THINGS ON TV THAT MAKE ME HAPPY
AND THUS BETTER THE WORLD (PART IV)

November 10, 2006

Boy, does time fly. It's been a whopping year and a half since I last penned an enlightening installment of "Things on TV That Make Me Happy and Thus Better the World" -- an inexcusable gap that demands immediate action. So let us wait no longer and turn our attention to some happy things now making our TV-room couches a better place to be. First and foremost …

Alec Baldwin on "30 Rock." Taken as a whole, "30 Rock" -- NBC's other series that takes place behind the curtain of an "SNL"-esque variety show -- is more amusing than funny. It's likable, though not hilarious. But whenever Alec Baldwin's blowhard network executive shows up to torture "Girlie Show" producer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) and her team of writers, the hilarity meter jumps off the scale and "30 Rock," no matter how briefly, turns into something special. Baldwin's been hitting comic highs as one of the real "Saturday Night Live"'s best go-to hosts for more than a decade now, but who knew his gruff pomposity would work so well on a more traditional sitcom? Tune into "30 Rock" on any given week, and the coolest Baldwin brother is guaranteed to make you laugh at least three times. Among my favorite Baldwinisms: When assessing the innocently naïve NBC page Kenneth after a poker game, Jack coolly proclaims, "In five years we'll all either be working for him or be dead by his hand." Baldwin, all by himself, makes "30 Rock" worth watching.

That quirky little scene that wraps up most episodes of "My Name is Earl." Do you guys know what I'm talking about here? Many weeks, "Earl" will head into a final commercial break with its story having already reached a conclusion. However, after the commercial, viewers are often treated to an extra scene featuring some bit of mundane hilarity courtesy of Jason Lee and his on-screen brother, Ethan Suplee. Usually, the two are crammed into their hotel bed debating some inane topic or wondering what to do with the sleepwalker who has shuffled into their room to watch TV. Although sometimes they're busy dancing to Styx's "Mr. Roboto" while strobe lights flicker about them. Yeah, it's always a weird few minutes of television but in a totally glorious way. I'm so hooked on these little "Earl" codas that I actually find myself upset when they're missing.

The engrossing musical score that pulsates behind the incredible goings-on on "Heroes." Specifically the one theme that plays whenever something of import is happening or somebody is having a revelation. You know the one -- it's like a melancholy choral pushed through a wah-wah guitar pedal. Music for TV often isn't as defined as the sweeping scores that accompany motion pictures, but I often find myself jazzed by the music of "Heroes." By the way, I would credit the people responsible here, but apparently NBC doesn't want to list its composer or music supervisor at the "Heroes" website. Stick 'em on there, NBC! They deserve it.

Interesting people coming together on "Iconoclasts." Here's a neat little show on The Sundance Channel that I just noticed. "Iconoclasts" brings together two people who have found success in different fields and let's them spend time together discussing their passions while the cameras roll. Because I'm a big Pearl Jam fan, I first tuned in a few weeks back when that band's lead singer, Eddie Vedder, was on with surfer Laird Hamilton. Laird wasn't much for deep conversation, but I found the show's concept intriguing. Yesterday's episode featured filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and singer Fiona Apple -- I recorded it, but I'm sure Sundance reruns these -- and a future must-see is comedian Dave Chapelle paired up with poet Maya Angelou.