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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Old favorites return from hiatus during fall premiere week

Perhaps in hopes of keeping things fresh to avoid the sophomore slump,
Perhaps in hopes of keeping things fresh to avoid the sophomore slump,

Glee (Tues., 8 p.M., FOX)

The second season premiere of any TV show is a pivotal moment programs are hoping to prove to viewers that their appeal can last longer than just one season on the air, and fans come in with high expectations for success. One favorite of these sophomore sensations is "Glee," FOX's high-school dramedy with more singing and dancing than the rest of TV put together. Season one was a phenomenal success, landing eight Emmy nominations and two wins. Luckily for fans of the franchise, season two returned with the same energy Glee fans have come to expect but will that be enough to keep "gleeks" hooked for another year?

For those unfamiliar with the series, the program tells the story of a high-school glee club and the avalanche of ensuing melodrama that could be expected in any television show about teenagers. Season one concluded with New Directions, as the club is called, losing at their regional competition, but luckily finding the resources to persist for at least one more year and hopefully succeed in making it to nationals. The students are also hoping that this new year will bring them popularity amongst their peers something the glee club singers have rarely been able to achieve.

The second season picks up at the start of the new school year, but unfortunately nothing has changed and the glee club members are still as unpopular as ever. Hooray for us, since watching the unpopular kids struggle with their identities is what makes this show so great in the first place.

All our favorite characters settle right back in to their gimmicky roles from the last season -- the cheerleaders remain bitchy, the football players remain stupid and the glee singers are still weird. Just like real high school. "Glee" is back with the same old drama and cliches we saw last season - and we're loving every minute of it.

Returning in all her glory is Sue Sylvester, Jane Lynch's Emmy Award-winning role and undeniably the most hysterical character on the program. Despite suggesting a change of heart towards the end of the last season, as well as a newfound alliance with the glee club, I'm happy to say that Sue is still as nasty and unforgettable as ever. What an overwhelming relief, since attempting to replace such a vile villain would have been an almost impossible task.

Joining Sue and the other series regulars are plenty of fresh faces, such as the new school football coach Shannon Beiste pronounced "Beast" played by Dot Jones. Although her character is portrayed as an enemy to the glee club at first, we soon learn that Beiste is quite difficult to hate, and may simply become another target for Sue Sylvester. I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes a valuable ally to the club later in the season, and I also wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to have a remarkable singing voice, because apparently everybody in this damn school is an all-star vocalist.

Another new addition, Sunshine Corazon (Charice Pempengco), premieres with one of the most incredible performances "Glee" has ever seen. This girl's voice puts everybody else on the show to shame, which is not an easy task. As a viewer who enjoys the show mostly for the comedy, and not necessarily for the music, even I was blown away. So even if the overall tone of "Glee" seems unchanged from last season, Sunshine's debut promises that the show will step up its singing, to a new level of vocal adrenaline.

Other changes to the cast include the arrival of two less interesting characters: the new football-player-slash-glee-tryout Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet), as well as a new rival glee club coach played by Cheyenne Jackson most recognizable from his role as Jenna's "TGS" co-star Danny on "30 Rock," where he has already demonstrated his powerful singing voice. This season also bids farewell to one easily forgettable glee member, Matt, who danced in the background but never really sang in the first place. He won't be missed.

So despite spicing up the cast a bit, Glee is still the same old show that we've come to know and love. It wouldn't hurt, however, for the show to work on developing a story based on more than just a run for nationals and a feud with a cheerleading coach. This plotline is still enjoyable, but hopefully the show evolves into something more substantial before it gets too old. Especially if it makes it to season three. - Alex Duckles

30 Rock (Thurs., 8 p.m., NBC)

Tina Fey has become something of a Hollywood golden child, and last Thursday's fifth season premiere of "30 Rock" adds even more gilt to her name. Liz Lemon is back, neurotic and delightful as ever.

"30 Rock" centers on Liz Lemon's role as the head writer of the NBC show "TGS with Tracy Jordan," chronicling everything from Lemon's dating drama to on-set antics of TGS stars Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) and Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) to the marital problems of Lemon's producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit).

Last season closed with Lemon meeting Carol (Matt Damon) at her ex-boyfriend Floyd's wedding. Carol, a pilot, is almost too good to be true, and Damon proves himself very funny on the small screen. But while we're keeping our fingers crossed for Lemon, this relationship probably won't last long, judging by her track record. Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), Lemon's boss and sometimes confidant, has just returned from a steamy vacation with the conservative firebrand Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks), with whom he has finally settled down thanks to his military-inspired "Fabian strategy" approach to relationships.

The other plot point covers whether Kenneth the page (Jack McBrayer) will return to TGS after quitting during last season's finale. Tracy, we learn, has begun to hallucinate Kenneth's presence backstage, while the real Kenneth has taken another page job at rival station CBS.

At this point in the series each character has developed enough that it's hard to pick a single star of the show. Fey and Baldwin are consistently excellent and maintain the most interesting personal banter of any two actors on the show. Even though Donaghy and Lemon's prominence as figures sometimes draws praise away from the supporting cast, everyone is unusually strong here.

In managing to blend media industry jokes and sitcom scenarios with a careful balance of meta-commentary about network comedies and unusually funny fart jokes, "30 Rock" continues to be clever and quick. While the show's 20-minute runtime often feels too short, each minute is entertaining. The show isn't particularly risky in its concept or risque in its material, but it proves that a series with witty dialogue and good comic timing can still hit home runs on a consistent basis.

"30 Rock" does especially well when spoofing material close to home. The show isn't afraid to poke fun at both the network hand that feeds it and the popularity of other television standbys, like "Survivor" and "Desperate Housewives" (see season two's episode "MILF Island"). The season five premiere, for example, gives a nod to the cooking show "The Barefoot Contessa," which leads to an emotional scene between Fey and Damon.

The start of this season is a perfect opportunity for new viewers to pick up the show especially in light of NBC's recent announcement that "30 Rock" will broadcast its Oct. 14 episode live from the legendary Studio 8H. There is a handful of other mediocre comedies on TV, and even a few funny ones most notably "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" but "30 Rock" still stands out. Tatiana Cooke