'30 Rock' eyes dynasty in series vote

Emmy comedy champion set to defend its title

Can anything prevent "30 Rock" from winning the comedy series Emmy? Tina Fey's workplace sitcom has won the trophy both years it has been eligible, chalking up 27 nominations and nine wins in a mere two years: a .333 batting average worthy of anyone's hall of fame.

It almost seems the only way "30 Rock" could fail to win the top prize again for its third season is if NBC laid off the person in charge of submitting it for trophy consideration.

One reason for the "30 Rock" domination is, of course, TV's currently fallow laffer landscape. But blaming the competition diminishes the show's blend of high and low comedy, its inspired characterizations and its daft, bordering on silly, plotlines. And then there is the show's penchant for such trenchant, epigrammatic punchlines as "You'll be so rich you can run for office without pretending to be a fundamentalist" and "She's like a human Macarena -- something everybody did at college parties."

Theoretically, TV Academy voters, perhaps frustrated by their inability to transform "30 Rock" into watercooler TV or jaded by its inside jokes on the TV industry and sly pop-culture references, could opt to honor one of Chuck Lorre's more old-school shows, "Two and a Half Men" (the lone solid hit comedy on the broadcast networks) or "The Big Bang Theory" (whose Jim Parsons has garnered a lot of buzz for his sublime portrait of a deadpan dork).

Or, just maybe, voters could get adventurous and take a look at the work being done on cable -- such as FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" or maybe even Comedy Central's "The Sarah Silverman Program." Those shows may not always play by the rules, but they're pretty reliable when it comes to garnering laughs.

But Tina, just in case, here's hoping you can find yet another fresh and funny take on the acceptance speech.