Tracy Morgan

I doubt Tracy Morgan was serious in his controversial comments the other day.  He is, after all, a comedian, and he's probably savvy  enough to know that "kill gays!" plays well in Tennessee, albeit not in a YouTube world.

But it reminds me of why I've never gotten into 30 Rock.  I have friends who lose their shit when I shrug my shoulders at the show.  Yes, I would love a boiled-down clip of all of Alec Baldwin's scenes each week.  But besides Tina Fey's incredibly noxious, eyeroll-inducing "clumsy, unlucky in love!" character, it's always been Tracy Morgan's character that turned me off.  I can't put my finger on it,  but I never laughed at his "craziness," because it never felt like it was a joke, or that Morgan was winking at the audience.  It always seemed sad, and while there can be comedic value in that (I love it when Louis C.K. looks depressed after life has slapped him around), Morgan's off-putting insanity for some reason seems too real, too exploitive, and not at all funny.  We are, after all, talking about a guy who once had a shark in NYC.

Of course, that's me.  I know people that swear by the show.  I've just never been comfortable watching Morgan in it.  Gimme 30 minutes of Baldwin antagonizing Kenneth the Page, and I'm happy.