30 Rock has gotten attention as being a show created mostly for liberals. With Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin impersonation and Alec Baldwin’s very active political endorsements, its hard not to agree with that. Compared to the first two seasons however, the third season has been relatively independent. This weeks episode might show a return to the leftist bent of the past two seasons just in time for the season finale.

The show left us with a minor cliffhanger last week. Jack discovered that the man he thought was his father was not. So with Liz egging him on, Jack goes on the hunt for his real father. Jack hires his shady PI, played well by the terrific Steve Buscemi, to find his father. The Investigator returns with a list of three possibilities. Pushing him toward a “Mama Mia” moment, Liz summons all of the men who could be his father. Its immediately obvious who Jack’s father is. Mr. Green, played by Alan Alda is the opposite of the corporate conservative Jack. He’s extremely liberal, possibly Jewish and worst of all, in need of a kidney. Jack’s decision with the kidney is left for next week.

Jenna is finally having some success on the show with a new catchphrase. Its a line that Liz wrote, but that Jenna is getting all the credit for. Liz’s frustration boils over when Jenna is asked to be photographed for a magazine article proclaiming her the funniest woman in the world. Insisting she gets credit too Liz tags along, eventually stealing the spotlight from Jenna but not before making an ass of herself.

Tracey annunces he has an illegitimate son who he has been supporting financially for the last three years. Though the cast eventually tells him that this man is probably not his son, Tracey explains that he knew the whole time and that he was supporting the scammer as some sort of charity work. Tracey continues to be both stupid and wise.

30 Rock, like most comedies, probably doesn’t feel the need to ramp up tension in order to try to get viewers to tune in for its season finale. The Jack’s long lost father who needs a kidney story is as close as they’ve come. Although I’d love to see more of Alan Alda, I’m not sure that he’s a compelling enough twist to carry viewers through the summer rerun break. Regardless of that, 30 Rock has settled in to be one of the most successful comedies on TV.