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Pop Culture Happy Hour: '30 Rock,' Getting Meta, And The PCHH FAQ

NPR
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In case a thousand thousands of internet words haven't informed you, last night was the final episode of 30 Rock, and in addition to taking a moment to appreciate the show itself, we decided to use it as a jumping-off point for a discussion of "meta" humor — what it is, when it works, and when it just comes off like a crutch. You might be surprised to hear meta traced all the way back to childhood, but hey, that's what we're here for.

Speaking of things talking about themselves, we thought it was time for a PCHH FAQ, so we next answer some questions you all submitted over on our Facebook page, from how we make the show to what the Zaxxon rule is to whether any of us will ever marry each other.

Finally, we'll close with what's making us happy this week. Stephen is happy about a very depressing song (JUST LIKE ALWAYS), Trey is happy about the possibility of a Tina Fey project that might make us pine less intensely for the last Tina Fey project, Glen is happy about a British sitcom he finally stopped resisting, and I am happy about an intriguing oral history and what is seriously one of the most romantic things I've ever read.

Please keep in touch with us — you can find us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: me, Trey, Glen, Stephen, Jess, and our producer emeritus and music director Mike.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.