How Tina Fey saved NBC

If you haven’t seen Tina Fey as Gov. Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live” the past few weeks, you might as well be living under a rock. When Sen. John McCain picked Palin as his running mate, the media and celebrity bloggers quickly discovered the uncanny resemblance between Palin and Fey. The folks at “SNL” made all the right moves and sweet talked former head writer and cast member, Fey, back to play Palin.

A week after Fey’s first cameo appearance during the 34th-season premiere of “SNL,” Fey’s sitcom “30 Rock” won the award for Best Comedy Series for the second year in a row. Fey came back to New York with two additional awards for Best Actress and Best Writing in a comedy series.

“SNL’s” ratings are up 76 percent from last year. It’s political sketches so far this season have become watercooler conversation. The videos are available on NBC’s Web site, Hulu and plenty of other not-so-legal video-sharing sites. NBC even uses clips from these sketches as station identification after shows. Could it be that Fey is the face of NBC? Could this momentum keep going?

How convenient for Fey that “30 Rock,” – a show she stars in, writes for and created – premieres Thursday at 9:30 p.m. “30 Rock” is loved by critics and collects Emmy Awards and Golden Globes every time it has the chance to. However, the show has failed to catch on and break into the top-rated programs and impress the Nielsen Ratings.

How is it that “American Idol” and other reality shows take the top spots in the ratings? Remember the days of “Seinfeld” and “Friends”? Sitcoms used to rule the tube.

Since the dawn of “Survivor,” the major networks have been relying on reality shows, and I don’t know about you, but I would rather see some smart writing and professional actors perform than see burnt-out celebrities perform circus acts.

“30 Rock” has all the right ingredients to be a lasting show that could bring back NBC’s motto of “Must See TV.” When you’re done watching “The Office” this week, keep your TV on, don’t change the channel and perhaps keep your digital video recorder going for an extra half hour. This season looks to be an exciting year for “30 Rock” and other shows in the Thursday night lineup. With guest stars like Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Martin and Megan Mullally, Tina Fey’s little creation should cause quite the stir for her show and the network.