Guest Stars

Sometimes a TV show will hire a slew of guest stars because it is popular. This seems to be the case with 30 Rock this season. The show is far from jumping the shark, in my opinion, but here comes the parade of guest stars and well-known actors in bit parts--like when Donna Moss from The West Wing played Jack's fake ex-grlfriend at Liz Lemon's high school reunion. Way below her pay grade (which now apparently involves playing Scott Peterson's lady-friend in made for a TV movie).

The more fascinating and troubled version of the guest star problem occurs when a show has definitely outlived its welcome, and this is where my complaint resides. I watch a lot of TV, mainly because I find it soothing and the long story-lines are interesting. So, as I write my thesis, I have been re-watching Alias, the JJ Abrams show, which was my favorite TV show for several years when it was still on the air. Season 3 was tenuous at best. Season 4 is insane, and completely ludicrous, in part because Jennifer Garner was busy having Violet Affleck. So, I get home and put on an episode as I begin to write, and I recognize a voice. It's Omar from The Wire! Sweet! But then, all of a sudden, another guy from The Wire shows up. It's Spiros Vondopoulos. Sweet Jesus! But then the 'piece de resistance' comes as I am checking my Facebook and chatting with a middle school friend who has a baby. It's that voice...it's Adminral Cain from Battlestar Galactica. In one episode! One!

So basically, this is all too much for me. I have decided that rather than this being some kind of sign that I have somehow jumped the shark, and should stop watching television altogether, I've come to the conclusion that this means something else. Desperation is a powerful motivator. And I guess when the female star of a spy show can't do stuntd or be naked because she is carrying Ben Affleck's baby, it's as good a time as any to parade cable television's finest actors all over your network show.