NBC Photo: Ali Goldstein
"Damn it!" cries Dr. Leo Spaceman (Chris Parnell), gazing at a chest X-ray on 30 Rock. "Where are my car keys?"
The resident doctor on NBC's hit sitcom (Thursdays, 9:30 p.m. ET) is a smooth-talking quack, board certified by the Ho Chi Minh City School of Medicine, who lives by the maxim "Science is anything we want it to be." And we're pretty sure a scientific research study would prove that Parnell deserves his own Dr. Spaceman sitcom.
Parnell consistently nails the "authoritative doctor" tone, managing to soothe patients despite the fact that his advice could usually kill them.
Dr. Spaceman fans abound already. You can watch a clip reel of his "medical moments" on YouTube. You can buy his T-shirt. And Dr. Pepper literally (i.e., actually) hired him to shill for them, in a commercial spot that has been airing during 30 Rock.
Now, I know what you're going to say. News broke last summer that Parnell has been cast in Will Ferrell's new, as-yet-unnamed Comedy Central sitcom with Jon Heder and Horatio Sanz. (Parnell will play a burned-out teacher.) But to this objection, I merely remind you of what you just read above: Remember, Dr. Spaceman's working on a pill that keeps people awake under any circumstances. Parnell can film the Comedy Central thing during the day, and shoot his Spaceman spin-off at night instead of sleeping.
Come on, trust him. He's a doctor in seven states, and Bermuda.
Plus: Tina Fey and Bon Jovi's Secret Love Affair
Who is your favorite 30 Rock character?
