Morrow: NBC's '30 Rock' to skip a beat

In a season when the networks are trying to revive the half-hour sitcom, it's strange to note that NBC's usually fantastic Thursday-night block is struggling a bit, creatively.

"The Office" seems a bit tired. Newcomer "Community" has not quite found itself yet. In fact, of the pack, the unappreciated "Parks and Recreation" is the true standout, a cleverly written and excellently executed comedy. But audiences see it as too much of a carbon copy of "The Office" - and that seems to be an unforgivable sin for some odd reason.

The arrival of "30 Rock" (at 9 p.m. Thursday, WBIR, Channel 10) will be hailed by many as the saving grace of the evening. Yet "30 Rock" starts out a little less sharp than the most recent two seasons.

That's not to say "30 Rock" has lost "it." The comedy is still head and shoulders above any comedy on CBS, ABC or Fox.

Oh, sure. The laughs still can be found. However, "30 Rock" is also suffering from a bit of overfamiliarity, as if the season opener's plot and resolution have played out plainly before.

Hopefully, in its fourth season, "30 Rock" is not finding its well drying up already. The opener is a bit of a cliche - which isn't unusual for "30 Rock." Most of its best plots are actually retreads of classic sitcom plots (bad dates, awkward relatives, identical twins), but those stories are always turned on their ears with that "30 Rock" sarcasm.

Missing from Thursday's opener is that spark that makes "30 Rock" so much more intelligent that its sitcom brethren. Without that, "30 Rock" is a bit routine. Funny? For the most part. Compelling? No so much.

The story has Jack (Alec Baldwin) dealing with company cutbacks, which includes no overtime for pages - sending the normally agreeable Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) into a snit. The whole recession talk is a tad outdated, and it would have been best if "30 Rock" would have ignored the whole issue entirely.

Liz (Tina Fey) has to deal with the panic that follows when she has to hire a new talent to co-star with Tracy (Tracy Morgan) and Jenna (Jane Krakowski) on "TGS."

Silliness ensues, and most of the jokes fall flat.

By its own Emmy-winning standards, "30 Rock" is starting out as a bit of a disappointment.

Score: *** (out of five)

Terry Morrow may be reached at morrowt@knoxville.com or 865-342-6445. His blog can be found at http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/.

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