Second City 50th Anniversary, Second City and the State of the Sitcom: Live Review

Scott Adsit's mother likes us! We happened to be seated close to the 30 Rock star's mother at a panel discussion on Second City and its role in shaping the sitcom and we're happy to report that both mother Adsit and Scott's sister were thrilled that we put him on the cover of our Second City issue several weeks ago. Reportedly, Scott was happy with our photos and coverage.

Adsit was joined at this panel discussion by 30 Rock co-star Jack McBrayer and Rock writer Kay Cannon, Adult Swim's Jon Glazer, Kate Flannery of The Office, writers Liz Cackowski and Tami Sagher and producer Peter Murietta. The former Second City cast members answered questions about how they made the leap from Second City to their respective TV careers, how stage acting compared to television acting and the dwindling power of network sitcoms. A particularly engrossing moment was when each panelist talked about early influences. Cannon says her parents forced her to watch Cheers as a little girl while suburban born and bred Adsit says his parents frequently brought him to the Second City as a kid. McBrayer cited sketch pioneers like the Carol Burnett Show and the Electric Company as early influences.

A brief Q&A followed and was dominated by the theme of how to break into television writing. Adsit summed it up perfectly by illustrating the grueling life of a TV writer: "Be someone people want to be around for 14 hours a day."