30 rock finally returns: 4 talking points

After a grueling eight-month absence from the airwaves, Tina Fey's beloved critical gem _30 Rock_ premieres its sixth season on NBC Thursday night. During the show's hiatus,

mandated by creator-writer-producer-star Fey's second pregnancy, reviled sitcoms like Work It, Whitney, and _I Hate My Teenage Daughter_ did little to distract _30 Rock_'s bereaved

critics and fans. In anticipation of Thursday night's episode — which finds Jane Krakowski's Jenna judging a children's talent competition called _America's Kidz Got

Singing_ and Fey's Liz Lemon coping with Tracy Jordan's (Tracy Morgan) resultant jealousy — here are four talking points about the season ahead: 1. TRACY MORGAN'S REAL-LIFE

ANTI-GAY RANT WILL BE A PLOT During _30 Rock_'s hiatus, star Tracy Morgan stirred up controversy by making offensive homophobic jokes during a stand-up set at a Nashville comedy club —

and the ensuing backlash caused the actor to embark on a prolonged mea culpa tour. The new season of _30 Rock_ will feature a ripped-from-the-headlines plot based on the controversy.

Morgan's character will reportedly apologize, claiming that "he's not a homophobe, [but] an idiot," triggering protests by the idiot community, led by guest star Denise

Richards. This sounds like a fine line to walk, says Kyle Buchanan at _New York_. "Will _30 Rock_ be able to pull off this tricky material?" SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo

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to your inbox. 2. KIM JONG IL'S DEATH WILL ALSO FIGURE A pivotal plot point in _30 Rock_'s previous season centered on the kidnapping of Jack Donaghy's (Alec Baldwin)

conservative cable-news host girlfriend, Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks), by Kim Jong Il. She was turned into the Korean leader's "propaganda mouthpiece," and married off to

his son, Kim Jong Un. An early promo for the new season showed Kim "very much alive and posing for anti-American holiday cards with Avery," so when Kim actually died a week later,

critics and fans were concerned: "Oh, Kim Jong Il, why did you have to go and ruin a _30 Rock_ subplot?" worried Brent Lang at _The Wrap_. The show's producer Robert Carlock

recently revealed to _Us Weekly_ that he too was concerned, considering the series had already filmed nine episodes. But after going back through the scripts, they realized "that

luckily we hadn't referred to Kim Jong Il by name yet — just to North Korea in general." 3. THERE'LL BE NO SHORTAGE OF BUZZY GUEST STARS Past seasons of _30 Rock_ have

featured guest appearances by major stars including Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, and James Marsden, and the star parade will continue in season six. In addition to the aforementioned

Richards, _X-Men_ star Marsden will return as a love interest for Fey's Liz Lemon, while Mary Steenburgen, Kelsey Grammer, and _Up All Night_'s Will Arnett will also make guest

appearances — Arnett reprising his role as Alec Baldwin's nemesis. The show will also parody Hollywood's spate of holiday-themed ensemble romantic comedies (_Valentine's Day_,

_New Year's Eve_) with a fictional film called _Martin Luther King Day_, which will star Krakowski's Jenna alongside Emma Stone, Nick Cannon, and Andy Samberg. Sounds

"ridiculous in all the (so-wrong-it's-)right ways," says Kelly West at _Cinema Blend_. A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from

TheWeek.com 4. NBC'S THURSDAY'S LINEUP IS BETTER THAN EVER With the return of _30 Rock_ Thursday, NBC boasts an unrivaled comedy lineup, says Linda Holmes at _NPR_. After dumping

the terrible _Whitney_ "like a bad date" and shifting it to Wednesday nights, NBC Thursday welcomes the underrated _Up All Night_ in addition to _30 Rock_, _The Office_, and _Parks

and Recreation_. The fans of the (temporarily shelved) _Community_ aren't happy, of course, but even they will likely be placated by the return of _30 Rock_'s "sharp

wit" and "absurdist plots."