Formative Performances: Tina Fey in “30 Rock”

[Women’s History Month: Day 12]

I really should have written something about Tina Fey and 30 Rock before today. But better late than never.

Tina Fey has become super famous over the last decade, and rightly so. She’s multitalented, hilarious, and openly feminist, and I love seeing talented, funny, feminist women become super famous. I am eternally grateful to her for 30 Rock and the character of Liz Lemon, especially because Liz was a character that grew and changed over the seven years on the show.

In the beginning of 30 Rock, Liz was the main character and “straight man” on the show, the relatively put-together protagonist whose main job involved putting out fires set by her staff members, reacting to whatever wackiness Jenna or Tracy came up with, and learning lessons from Jack Donaghy. But Liz grew progressively sillier and more ridiculous as the show went on, giving Fey a chance to really shine in her performance, whether she’s freaking out over the writers stealing her sandwich, collapsing to the floor when she has her period, getting married dressed like her favorite princess (Leia, of course), or saying “Blerg” in multiple different contexts.

Fey gets a lot of well-deserved accolades for her Sarah Palin impersonation, her showrunning and writing abilities, and her creation of a feminist character, but I don’t think she gets enough credit for her performance as Liz Lemon, perhaps because people perceive that she’s basically playing herself. It’s true that Liz is an exaggerated version of Fey herself in some ways, but I don’t care. It’s still one of the finest comic performances I’ve seen on television.