Critical Reception
The Kenneth Parcell character has received mixed reviews. Slate Magazine named the character as one of the reasons they were looking forward to the return of the show in fall 2007. On The Extratextuals website, Kenneth is placed as number 49 on their list of 50 Best TV Characters. On The Top Tens.com, he is listed as the best character on 30 Rock, with the website commenting " Kenneth is one of the best television characters I can remember. Perhaps second only to Dwight Shrute". CST Online wrote "Perhaps 30 Rock’s most brilliant comic creation is Kenneth Parcell". Nerve.com' wrote "Kenneth the page’s naiveté and chinlessness spark endless comedy on the show. He might be a little repetitive, sure, but he's also got the highest laughs-to-screentime ratio of anyone out there".
However, the character has received negative reaction, as well. The A.V. Club listed Kenneth as number 2 on their list of television Showblockers, writing " Kenneth has been wrung especially dry in recent seasons, made into an ever-more-outsized caricature of sycophancy, fundamentalism, and hickdom". Dustin Rowles, of Pajiba.com, listed Kenneth as a television character that should be killed off, writing "He was a great character for a few seasons, but Kenneth is useless to the show now". Joe Issid, of the Scrib.com, listed Kenneth as number 8 on his list of Most Loathsome TV Characters.
In 2009, McBrayer received an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Kenneth.
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