ABOUT THE BOOK If Tina Fey is the mother of 30 Rock, Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of Saturday Night Live, is the shows father. In Feys eighth season at SNL, Michaels prodded her to do a development deal for a sitcom. Tina consequently brainstormed the narrative of a television producer who works for the show of a right-wing pontificator, a role Fey had already written for Alec Baldwin. Kevin Reilly, NBC president of Primetime Development, sent Tina back to the drawing board with the suggestion that she incorporate elements of her own life into her show. Tina then created a story of a late-night comedy show, in which she would play the head writer, Tracy Morgan would play the role of the star, and Alec Baldwin, naturally, as the boss. MEET THE AUTHOR Davanna has a life-long love of literature. She is a copy editor and copywriter, writes fiction and poetry, and has a law degree. She lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida. She has three sons, and a Brittany named Jubal. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK If there is onemaybe twooverarching, profound themes to the apparently absurdist plotlines of the episodes of the third season of 30 Rock, one would be hard-pressed to find them. But lets give it a try, since after all, there must be some kind of glue which holds together this comedic cauldron of seething jealousy (Jenna, of everyone), control freak-exertion (Jack, over Tina, and Tinas futile efforts over Tracy and Jenna), and sexual tension. No one in the cast seems to be attracted to anyone else, since that would be incestuous. But cast members do become extremely attracted to outsiders: Liz to Dr. Andrew Baird, played by the gorgeous Jon Hamm; Jack to Elisa Pedrera, played by the gorgeous Salma Hayek; Kenneth to the adorable, red-headed, blind girl played by the adorable, red-headed actress; and Jenna to the EMT who responds to an emergency call at TGSin the pursuit of whom she has no qualms in inducing anaphylactic shock in Kenneth. In a twist reminiscent of Isaac willingly (?) sacrificing himself at Abrahams hand, Kenneth courts death so that Jenna may re-encounter the EMT of her dreams. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on 30 Rock: Season Three + About the Show: Upon this Rock + About the Director and Producer: Who's Running the Show? + Overall Summary: The Semi-Virtuous Life + Episode-by-Episode Commentary & Summary + ...and much more 30 Rock: Season Three

ABOUT THE BOOK 30 Rock emerged from its first season into a changing comedy world. New leaders like Louis CK and Patton Oswalt were taking the standup world by storm. Even the pop-star status of Dane Cook, often reviled by hardcore comedy fans for his unadventurous material and impersonal style, represented a culture thinking about comedy as an essential need. This culture thought about comedy performers as distinct, individual voices to be followed loyally. On television, new shows like The Sarah Silverman Program and The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show debuted on Comedy Central. Silvermans show, in particular, was crammed with longtime alt comedy favorites like Brian Posehn, Jay Johnston, and Steve Agee. It was produced in part by Rob Schrab, creator of the cult classic comic book Scud: The Disposable Assassin. At the cinema, The Simpsons, once the standard-bearer for an advancing vanguard of hip, post-modern, ironic, anti-establishment comedy, completed its journey into the mainstream by releasing one of the top-grossing films of 2007. Oswalt received his first major motion picture starring role in Ratatouille, a movie which ended up sweeping the major awards ceremonies in the Best Animated Film category. MEET THE AUTHOR Jonathan Nathan is a writer, an editor, and a comedian living in San Francisco. His work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, California Northern, The Rumpus, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, BeyondChron, the Hutchinson News, and other publications. He's written about everything from politics to philosophy, from sports to cinema, from drugs to thugs. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK One of the elements that Tina Fey and other creative minds behind 30 Rock sought to bring more to the forefront in the second season of the program was the idea of the strong recurrent subplot. While narrative elements had certainly appeared and reappeared throughout the shows freshman season, they had been decidedly in the background. That changed in Season 2, as a very clear throughline emerged as the prominent focal point of the show: Jack Donaghys attempts to rise in the corporate ranks at General Electric. At the end of the first season, Donaghy had suffered a heart attack brought on by issues in his personal life stemming from conflicts with everyone in his life from his mother to his girlfriend to Liz Lemon. He comes back strong in the premiere of the second season, having had a winning offseason as a television executive. He and Lemon are both certain that this will be their year. Donaghy, in fact, is quite sure that he has a shot at becoming the next chairman of GE. The current head of the company, Don Geiss, has been sending signals that he plans to retire soon, and Donaghy believes he has a strong chance at becoming his hand-picked replacement. However, Donaghy is thwarted by his old nemesis from the first season, Devon Banks. Banks, a gay man, has connived a brilliant plan. He narrowly worked his way through a pray the gay away program, Banks has seduced Geisss probably mentally challenged daughter, and is preparing to marry into the Geiss family. Its a smart move, and one that keeps Donaghy on his toes throughout the season. Banks and Donaghy trade jabs and blows back and forth throughout the season, and although its clear that Geiss favors Donaghy as his replacement, tragedy inevitably strikes. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on 30 Rock Season 2 + Troubles Brewing: A Sophomore Slump? + Tina Fey: A Life in Comedy + Main Characters + Key Terms + ...and much more 30 Rock Season 2

ABOUT THE BOOK The fourth season of 30 Rock, the brainchild of award-winning writer and actress Tina Fey, lives up to its reputation as a critical darling with a hardcore fan-base. 30 Rock, a three-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series, returns with a 22-episode season continues to look behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live-style comedy sketch show. Fey, an alum of SNL lives in New York, and the show is shot on location in Manhattan and at a studio in Long Island City. Fey first pitched the sitcom to NBC when she was the head writer for SNL in 2002. The original concept was in a cable-news setting, but she changed the focus to more familiar ground after discussions with the network. She remained as the head writer and a performer on the show until 30 Rock debuted in 2006. MEET THE AUTHOR Linda is a professional journalist with over 20 years of experience. Her first book, Hexes for Exes, was published in 2007 and is available everywhere fine books are sold! EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK The fourth season of 30 Rock follows two main story arcs as the latest season of The Girlie Show (TSG) with Tracy Jordan begins. It begins with the search and hiring of a new actor for the show, and delves into the personal life of head writer Liz Lemon and her search for what she wants in a man. As the season opens, executive Jack Donaghy is worried TGS is failing to connect with middle America, the people he calls real Americans. Jack feels his cast and crew have lost touch with their roots and have become too elite to know what flyover country finds funny. As usual, 30 Rock touches on major themes percolating in American society. At the time of its original prime time run in NBC (2009-10), the country was in a period of political upheaval. It was a year into the presidency of Barack Obama, and a serious backlash about taking back the country was forming in much of middle America. It was framed by the media and the right wing as the elite vs. real Americans. These themes are clearly indicated with 30 Rocks early storylines in the fourth season. Liz ventures out of her East Coast liberal cocoon in search of an actor who will satisfy Jacks desire for a new actor. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on 30 Rock Season 4 + About 30 Rock + About the Creator + Overall Summary + 30 Rock Season 4 Episode Guide + ...and much more 30 Rock Season 4

ABOUT THE BOOK 30 Rock is an NBC television series that has ruled Thursday nights in a way no half-hour sitcom has since the days of Friends. Created by former Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update anchor Tina Fey, the show initially had trouble finding an audience. That changed practically overnight after Fey returned to SNL to play then-vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin with whom Fey shares a resemblance. The show, now in its sixth season, has won many awards and continued to dominate televisions comedy genre. After garnering critical and commercial success for her work on SNL, Tina Fey surprised many in the television world by leaving the venerable sketch comedy show show in May of 2006 to work on her own NBC sitcom called 30 Rock. The show was inspired by Tinas own experience working as a writer on SNL, with 30 Rock about the behind-the-scenes craziness of an NBC late night sketch comedy show. MEET THE AUTHOR Kent Page McGroarty is a freelance writer. She is a frequent lifestyle contributor to online magazine EDGE Publications and Demand Media sites LIVESTRONG.com, eHow Home and Garden and Local.com. Kent also works as a blogger and copywriter, including for her own site, A Natural Day.net. She has a B.A. in English from Saint Joseph's University. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK 30 Rock follows the life of 30-something Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), the head writer of The Girlie Show, a Saturday Night Live-type show filmed at NBCs 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York. When the series begins, Liz has been informed of the death of her old boss and his subsequent replacement, the business-minded Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). Jack has little experience producing television shows as he has previously worked in GEs corporate offices only, though GE owns NBC. He is initially unconcerned with the show as he oversees numerous other projects, but realizes he needs to drastically change The Girlie Show if the show is to remain on the air. Jack therefore hires Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), a movie actor known for running through the streets of New York in his underwear among many other random acts of goofiness. Liz is against the hiring the minute Jack mentions the idea because she knows Tracy is insane, but Jack goes ahead and hires Tracy, anyway. Liz realizes the veins of Girlie Show star, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), will explode at the thought of another actor coming in to proverbially throw up all over her spotlight. But, Liz promises Jenna she will take care of it. Taking care of it doesnt go so well when Jack re-names the show TGS With Tracy Jordan. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on 30 Rock Season 6 + Introduction + About the Director and Producer + Overall Summary + Episode-By-Episode Summary and Commentary + ...and much more 30 Rock Season 6

Quicklets: Your Reading Sidekick! This Hyperink Quicklet includes an overall summary, chapter commentary, key characters, literary themes, fun trivia, and recommended related readings. ABOUT THE BOOK When Tina Fey left Saturday Night Live at the end of the 2005-2006 season to concentrate on developing, writing, and starring in a new program for NBC, reaction among comedy fans was mixed. On the one hand, SNL had lost yet another of the talented cast member who made it a resurgent hit in the late 1990s. On the other hand, anticipation of Fey’s new show was high. Fey had originally pitched the series to NBC as a sitcom about a cable news network during early in her tenure as a writer for SNL. According to Time, when the pitch was rejected, she reworked the idea into a show revolving around a sketch comedy series and variety show not unlike SNL. NBC ordered a pilot for the show, which was well-reviewed upon its October 2006 debut, and went to series as 30 Rock. Although 30 Rock has rarely been a ratings darling, online reviews and critical establishment barometer, Metacritic, shows that it has been one of the critical establishment’s most consistently well-reviewed television programs of the past ten years. It is also one of the best-reviewed comedies of all time. MEET THE AUTHOR Jonathan Nathan is a writer, an editor, and a comedian living in San Francisco. His work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, California Northern, The Rumpus, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, BeyondChron, the Hutchinson News, and other publications. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK There are two main storylines in the first season: Liz Lemon’s struggle to find a compatible romantic partner while balancing her work and personal life, and the adjustment of the cast and crew of TGS to the new additions of Jack Donaghy and Tracy Jordan. Lemon’s personal life is the meatiest and most constant plotline in the season, as she is the protagonist of the series and her work/life conflicts are largely the narrative hook of the show. In the first few episodes, her love life is barely mentioned, reflective of a new series still struggling to find its voice. The third episode of the series, “Blind Date,” is the first to venture in this direction, and although it’s primarily a one-and-done, short-term story played for awkward laughs when Jack sets Liz up on a blind date with a friend of his who turns out to be a woman (because, in his words, her shoes “are definitely bi-curious”). The episode met universal acclaim and was greeted by many critics as a hopeful sign of things to come. The plotline was more earnestly engaged a few episodes later in “Jack Meets Dennis,” when Liz takes back her ne’er-do-well ex-boyfriend, Dennis Duffy, to whom a few allusions had been made earlier in the season. Duffy is an obnoxious lout who epitomizes the stereotypes of the boorish South Bostonian, but Liz finds it hard to leave him permanently because he’s easy and low-maintenance. Jack strongly disapproves, and warns Liz that she faces a mediocre life with Dennis in her future... Buy a copy to keep reading!

ABOUT THE BOOK In this day and age, the definition of "family" is not fixed. Modern Family shows that a family can represent the traditions of family even if they themselves are anything but traditional. The Pritchett family is made up of step-kids, step-parents, mixed races, same sex parents, and adopted children. Nonetheless, the foundations of family and do so in their own hilarious way. Modern Family is a mockumentary which showcases the Pritchett family and their loveable dysfunction. The Pritchett clan is made up of three separate families: Claire and Phil, with their three children Hayley, Alex and Luke, Claires father Jay and his second wife Gloria and stepchild Manny, and Claires brother Mitch and his husband, Cam, along with their adopted daughter Lily. MEET THE AUTHOR Megan Yarnall is a publicist and writer from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She studied English, creative writing, and Italian at Dickinson College, and wrote her thesis on the connections between humans, their bodies, and language. She graduated in 2010 after spending four years organizing all of her colleges concerts. Megan has lived abroad in Italy and loves studying foreign language, linguistics, and writing. Shes also spent some time working for an environmental company and writing about all things green. In her spare time she horseback rides, rock climbs, and travels. Megan also likes hiking through Acadia National Park, warm weather, photography, and doing her own DIY projects. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK The second season of Modern Family pictures the family developing further with more cross over between couples, sibling arguments and comical documentation of growing pains. The producers and writings do an excellent job of keeping the kids in line with the development you would see out of a TV show, rather than have them stuck in a certain age as happens with other shows. First and foremost, Alex and Haley begin showing the occasional sisterly bond, as rough as it may be at times. In one episode, Haley coaches Alex through a new friendship, and in another, through trying to get her first kiss. Though both instances end in disaster, Haley means well. It becomes clear that while Alex generally holds disdain for her sister, Haley can advise her on things like friends and boys. The sisterly fighting is still ever present, with Alex trying to expose Haleys fake job and with her comments about her sisters lackluster academic career. Haley also wont let Alex borrow clothes, and when Alex wears a sweater and accidentally ruins it, all hell breaks loose. CHAPTER OUTLINE Modern Family Season 2 + Introduction + Overall Summary + Episode by Episode + Character List + ...and much more

ABOUT THE BOOK For some television comedies, it takes time to create truly memorable episodes. Classic series like Friends, South Park, and Seinfeld needed a season or two to fully flesh out their characters and give them the personality traits we grew to love. Others, like Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm, wasted no time in cranking out classic dialogue and classic episodes. It’s in this group that ABC’s mockumentary-style comedy Modern Family falls. It hit the ground running in its debut season, netting a Season 1 score of 87 on review aggregator Metacritic. That score made it the top-rated TV comedy of 2009, and the 87 tally trailed only Season 4 of Friday Night Lights. From shore to shore, critics were eager to praise Modern Family’s refreshing take on the American home. The San Francisco Chronicle called it “the best new comedy by far” in a season stacked with great new shows, and the New York Times hailed it as “the best new half hour of funny television.” Even the residents of the White House sang its praises, as President Obama revealed to People that his family’s go-to show to watch together was Modern Family. MEET THE AUTHOR Luke stole an English degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He's been a blogger for nearly a decade, and a digital editor at an ad agency for three years. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Acceptance - Prevalent in just about every Modern Family episode. The couples are at the forefront here, and seem to in a lot of ways be complete opposites. Mitchell is uptight and no-nonsense, while Cam is sensitive and emotional. Phil is young at heart, nerdy, and longs to be the cool parent, whereas Claire is the disciplinarian, the worrier, and eager to prove she’s not as crazy as she once was. Jay and Gloria, for all of their physical differences, are just as dissimilar in their personalities. Gloria is passionate and wears her heart on her sleeve, and Jay avoids confrontation and stifles emotion in favor of manliness. When one of these six people forgets the traits of another (which can happen often because of the stark differences), conflict arises. It’s when each person can be accepted for who he or she is that true happiness emerges (this is fittingly found at the conclusion of each episode)... Buy a copy to keep reading!