30 Rock

Series six, episode 12
While British TV has mostly weaned itself off jokes based on stereotypes of national identity, American comedy shows still ‘go there’ – even those with a liberal heart like Tina Fey’s ‘30 Rock’ (following hot on the heels of season two of Charlie Sheen’s ‘Anger Management’ at 10pm). Spoiler alert: there’s no mention of the Blarney Stone in this St Patrick’s Day-themed episode marking the halfway point of series six. But just about every other Irish stereotype (drunkenness, brawling, the popularity of the name Megan) is piled on, to the point where they may as well have taken their cues from the landlord in ‘Withnail and I’ and called the episode ‘A Crack at the Mick’. Of course, Fey is far too smart to ever go near anything labelled ‘Davidson-strength xenophobia’. But nothing signifies the show’s malaise more than seeing Jack Donaghy, TV’s greatest capitalist, playing a role-playing game with the writer nerds. Joke-for-joke, it’s still funnier than pretty much everything around it. It’s just a shame to see it occasionally dip below its exceptional standards.