'30 Rock' still on a roll as third season begins

Tina Fey (left) and guest star Megan Mullally on NBC's "30 Rock." (NBC Photo/Nicole Rivelli)

Ah, so it all makes sense now. Presidential nominee John McCain is on the NBC Universal payroll. That's why he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate in August - to provide Tina Fey's "30 Rock" with two extremely long months of promotion.

OK, so maybe "30 Rock" promotion is just an accidental byproduct of the Palin-Fey infotainment juggernaut. But it's a valuable byproduct, for sure. "30 Rock" is the most agile sitcom on TV right now, and it deserves all the help it can get in the ratings. Despite attention from critics and awards juries, including two Emmys for best comedy, this show is still but a pint-size success - only 6 million viewers watched last season's finale. Maybe the Republican ticket can do the trick and get out the Nielsen vote.

What I like so much about "30 Rock," at 9:30 tonight on Channel 7, is close to what I liked about the late, great "Arrested Development": It's silly and kooky, and yet it's quite smart. Every scene on this show is dense with jokes; you never feel as though Fey & Co. are blowing in air to fill space. And you don't feel as though they're insulting your intelligence, either, even as the sexual and racial humor, the character absurdities, and the political punch lines rat-a-tat like popcorn in a popper. The irreverence on "30 Rock" is always deliberate, either to satirize America or to reveal character. Tonight's arrows graze Dick Cheney, Liz Lemon and her penis-shaped pasta, and General Electric, shown in the hands of a mentally challenged CEO.

"30 Rock" moves forward so briskly, it qualifies as the fastest half hour on TV. Like the opening theme music, the show is remarkably punchy and hyperactive. Tonight's premiere isn't one of the series' most cleverly wrought scripts; it's more of a welcome-back party than a gem. Megan Mullally guest stars as a militaristic adoption agent judging Liz on her fitness to be a parent, and naturally everything goes awry. But still, the pacing and the high spirit will sweep you up.

Next week's episode, which features a guest visit from Oprah and finds Jenna (Jane Krakowski) dressing as a black man and Tracy (Tracy Morgan) dressing as a white woman, is "30 Rock" in top form as a cultural lampoon. And the swipes at NBC's summer coverage of the Olympics and its relationship to American self-esteem are brilliant.

Ultimately, the most essential ingredient in "30 Rock" is character. As on "Arrested Development," no matter how cartoonish the regular characters seem, most of them are human and lovable. Even "The Simpsons" needs that kind of heart to thrive. Fey is a complete natural as the fickle Liz, and Baldwin continues to make the cool Jack Donaghy one of TV's best-ever sitcom bosses. Their bond has grown sweet and unexpectedly touching, too, even as they fumble their greeting in tonight's opening scene. She thinks he's filled with bad ideas; he thinks she's pathetic. Together, they make beautiful comedy.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com.