impress Hank Hooper and transform KableTown, while Liz tries her best to stick with a new hobby and prove she's a new woman. Jenna believes she's cursed and Hazel's obsession with Liz continues. Tracy signs on to do a new movie in order to pay his unexpectedly high taxes.
Jack tries to transform the slumping Pete into a respectable man of ambition. Meanwhile, Tracy recovers his lost sense of smell and is drawn to Liz's scent, and Jenna battles the writers in a prank war.
Kabletown chooses to stop funding live shows for TGS. While Liz and Jack embrace the change, Kenneth argues that live format should be kept intact. This is the show's second live episode, in which an East Coast and West Coast version were broadcast with slight adjustments such as guest appearances; Kim Kardashian in the West Coast version and Paul McCartney in the East.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 75% with an average score of 7.7 out of 10 based on 16 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "30 Rock feels content to spin its zany wheels in a sixth season that is nevertheless punctuated with great gags and an infectious sense of fun."[36]Alan Sepinwall, writing for HitFix, noted that "there's been a lot of discussion [...] about how much Liz has or hasn't grown since the series began, and also about whether 30 Rock is a show that needs character development — or if, in fact, that growth would be counter-productive on such a silly, cartoonish show." He opined that "if a comedy is as funny as 30 Rock is capable of being — and as it's been so frequently in this late-in-life season — I'm fine with the characters being virtually identical now to the way they were in the pilot."[37]Indrapramit Das, writing for Slant Magazine, awarded the season three stars out of four and commented that "there's something to be said for 30 Rock's unrepentant adherence to formula. By now, the characters' repeated bumbling through the cyclical purgatory at 30 Rockefeller Plaza has attained a certain rhythm, a comforting familiarity akin to long-running sitcoms like Friends." He concluded that "the cast's unfailing enthusiasm points to an ensemble that's only strengthening with age", but commented that the talents of guest star Kristen Schaal had been "wasted".[38]
Dan Forcella, reviewing for TV Fanatic, opined that "television shows, especially sitcoms, normally lose some of their luster as time goes on. Whether it be that the series actually gets worse, or simply our perception of it does because the novelty has worn off, more often than not, things are not going to be the same by season six. Because of that fact, 30 Rock should be commended for how good its sixth season has been. There have been misses [...] and big hits [...] but all in all, this spring has been a solid run for the veteran sitcom."[39] Writing for Splitsider, Jesse David Fox called the series "the best comedy of the 2011–2012 season" and went on to remark "next season is the show's last but it's not because of an overstayed welcome. The show is as sharp as ever, as gutsy as ever, as strange as ever, as funny as ever. Guys, it's the best."[40]
Ratings
The sixth-season premiere, "Dance Like Nobody's Watching", attracted an audience of 4.5 million viewers.[17] This demonstrated an increase from the fifth-season finale, "Respawn", which had drawn an audience of 4.2 million,[41] but a significant decrease from the fifth-season premiere, "The Fabian Strategy", which had drawn 5.9 million.[42] Four episodes of the sixth season demonstrated new series lows: "Idiots Are People Three!" (3.8 million), "Today You Are a Man" (3.2 million), "The Shower Principle" (3.1 million) and "Nothing Left to Lose" (2.8 million).[19][20][28][29] The nineteenth episode of the season, "Live from Studio 6H", was broadcast live and demonstrated a six-week high in the ratings,[43] with an audience of 3.5 million.[32] However, the first live show, broadcast during the previous season, had attracted an audience of 6.7 million.[44] Overall, with the inclusion of DVR viewership, the season averaged 4.6 million viewers, ranking one hundred and thirtieth for the year, according to Nielsen Media Research.[45]
^"30 Rock: Credits". NBC Universal Media Village. Archived from the original on July 17, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2009. (No direct link. Browse to "Networks & Programs", "NBC Entertainment", "30 Rock" and click "Credits.")