Grantland

A Ten Is Speaking

Resize Font: A- A+

A TEN IS SPEAKING

Jenna Maroney: An Appreciation

By Molly Lambert at
Ali Goldstein/NBC

In this golden age of television, there sometimes enters a character who shifts all former expectations; a small-screen presence who shines through the flimsy edifice we call a human body to reveal the truth: that we are just wriggling brain stems driven by our insane lusts. Television has long been supplanting the novel as the medium we turn to for long-form narrative investigations into public personas and true selves, and among its gallery of modern antiheroes, one complex yet subtle figure stands alone: Jenna Maroney. Jenna (pronounced Jenn-ahh) was 30 Rock's secret weapon in a show stocked with them. Jane Krakowski, formerly known best for playing ditzy Elaine on Ally McBeal, summoned everything from her lifetime walking the boards for her portrayal of Jenna: the ultimate actress.

Top Stories

MOST POPULAR

  1. The excellence of Matt Harvey and the misery of the Mets
  2. Bob Cousy, Elgin Baylor, Walt Frazier, Tommy Heinsohn, and others talk about travel in the NBA - Gra
  3. Jonah Keri ranks the MLB teams
  4. The end of 'The Office'
  5. Looking at Daft Punk's new album, 'Random Access Memories'