30 Rock Rocks On

As we sat down to watch the fourth season debut of 30 Rock last night a wave of shame came over us. How could us Brits have treated the multi award-winning American comedy so poorly when it first arrived on our shores? Very rarely has the show's quality dipped since it started, yet the first two seasons were hidden on Five's late night slots, without any obvious advertisement. Third season guest-stars including John Lithgow, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Martin will testify to its success (as will all those Golden Globes). Thankfully, Comedy Central hopes to make for the lost time by bringing the frankly fantastic show into mainstream consciousness.

The digital channel launched 30 Rock's third season last autumn, just days after acquiring its UK rights, and the fourth season (which is still airing in America) premiered last night. Centered around two of our favourite characters -- Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) and Jack (Alec Baldwin) -- the debut episode offered a promising premise: namely the guarantee of a new "star" for the fictional show, TGS with Tracy Jordan.

The mix of eccentric characters remains crucial to the show's popularity and it's the friction between them that made last night's episode so amusing. Head writers Liz (Tina Fey) and Pete (Scott Adsit) confess to a fake affair in an unsuccessful bid to avoid telling their paranoid staff that they're hiring. Meanwhile, a disgruntled Kenneth proves he's toughened up by starting a strike over boss Jack's bonus. Steve Buscemi causes the only cringeworthy moment when his recurring character Lenny Wosniak goes undercover in an attempt to stop the strike action.

Awarded an average TV.com score of 8.7 the fourth season rates a little lower than the previous ones and its NBC ratings are dropping slightly too. Though some fans are claiming the show's become "awkward" it's already bagged a fifth season and with guest-stars this season from singer Jon Bon Jovi, Scrubs actress Elizabeth Banks and Spider Man James Franco there's plenty to look forward to.

30 Rock continues every Monday at 10pm on Comedy Central. Will you be watching?