It just struck me recently and I’m sharing.
As a millennial who enjoyed these shows as a young(er) adult … I cherished them both, and at the time probably like 30 Rock more, and probably would have said that it’s “the better comedy”.
Over time though I’ve noticed I basically don’t really think about 30 Rock … frankly I almost certainly think about Seinfeld more … but Community has “seeped in” to my TV subconscious fabric.
If I were to re-watch either right now, it’d be Community hands down. It’d be heart warming and comfortable and, I suspect, more relevant or still meaningful. By comparison, I wouldn’t be surprised if 30 Rock would feel more dated, “noisy”, and kinda culturally narrow and specific in a not-coincidentally SNL-like way.
30 Rock may still be “the better” TV Comedy (whatever that means). But it was written by a TV writer about making TV in New York, while Community was written about TV and its fans, IE “us”, living in any random city.
It’s not a competition. They’re both excellent. But one’s writing is intended for you to fall in love with the characters and the other is intended for you to laugh at the characters’ misadventures without ever really becoming invested in most of them.
Not trying to say it’s a competition … I’m more reflecting on what they’ve meant to me over time and how I didn’t really see it coming. Of course everyone is encouraged to enjoy both and more as much as they want.
Otherwise … yea, what you describe is also a big part of it.
Yeah it’s natural that you will feel more sentimental for the one that has character-driven writing rather than the one that is more pure comedy. But FWIW I think the jokes on 30 Rock are funnier on average. That’s not a slight against Community, it’s hilarious too. But 30 Rock is IMHO the GOAT when it comes to jokes.
Interestingly, Harmon would probably agree.
Like I said, I probably would have thought the same … but I’m no longer sure.
Like reflecting on all the meta things Community did, which I think count as “jokes”, are pretty good and the sort of thing 30 Rock never really touched. The whole Law and Order episode, EG, was ridiculously good! Now maybe that doesn’t count as a joke … but it’s certainly a form humour that I personally found epic and masterful … a parody that is so heartfelt and accurate that you could be convinced you’re watching the original except for how absurd it is to be embedded in a college context. Again, probably not what you meant by “jokes”, but I don’t think it’s just about the character-driven writing … there was an approach to humour in Community that tried to go beyond “jokes” in a way that maybe has more mileage over time than 30 Rock’s more jokey style.
Just speculation of course … I haven’t rewatched these recently at all … in fact the point is to reflect on the impression left over time rather than their actual real-time qualities.
The writing of 30 Rock is so clever and its jokes per minute rate is off the charts - it’s also more conventional in its structure than Community
You’re streets ahead!
Ok but the real question is, is Community better than Parks and Recreation?
I love them both, but 30 Rocks got me with a million little ear worms. I was stuck thinking about Tracy Jordan’s “inscrutable” license plate this morning (ICU81MI?), and I also sing the “brush your teeth! Brush your teeth! When it’s time for bed you gotta brush your teeth!” Song all too often. That’s twice just today and I haven’t rewatched it in maybe two years?
