30 Rock: Every Season of the NBC Series Ranked, According to Critics

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Season 4 - Average Score: 72

Although not succumbing to a failing score, the fourth season of 30 Rock is unanimously ranked last of its seven. Season 4 certainly tossed its characters through lackluster TV tropes: Liz being uncertain about a new bachelor, and Jack having to choose between two women. The overall plot involving NBC being bought out by Kabletown may have also left critics stale, but Season 4 also delivered on its wacky guest appearances from the likes of Michael Sheen as Wesley Snipes, and Will Forte as a drag queen. In having no business at winning over any new viewers at this point, Season 4 is -- as Emily VanDerWerff told The AV Club -- "a good show. It's just no longer the BEST show."

Season 6 - Average Score: 75

Season 6 of 30 Rock was praised for juggling the same hilarious antics that the series had been known for. By this point, 30 Rock was playing the game like a veteran basketball player, albeit still suffering from conventional writing choices. Jack spent a better arc of the season attempting to rescue his wife from North Korea, while Liz and Jenna were settling down in mature relationships.

Some critics have declared that Fey had basically discarded everything that'd been established about her character, while others have said, "the girl is going out slugging." Nevertheless, as Rotten Tomatoes would declare overall, Season 6 is "punctuated with great gags and an infectious sense of fun."

Season 1 - Average Score: 83

The breakout season that led to a sitcom behemoth, Season 1 of 30 Rock was instantly hailed as a zany, hilarious introduction to the working world of Liz Lemon. Based on Tina Fey's years as head writer of SNL, 30 Rock revolves around sketch comedy show TGS -- or "The Girlie Show" -- starring the ditzy Jenna Maroney who performs under a spotlight hogged by the rambunctious Tracy Jordan. The series took a deep plunge behind the stage, fast tracking Liz (Fey) and her slum of co-writers under the command of VP Jack Donaghy -- in a scene-stealing performance from Alec Baldwin so vivacious that he was deemed by Sean Axmaker, "the funniest man on TV." Though still finding the show's footing, the first season was praised for its pure biting satire of sketch comedy, anchored by a stellar cast.

Season 5 - Average Score: 86

The fifth season of 30 Rock was a return to form for many critics after the mixed reception of Season 4. Amid celebrating 100 episodes of TGS, much of the characters' personal plot developments took to new mold in Season 5 -- Jack preparing for fatherhood, Tracy chasing an EGOT -- while other characters shared in their own wacky side adventures, such as trying to wrangle the eccentric Kenneth Parcell back into NBC's Page Program.

Season 5 notably broke the episodic mold with "Queen of Jordan," which saw Angie, Tracy's wife, star in her own reality TV series for an entire episode -- not just a parody of The Real Housewives, but an early platform for Fey favorite Tituss Burgess.

Season 3 - Average Score: 92

Season 3 celebrates 30 Rock soaring to new comedic heights featuring some of the show's most notably outrageous humor of its entire run. Character arcs include Jack winning his job back after the events of the Season 2 cliffhanger, while Liz dates Dr. Drew Baird, a whimsical Jon Hamm in a notable episode, "The Bubble." Tracy basks in the success of a pornographic video game he created, while Jenna rides her own claim to fame for starring in an off-brand Janis Joplin biopic.

The Season 3 episode "Reunion" flipped the Liz Lemon script by comically revealing the timid character as a bully from the perspectives of her high school peers, proving that the show's sharp writing continued to be its greatest strength. 30 Rock's third season -- as Rotten Tomatoes declares -- "cements its reputation as one of the smartest, funniest comedies on television."

Season 7 - Average Score: 93

A bittersweet farewell, 30 Rock's final season was praised for maintaining its ability to be uproariously funny and beautifully poignant. Season 7 saw these hilarious characters crystallize once and for all; Liz settling down with children and marriage in her potential future, and Jack solidifying, and potentially sabotaging, his future with the company. Tracy secures a movie studio for mostly black actors, while Jenna, and even Kenneth, seem to find some form of true love. In the end, 30 Rock never lost sight of what always kept it special, in that it was one of the most unique sitcoms of its era which amounted to, as described by Emily Nussbaum of the New Yorker, "a grenade made of zingers."

Season 2 - Average Score: 94

The season that solidified 30 Rock as a monumental sitcom success, Season 2 is about as wacky and inventive as the series ever becomes. With the characters fully realized by the time of their sophomore outing, Fey's writing for untapped potential appears to be limited to no bounds.

After returning from a terrible summer hiatus -- from Jenna's obesity after starring in "Mystic Pizza: The Musical," down to Jack having to fend off Jerry Seinfeld -- the TGS gang is unhinged, left only to be saved by Liz. By nailing the series' trademark humor, Season 2 was lauded for layering smart jokes while keeping its characters alive. Nearly every episode is a landmark -- notably "MILF Island" -- and as Emma Brockes put it best, "Heading into Season 2, it's apparent that the best comic creation is Kenneth."