The sitcom celebrity guest star has a history nearly as old as the sitcom itself. On I Love Lucy, the redhead famously pied William Holden in the face at the Brown Derby and caused trouble for several other bold names during the Ricardos’ stay in Tinseltown. Today the celebrity guest star is synonymous with low ratings, viewed as a desperate attempt by a show to draw in viewers. Of course ratings play a large role in the decision to bring big name actors on as guest stars, but every show should pay careful attention to how successful 30 Rock has been at making the most of its guest stars.
Whether it’s guest stars who play versions of themselves (Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey, James Franco) or guest stars who play characters (Jennifer Aniston, Steve Martin, David Schwimmer), the 30 Rock writers just have a knack for seamlessly integrating these people into their show’s universe. It’s as if they’ve always been there, and that is the fun of watching them. The novelty of who they really are has little bearing beyond advertising, and that’s why 30 Rock gets this so right: the guest stars don’t feel out of place or tacked on, they fit in. Below are my picks for 30 Rock‘s five best guest stars up to now. With the show’s final season set to premiere this fall, I love the possibility that this list may need an addendum.
5. Isabella Rossellini as Bianca Donaghy
In a two-episode arc of 30 Rock‘s first season, Isabella Rossellini set the guest star bar very high with her turn as Jack Donaghy’s (not quite) ex-wife, Bianca. In “Black Tie,” Bianca attends the same social function as Jack, and although she manages to keep her cool in front of him, she directs her volcanic outbursts of emotion at Liz. Rossellini gamely takes the character to ridiculous heights: in one scene the writers have her ripping Liz’s hair out, pulling the front of her dress down and attacking her with the jagged broken end of a bottle, in classic bar fight style. In “Up All Night,” Bianca goes toe to toe with Jack as the two try to finalize their divorce. Rossellini and Baldwin are well matched: as Bianca and Jack argue over the details of their separation, the sexual tension always seems to be one second away from ripping through the surface.
4. Paul Giamatti as Ritchie
American Splendor and Sideways may have put Paul Giamatti in the leading man spotlight, but I think this character actor truly does his best work in smaller roles. In season five episode “When It Rains, It Pours,” he is Ritchie, the sleazy editor who Liz must charm with her new confident attitude. As always the writers provide a talented actor with excellent material, but major credit also goes to the wardrobe, hair and makeup departments here. Giamatti is immersed in a scarily convincing ensemble of sports-fan schlub gear and ugly glasses (that do not read as hip), complemented by a ratty, greasy ponytail. Ritchie is funny and creepy, but recognizable because Giamatti is wholly dedicated to blending into 30 Rock‘s slanted, absurdist verisimilitude.
3. Jan Hooks as Verna Maroney
When Jenna mentions her mother, Verna, on The View in season one episode “The Rural Juror,” the name seemed like little more than a convenient (if very funny) part of a joke about Barbara Walters’ speech. Yet, in season four, Jan Hooks guest starred twice as Verna, and once again 30 Rock outdid itself. In “Verna,” the writers go for broke in introducing the character, from her tattoo (“It’s a mermaid…doing it with Captain Morgan!”) to her white trash sense of style(“It’s a fancy restaurant so wear something nice, like a pair of white jeans and a Dan Marino jersey”). Verna is trailer park royalty through and through, and in learning about her we also learn more about Jenna. Hooks imbues the character with a trembling intensity: part scheming con-woman, part pathological stage mom, and part pathetic survivor. As always with 30 Rock, believability is stretched just shy of the breaking point.
2. Margaret Cho as Kim Jong Il
In season five episode “Everything Sunny All the Time,” Avery Jessup is kidnapped in North Korea by Kim Jong Il, played by the fabulous Margaret Cho. Cho is known largely for her alliance with the LGBT community, but no Cho standup special would be complete if she didn’t take some time to lovingly poke fun at her mother and father. Although Margaret was born in America, both of her parents are native to Korea and only know English as a second language. To witness Margaret’s face and speech change as she takes on her mother’s or father’s persona is to witness a comedian hitting her sweet spot. She hits that same sweet spot when she plays Kim Jong Il, propelled by the writers’ topnotch material.
1. Carrie Fisher as Rosemary Howard
A washed up former television writer who now lives in the Little Chechnya section of New York, drinking red wine out of a thermos all day, Rosemary Howard is the perfect example of how 30 Rock does guest stars right. A well known personality, Carrie Fisher, plays a well crafted character who may or may not be an exaggerated riff on some of her own personality traits. The season two episode “Rosemary’s Baby” is a standout not just because of the character but because of how the narrative is structured to reveal her to the audience. Liz meets Rosemary, a writer she has idolized since childhood, at a book signing and hires her to guest-write for TGS. At first Rosemary simply seems like an outrageous risk-taker, but the more Liz gets to know her, the more it’s clear that Rosemary is a couple wine bottles short of a case. Fisher is brilliant in this role, and the writers even manage a nod to Star Wars.
Bonus: Mickey Rourke as himself
No, he hasn’t ever actually appeared on the show, but that’s the brilliance of it. The writers have managed to weave a humorous fictionalized version of a real person into the fabric of their show without ever having that person appear. Jenna Maroney is known for her checkered past and strange list of ex-lovers: David Blaine, Dog the Bounty Hunter, and don’t forget her three-way with Roseanne and Tom Arnold. Many of her ex-lovers’ names are used as one-off jokes, but Mickey Rourke became a successful ongoing gag. In season five episode, “When It Rains, It Pours,” Jenna tells of the double-edged sword Mickey (allegedly) tried to kill her with. In the very next episode, “Let’s Stay Together,” Jenna explains that Mickey broke her down completely and built her up from scratch…sexually. In season six episode “Murphy Brown Lied to Us,” Jenna is hospitalized for exhaustion. Tracy brings her a bouquet of flowers from Mickey, which turns out to be full of poisonous spiders. These small asides add up to something crazy and funny and unique. I hope Mickey will make another “appearance” during the show’s final season.