With several days before the season premiere, I thought I'd catch up on past eps of "30 Rock" I haven't seen before then. It seems Jack has had to cut back on things so the gang at "TGS" have had to do with empty wine bottles when celebrating the 50th show. He also had to fire assistant Jonathan who sings "Without You" as a parting gift. That means Kenneth is now doing double duty. Kenneth tells Tracy to feed his bird and not to go to his bedroom. Meanwhile, Liz is told to also make some cuts and has a meeting with a budget administrator. Not wanting to cut anything, certainly not the elderly announcer who no longer pronounces anything right (by the way, he's played by Don Pardo, still with "SNL" where Tina Fey had worked for years), Liz offers herself to the budget guy. Oh, and Tracy tells Jenna about Kenneth's apartment which had Jenna thinking Kenneth's a killer...This was another funny episode if a tad silly in spots. Still, that silliness is good for the show and the cast usually carries it off with aplomb. And the ending with Kenneth naming a couple of the birds "Lorne" and "Michael" was enough to bring a smile to my face. Okay, on to the next episode...
4 Reviews
Cutbacks (#3.17)
ComedyFan201029 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The show is facing some budget problems and cutbacks need to be done. This results in lots of firing and Kenneth works as Jack's assistant now that Jonathan is gone. He asks Tracy to feed his bird but not to go into his room, so Jenna and Tracy assume he is a serial killer. Liz tries to use her sexuality to save the crew.
A good episode, but lesser quality than most of the show. My favorite part was Kenneth talking like a serial killer. And the twist in the Liz story was pretty good.
But for the most I didn't like the story of the bird. I just don't laugh at animals being killed and I still don't get what was the reason for that gas in Kenneth's room. And the ending was kind of clumsy to me.
A good episode, but lesser quality than most of the show. My favorite part was Kenneth talking like a serial killer. And the twist in the Liz story was pretty good.
But for the most I didn't like the story of the bird. I just don't laugh at animals being killed and I still don't get what was the reason for that gas in Kenneth's room. And the ending was kind of clumsy to me.
Rather Funny Episode!
g-bodyl9 December 2014
This is the seventeenth episode of the third season of 30 Rock and it's quite an enjoyable episode. It may not be as good or as funny as the previous two or three episodes, but it's still clever, often memorable, and funny enough. The subplots are good and my favorite one involves Kenneth, Jenna, and Tracy. Also this is a more realistic episode, because unfortunately cutbacks are just a part of business.
In this episode, "Cutbacks," the crew is celebrating their 50th show, but Liz gets bad news when she is forced to make budget cuts and will do everything she can to not make these hard decisions. Jack fires his personal assistant and he hires Kenneth to be his new assistant. Tracy and Jenna suspect that Kenneth may be a serial murderer.
Overall, this is a solid and often pretty funny episode. I loved the silly subplot involving Kenneth as a serial killer. It's something I cannot buy, but it was fun to watch. Not a bad episode. I rate this episode 9/10.
In this episode, "Cutbacks," the crew is celebrating their 50th show, but Liz gets bad news when she is forced to make budget cuts and will do everything she can to not make these hard decisions. Jack fires his personal assistant and he hires Kenneth to be his new assistant. Tracy and Jenna suspect that Kenneth may be a serial murderer.
Overall, this is a solid and often pretty funny episode. I loved the silly subplot involving Kenneth as a serial killer. It's something I cannot buy, but it was fun to watch. Not a bad episode. I rate this episode 9/10.
Guest starring Don Pardo
safenoe24 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Wonderful to see SNL legend Don Pardo make a guest appearance as Sid, the veteran announcer for TGS who's job is on the line. I loved Kenneth's evil persona for sure.
It's easy to forget that 30 Rock and Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset debut both debuted on NBC at the same time. The conventional wisdom was that Sorkin's powerhouse TV series would be the one to survive after one season. Not to be, and the rest is history.
It's easy to forget that 30 Rock and Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset debut both debuted on NBC at the same time. The conventional wisdom was that Sorkin's powerhouse TV series would be the one to survive after one season. Not to be, and the rest is history.
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