Newsday

This was the best comedy on TV last season.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

Welcome back, 30 Rock. Even in a season of wonderful sitcoms--trend story alert!--you get it done.

Chicago Sun-TimesPaige Wiser

Next week's episode didn't have me quite as recklessly giddy, but 30 Rock on an off night is still equivalent to the kind of sugar rush you get from eating an entire Nerds Rope.

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

The recession is driving all the madness, and Fey's genius is in turning our economic fear and anxieties into such a comedy romp.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Its frequent, gleeful skewering of NBC is just icing on the cake--and tonight's episode has a lot of icing.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

30 Rock returns tonight with its best foot forward.

Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara

With all those Emmys, viewers expect a lot, and two episodes in, 30 Rock is prepared to deliver, serving up the self-conscious, fast-moving, quick-witted comedy it has all but trademarked.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

As funny as this scattershot sitcom can be, the problem remains that show business (and in particular, GE's business) is a topic of limited long-haul mass appeal.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

The results may not hit the mark every time (stories about Jack, Liz and Kenneth usually work, while those concerning Tracy and Jenna are hit or miss), but there are enough pointed, smart and effective barbs to make this show a must-see comedy even as it enters its fourth season.

VarietyBrian Lowry

The good news in general is seeing comedy exhibit signs of a comeback; the bad news for 30 Rock might be that like "Murphy Brown" in the 1990s--which soared to its highest heights, come to think of it, thanks to a dispute with a Republican vice president--the show's most golden moments might actually be behind it.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

Hilarity is supposed to ensue, but having had some laugh-out-loud experiences already this season with ABC's "Modern Family" and NBC's own "Community," I may just be less disposed to find even an outrageous parody of NBC's troubles amusing.

TV GuideMatt Roush

While an industry darling, 30 Rock has never been what you’d call a mainstream hit. That’s unlikely to change.

New York PostLinda Stasi

Don't get me wrong, there are some good laughs here, but there's also the threat that 30 Rock could easily turn into that thing the writers relentlessly make fun of--TV shows and stars that are too smug, too smart and too out-of-touch for their own good.

Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall

It feels, at times, like the episodes are trying too hard to be self-referential, with lots of jokes at the expense of NBC and General Electric, and with Baldwin seeming to address the audience directly at the start of the premiere.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

Baldwin and Fey are entertaining without wearing the viewer out, the cast blends together well, and the way the show is structured--often feeling like a series of sketches--has produced some brilliant TV. Thursday night, however, feels like a semi-private joke.

SlateTroy Patterson

In a time span shorter than a T.G.I. Friday's commercial, we saw a pungent contrast between two sets of cultural values. This was all very funny and more than a bit embarrassing.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

Those jokes are supposed to establish Liz’s geek cred, but they mostly serve as speed bumps in the show’s otherwise fast and clever banter.