30 Rock's Sixth Season to be the Last? (Confirmed??)

Bad news for 30 Rock fans... but sorta good news in a way.

Today Vulture has reported that Alec Baldwin has confirmed that the sixth season of 30 Rock will be not just his, but the show's last.

Cutting out all the other stuff he said, this is what you really need to hear;

"...Our show next year is our last year of the show."

Straight out of the horse's mouth, it seems.

This is something that many people have speculated on, including me, quite a while back.

And in terms of the legitimacy of Baldwin's claim, I don't doubt it for four primary reasons.

When he signalled a while back that he would most likely not renew his contract, he didn't, and stated that the sixth season would be his last.

Secondly, it seems logical for the show to end with Baldwin.

Thirdly, Tina Fey has achieved plenty with the show, from picking up a swag of Emmys among other lesser awards, to snagging pretty much every single A-lister to guest star on the show. And even Baldwin has stated that she will want to move on to bigger and better things.

Fourthly, NBC will not beg the folk at 30 Rock to extend the show for another season. It has never rated well, yet survived based on the amount of critical acclaim it garnered week-in, week-out. At best, it achieved good ratings, but basically, it won't be much of a loss to NBC in terms of viewers- unlike, say The Office, if it decided to pull the plug after Season 8. To put it bluntly, NBC probably wouldn't have minded giving it the chop after Season 4, but were too afraid of the wrath of the critics, fans, etc. And also the fact that they haven't been able to produce a hit show in ages.

Also, 30 Rock was the first of NBC's big four comedies to be renewed- that's not because its ratings warranted it, it's because they knew the sixth season would be its last.

And, not that it matters, but I think it is a good idea for the show to end too. Unlike the Office, where the load is spread more evenly over the whole cast, viewers tune in to 30 Rock to see the relationship between Liz and Jack develop, etc. While one may argue that Liz is the protagonist, Jack, in many ways is the antagonist. And what's a show without an antagonist.

Also, the show has well and truly run its course. Especially in terms of Liz's relationships. And Jack's. He has well and truly settled, now that he has a wife and child. It's hard to imagine his character developing much more than that.

The sixth season will obviously be the last, and expect NBC to flog the hell out of the fact it is.*

*(still to be officially confirmed).