Dec

3

Comcast buys NBC. How will this affect ‘30 Rock?’

Is it wrong that that’s the first question I asked after learning our hometown supermegagiantcorporopolis will be purchasing NBC and its sister cable networks from GE? No. Because 30 Rock is very, very important to me, and GE’s now-defunct ownership of NBC has played a big role in the show’s plotlines.

Top five ways today’s deal might/probably will affect television’s best comedy:

• Hometown gal Tina Fey can work more Philly jokes into the script.

• Jack Donaghy, who runs NBC’s East Coast television programming and GE’s microwave division for parent company Sheinhardt Wigs, will probably have to make a career decision — stay with NBC or go with GE … and have Alec Baldwin leave the show. I think we already know the answer to this.

• No more Rip Torn. Goddamnit.

• No more funny episodes about GE corporate gatherings.

• And most worrisome: Possibly no more Will Arnett as Alec Baldwin’s corporate rival. But that may already be solved:

This could be a disaster.

Joel Mathis | 1:11 PM | 6 Comments

Uncategorized, 30 rock, alec baldwin, comcast, jack donaghy, philadelphia, rip torn, sheinhardt wigs, tina fey, will arnett

Jim Lakely Says: Dec 3 1:59 PM

Agreed! This is THE FIRST THING I thought of when I heard the news. And it was my job this morning to issue a statement for The Heartland Institute on this merger. Hard to focus …
Nick Says: Dec 3 3:55 PM

I’m so glad someone else sees the REAL ISSUE behind the Comcast-NBC deal.
Wry Mouth Says: Dec 3 6:17 PM

My bro works for the hardware end of Comcast; I think he’s going to see this as more writing on the wall that Comcast is leaving the “cable dogs” in the lurch, and focusing on other endeavors. I hope he’s got that “fall back” job prepped…
J. Clarence Says: Dec 3 11:02 PM

I’m with you Joel. When I first read about the deal the first thing I asked myself was what was going to happen to Jack.

I suppose the writers could just continue with the same storyline and not have the deal happen in 30 Rock world, but that would detract from the realism of the series.

It’s going to be weird with GE no longer in the mix if that happens. Though I can only imagine the jokes about Comcast that the writers and coming up with.
Ben Boychuk Says: Dec 4 1:18 AM

Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure Comcast is as infected with Six Sigma idiocy as GE.
KableTown/Comcast: A Kind and Generous Company (30 Rock) Says: Mar 11 11:12 PM

[...] Funny, the cup of Joel blog was already on top of this months ago. [...]