NBC has posted a three-minute preview of its new fall sitcom “30 Rock” online, and it looks as though the pilot could just as easily have been called, “Tina Fey: This is Your Life.” Though the clip is brief, the cast members shown all clearly have a history with Tina — and Rachel Dratch and Tracy Morgan in particular can thank Fey for snatching them from post-SNL obscurity.
First up in the homage is Guy Who Cuts in Hot Dog Line. Sharp eyes will recognize him as a longtime member of Chicago’s Second City improv troupe, from the same era during which Dratch and Fey rose to fame. “Rock” cast member Scott Adsit (perhaps best known for his work in TV commercials — such as the one in which he chose an ill-fated vacation to the rainy beaches of “Playa Lluviosa”) also shares a Second City background with Fey, and “assistant” Jack McBrayer performed next door to Tina and company on the Second City Etc. stage in Chicago. Rounding out the cast as Fey’s deliciously scenery-chewing new boss will be frequent Saturday Night Live host Alec Baldwin.
Kudos to Tina for not forgetting the “little people” (and, well, Alec Baldwin…) during her rise to sitcom success. To view the clip in its entirety (and access previews of NBC’s other new fall shows as well), click here.
And it’s worth mentioning that although the preview footage certainly has its flaws, “30 Rock” has already proven itself vastly superior to all five seasons of similarly-named annoyance-fest “Third Rock.”
