30 Rock
30 Rock | |
---|---|
Created by | Tina Fey |
Starring | Tina Fey Tracy Morgan Jane Krakowski Jack McBrayer Scott Adsit Judah Friedlander Alec Baldwin |
Theme music composer | Jeff Richmond |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 21 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Lorne Michaels Tina Fey Joann Alfano Marci Klein David Miner |
Production locations | New York City, New York, USA |
Camera setup | Single-camera setup |
Running time | 22 minutes (without commercials)[1] |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | October 11, 2006 – present |
30 Rock is a Golden Globe Award-winning NBC sitcom that debuted in the United States on October 11, 2006. The show was created by former Saturday Night Live (SNL) performer and head writer Tina Fey, who stars in the show and has written numerous episodes, including the pilot. Fey is also one of the show's executive producers.
The show's title comes from a nickname for 30 Rockefeller Plaza, also known as the GE Building, which is the headquarters of NBC's New York City studios, including SNL's Studio 8H. As the title suggests, the show is a workplace comedy set in this building. Specifically, it follows the cast and crew of a fictional SNL-esque sketch comedy show that was originally called The Girlie Show, but was renamed TGS with Tracy Jordan in "The Aftermath".
Fey portrays Liz Lemon, the head writer of TGS and the show's protagonist. After Liz, the show's main characters are her oily boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), TGS's literally insane star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) and Liz's neurotic best friend Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), who is also part of the cast of TGS. The supporting cast of 30 Rock includes Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell, Scott Adsit as Pete Hornberger and Judah Friedlander as Frank Rossitano.
Overview
Typically, the principal plotline in each episode centers on Liz and her attempts to steer the show through one crisis or another while she struggles to maintain a social life. Liz's love life is particularly unsuccessful and suitable romantic interests have so far proven to be short-lived. The show's self-awareness of this and other sitcom clichés (at once avoiding and embracing them) has been one of 30 Rock's hallmarks. There have also been a handful episodes ("The Break Up", "The Fighting Irish", etc.) in which Liz instead deals mainly with her own weaknesses and insecurities.
30 Rock's dynamic generally plays Liz and TGS's producer Pete Hornberger as the "straight" or "sane" ones who must deal with the show's cast of eccentric and bizarre characters. Liz and Pete themselves have, however, been shown to have their own quirks and peculiarities, especially Liz with her slightly geeky persona. Pete, who seems to function primarily as Liz's confidant, does not often have a large role and there have so far been two episodes in which he does not appear. Most episodes include one or two subplots that do not involve Liz, although there are some ("Tracy Does Conan", "The Baby Show", etc.) in which she becomes entangled in all the plotlines.
The first few episodes of season one mainly involved Liz trying to keep Jack from meddling with her show, but, as the season progressed, the character of Jack Donaghy became less villainous and the show became more focused on its characters' personal lives. The origin of this shift can be traced to "Jack Meets Dennis" in which Jack decides to "mentor" Liz and she reluctantly agrees when she finds she has no better alternative. By this point, Jack seems to have gained some respect for Liz's writing abilities and has apparently ceased trying to alter TGS. Nevertheless, 30 Rock continues to satirize the commercialism of the television industry.
The show seems to strive for verisimilitude. Its titular setting is the headquarters of General Electric subsidiary NBC, which produces 30 Rock in real life, and the show frequently references the fact that its characters work for these companies. Episodes are set more-or-less around the time that they air (for example, the date is given as January 17, 2007 in "The Head and the Hair", which aired on January 18). 30 Rock also contains frequent references to contemporary events. For example, when Liz became obsessed with firing her romantic rival in "The Fighting Irish", she and Pete discussed Lisa Nowak's attack on Colleen Shipman.
Like the other three sitcoms in NBC's Thursday-night lineup (My Name Is Earl, The Office and Scrubs), 30 Rock uses a single-camera setup and does not have a laugh track. The show features a jazzy score that heightens comical moments. The music is composed by Fey's husband Jeff Richmond, who is also a producer for 30 Rock and appears in some episodes as TGS's piano player. Four episodes ("Pilot", "Jack-tor", "Hard Ball" and "Cleveland") included short original songs, two of which were performed by Jane Krakowski (Krakowski is a singer in addition to an actress).
Unlike most television shows set in New York City, including ABC's popular series Ugly Betty, 30 Rock is actually filmed in the city. Although establishing shots of 30 Rock are often repeated, outdoor scenes are filmed on location at Rockefeller Center or in other parts of New York City. Most of the indoor scenes are filmed at Silvercup Studios in Queens.[2] In "Cleveland" and "Hiatus", Battery Park City, Manhattan and Douglaston, Queens doubled for Cleveland, Ohio and Needmore, Pennsylvania respectively.
Characters
Although Fey's Liz Lemon is clearly 30 Rock's main character and its dramatic center, the show boasts a large ensemble cast. Thus far, Fey, Baldwin, Morgan and Friedlander are the only actors to appear in every episode, though Friedlander didn't have any lines in "Hiatus".
- Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) — The protagonist of the series, Liz is the head writer of TGS. She spends a great deal of time and energy trying to maintain her show's artistic integrity or, at the very least, keep it running. Consequently, she has very little of a social life and is especially a failure when it comes to dating.
- Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) — Jack is Liz's unctuous, business-minded boss and his attempts to commercialize TGS can put him at odds with her. Nevertheless, Jack often looks out for her and he appreciates her creative abilities, which he does not have.
- Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) — A popular, unpredictable, low-brow movie star/comedian who is hired, at Jack's insistence, to be the new star of TGS. Tracy seems to be at least mildly insane, but his attempts to maintain his "crazy" image in the public eye go well beyond whatever level of actual mental derangement he suffers from. The other characters often go above and beyond to keep him under control.
- Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) — The female lead of TGS and a long-time friend of Liz. Jenna seems to be considerably less intelligent than Liz and she is often portrayed as being a dumb blonde. Jenna's acting career outside of TGS is implied to not be doing well and she is therefore often on edge. Liz often acts as her rock.
- Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer) — A young Southern-born NBC page at the studio where the show is filmed. Kenneth is not particularly bright, but he is always very cheerful and friendly. He is extremely pleased with his menial job since he loves television so much. His extreme innocence is at times suspect, and in one episode, Jack says of him: "In five years, we'll either be working for him... or be dead by his hand."
- Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit) - The show's producer and often Liz's confidant. A friendly-but-not-too-friendly, married-but-not-blind, middle-aged-but-not-at-all-old man, he is assuredly the most "normal" and "sane" character on the show.
- Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander) - A childish, sarcastic and quick-witted writer for the show. He always wears a trucker hat with a short phrase; e.g., "EXTRA CHEESE" OR "1,000,000 POINTS." This character quirk originated with the actor's own public persona.
- Minor characters - There are many notable recurring characters on the show, principally Toofer (Keith Powell), Josh Girard (Lonny Ross), Cerie (Katrina Bowden) and Dr. Leo Spaceman (Chris Parnell)
Rachel Dratch's characters
Rachel Dratch, also an SNL alumna, portrays various roles according to the scripts' needs. Characters played by her have included:
- Greta Johanssen, TGS's cat wrangler, in "Pilot", "The Baby Show" and "The C Word"
- Maria, a Hispanic maid, in "The Aftermath"
- Elizabeth Taylor in "Jack Meets Dennis"
- "Blue Man", a hallucination seen by Tracy and later Liz, in "Tracy Does Conan"
- Pamela Smew, a group therapist in charge of sensitivity training, in "The Break Up"
- Barbara Walters in "The Rural Juror"
- Vlem, a trashy prostitute, in "Up All Night"
- Martha Blanch, a right-wing activist, in "Hard Ball"
- Dr. Beauvoir, Liz's doctor, in "Hiatus"
Notable guest stars
Appearing as a character
- Jason Sudeikis as Floyd ("Up All Night", "The Source Awards", "The Fighting Irish", "Fireworks", "Corporate Crush", "Cleveland", "Hiatus")
- Dean Winters as Dennis Duffy ("Jack Meets Dennis", "Tracy Does Conan", "The Break Up")
- Emily Mortimer as Phoebe ("Corporate Crush", "Cleveland", "Hiatus")
- Isabella Rossellini as Bianca Donaghy ("Black Tie", "Up All Night")
- Rip Torn as Don Geiss ("The C Word", "Corporate Crush")
- Stephanie March as Gretchen Thomas ("Blind Date")
- Bob Wiltfong as Studio Executive ("The Rural Juror")
- Peter Hermann as Gray "The Hair" ("The Head and the Hair")
- Paul Reubens as Gerhardt Habsburg ("Black Tie")
- Will Forte as Tomas ("Black Tie")
- Sherri Shepherd as Angie Jordan ("Up All Night")
- Wayne Brady as Steven Black ("The Source Awards")
- LL Cool J as Ridikolous ("The Source Awards")
- Nathan Lane as Eddie Donaghy ("The Fighting Irish")
- Anna Chlumsky as Liz Lemler, a.k.a. "Other Liz" ("The Fighting Irish")
- Molly Shannon as Katherine Catherine ("The Fighting Irish")
- Will Arnett as Devon Banks ("Fireworks")
- Sean Hayes as Jesse Parcell ("Hiatus")
- Elaine Stritch as Colleen Donaghy ("Hiatus")
Appearing as themselves
- Ghostface Killah ("Jack-tor", "The Source Awards")
- Conan O'Brien ("Tracy Does Conan")
- Chris Hansen ("The Break-Up")
- Whoopi Goldberg ("The Rural Juror")
- John McEnroe ("The Head and the Hair")
- Joy Behar ("Up All Night")
- Chris Matthews ("Hard Ball")
- Tucker Carlson ("Hard Ball")
- Maury Povich ("Fireworks")
- Al Roker ("Fireworks")
- Lester Holt ("Cleveland", footage reused in "Hiatus")
Episodes and U.S. ratings
Seasonal
USA TV Ratings
Based on average total viewers per episode of 30 Rock:
Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
18-49 (Rank)[3] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Thursday 9:00 P.M. | October 11, 2006 | April 26, 2007 | 2006-2007 | #102 | 5.8 | 2.7/7 (#74)[4] |
Weekly
In the following summary, "rating" is the percentage of all households with televisions that tuned to the show, and "share" is the percentage of all televisions in use at that time that are tuned in.
Unless otherwise cited, the overnight rating and share information comes from Zap2It[5] The following week, the numbers are updated with the final Nielsen numbers from TVWeek.com.[6] Additional ratings information, including the 18–49 rating, comes from BroadcastingCable.[7] Viewer numbers and rank numbers come from Google Groups.[8]
Episode # | Title | Air Date | Rating | Share | 18–49 | Viewers | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Pilot" | October 11 2006 | 5.4 | 9 | 2.9 | 8.13 | #58 |
2 | "The Aftermath" | October 18 2006 | 3.9 | 6 | 2.3 | 5.71 | #66 |
3 | "Blind Date" | October 25 2006 | 3.9 | 6 | 2.2 | 6.01 | #73 |
4 | "Jack the Writer" | November 1 2006 | 3.2 | 5 | 1.7 | 4.61 | #85 |
5 | "Jack-tor" | November 16 2006 | 3.2 | 5 | 2.3 | 5.19 | #75 |
6 | "Jack Meets Dennis" | November 30 2006 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.7 | 5.96 | #72 |
7 | "Tracy Does Conan" | December 7 2006 | 4.2 | 6 | 3.2 | 6.84 | #57 |
8 | "The Break Up" | December 14 2006 | 4.0 | 6 | 2.8 | 5.94 | #64 |
9 | "The Baby Show" | January 4 2007 | 3.9 | 6 | 3.0 | 5.82 | #76 |
10 | "The Rural Juror" | January 11 2007 | 3.8 | 6 | 2.9 | 6.10 | #65 |
11 | "The Head and the Hair" | January 18 2007 | 3.4 | 5 | 2.4 | 5.04 | #80 |
12 | "Black Tie" | February 1 2007 | 3.6 | 5 | 2.9 | 5.71 | #69 |
13 | "Up All Night" | February 8 2007 | 3.5 | 5 | 2.5 | 5.17 | #85 |
14 | "The C Word" | February 15 2007 | 3.3 | 5 | 2.4 | 5.01 | #86 |
15 | "Hard Ball" | February 22 2007 | 3.1 | 5 | 2.4 | 4.61 | #84 |
16 | "The Source Awards" | March 1 2007 | 3.5 | 5 | 2.7 | 5.74 | #74 |
17 | "The Fighting Irish" | March 8 2007 | 3.3 | 5 | 2.5 | 5.15 | #83 |
18 | "Fireworks" | April 5 2007 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.5 | 5.37 | #68 |
19 | "Corporate Crush" | April 12 2007 | 3.4 | 5 | 2.6 | 5.07 | #74 |
20 | "Cleveland" | April 19 2007 | 3.3 | 5 | 2.4 | 5.16 | #73 |
21 | "Hiatus" | April 26 2007 | 3.1 | 6 | 2.4 | 4.72 | #74 |
DVR ratings
On December 29 2006, Nielsen Media Research reported the results of having, for the first time, monitored viewers who use a digital video recorder to pre-record shows for later viewing. According to the Nielsen numbers, 30 Rock had the fifth-largest increase (viewers who use a DVR to record the show and then watch it within a week of its initial airing). According to Nielsen, 30 Rock adds nearly 7.5% to its total audience every week as a result of these "live plus seven" viewers.[9]
Ratings among the affluent
A report from MAGNA Global, based on Nielsen Media Research data about viewership ranked by among adults 25-54, shows that as of the time of the report 30 Rock's viewers have a median income of $65,000, high enough to place the show tied at 11th in affluence with several other shows. This is during a period where for the season 30 Rock is tied at No. 85 in the 18-49 demographic.[10]
Critical reception
In its fall 2006 preview of new shows, TV Guide named 30 Rock the best new comedy.[citation needed] After five episodes, Tom Shales of The Washington Post wrote that the series has "consistently and considerably improved since its premiere" and called it "refreshingly bright, sweet and, lest one forget, funny." He described Baldwin's performance as "rare and rich" and a "crazy joy to watch" and declared McBrayer "the show's brightest discovery,"[11] quoting executive producer Lorne Michaels: "We're very high on [McBrayer]. He's obviously the breakout performer on the series. We like him, the network likes him, viewers like him, everybody likes him."
On December 22 the The Wall Street Journal cited 30 Rock as the one comedy that, along with two dramas, was evidence that "this year's lineup yields the strongest signs yet that some sort of life force is returning to network television after years of absence." It added that "the show grows sharper weekly, more hilariously assured in its wild satiric reach," calling it a "wildly funny enterprise."
In its 2006 year end issue, Entertainment Weekly listed 30 Rock fourth on a list of ten best "Series of the Year."[12] The show also appeared on similar year end "best of" 2006 lists in the New York Daily News,[13] LA Weekly,[14] and the New York Times.[15] The Associated Press wrote that NBC's "Thursday night comedy block—made up of My Name Is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, and 30 Rock—is consistently the best night of prime time viewing for any network."[16]
On February 14 2007, Entertainment Weekly published an updated review of 30 Rock, giving the show an "A".[17]
On February 28 2007, Tim Goodman in the San Francisco Chronicle called: "30 Rock, the funniest sitcom of the new season and a show that has made a startling creative growth from its pilot to where it is now," adding "30 Rock is not to be missed. [...] this could be the beginning of the next great sitcom."[18]
Production
Crew
Producers
- Executive producers: Tina Fey, Joann Alfano, Marci Klein, David Miner and Lorne Michaels
- Co-executive producers: Robert Carlock, Brett Baer, Dave Finkel, Jack Burditt and John Riggi
- Supervising producer: Adam Bernstein
- Producers: Jerry Kupfer and Jeff Richmond
- Co-producers: Irene Burns, Matt Hubbard and Margo Myers
Other crew
- Directors: Don Scardino, Adam Bernstein, Gail Mancuso, Michael Engler and Beth McCarthy
- Writing staff: Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Dave Finkel, Daisy Gardner, Donald Glover, Matt Hubbard and John Riggi
- Original music: Jeff Richmond
- Editors: Ken Eluto and Doug Abel
- Cinematographers: Vanja Cernjul, Tom Houghton and Michael Trim
- Production designers: Keith Raywood and Teresa Mastropierro
- Art direction: Loren Weeks and Fred Kolo
- Set decoration: Jennifer Greenberg
- Costume designer: Tom Broecker
- Casting: Jennifer McNamara
Background
Four years before its premiere, Fey pitched the show that would become 30 Rock to NBC as a sitcom about cable news. NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly felt, in the words of Time, that "Fey was using the news setting as a fig leaf for her own experience and [he] encouraged her to write what she knew."[19] The show was subsequently reworked to revolve around an SNL-esque show.
The show underwent several changes during the months leading up to and following its debut. A May 2006 press release mentioned that sketches from The Girlie Show would be made available in their entirety on NBC's broadband website, DotComedy.com.[20] This aspect of the series was abandoned prior to its debut.
Originally, Rachel Dratch, Fey's longtime comedy partner and fellow SNL alumna, was to portray Jenna, whose surname was DeCarlo at that time. Dratch played the role in the show's original pilot, but in August 2006, Krakowski was announced as Dratch's replacement, with Dratch remaining involved in the show playing various characters. [21] Additionally, Jenna's last name was changed to Maroney. Fey attributed the need for the change to the role itself, one Fey called a "straight-ahead acting part" better suited for Krakowski; Fey said she and Dratch "were both very excited about this new direction. [Dratch is] so delightful when she's deep in character and she's going to be playing a range of different characters."[22] "I think it's something that'll help the show be unique. And I think it brings a little sketch sensibility into a show where you're not going to see sketches."[23] An interview with Dratch revealed that she would appear in at least six episodes (she ended up appearing in eleven first-season episodes) and confirmed the reason for the change:
- I think the big thing was—at least what they told me—that at first they wanted to have more comedy sketches in the show. Then they decided they weren’t going to focus on the sketches, so they needed more of a sitcom actress, as opposed to a character actress....That’s the party line, at least—it’s what I can tell my parents![24]
Broadcast history
The changes prior to the debut did not help the show's early ratings. The show's pilot episode attracted 8.13 million viewers, third in its time slot and 58th for the week.[25] The ratings for "The Aftermath" (the second episode) were down 21 percent.[26]
Although the second episode's ratings were revealed on the same day that NBC announced plans to replace expensive scripted shows in the 8–9pm time slot with reality series and game shows,[27] the network demonstrated an apparent confidence in the series a week later, announcing a new time slot for the show (Thursdays at 9:30pm ET) beginning in mid-November.[28] The move helped reestablish a two-hour block of comedies on an evening NBC once promoted as Must See TV.
The third episode attracted 6.01 million viewers, making it 73rd in Nielsen's prime-time television in the U.S.[29] As November sweeps began, the show's fourth episode attracted 4.61 million viewers in its fourth week, making it 85th in Nielsen's prime-time television rankings.[30]
CTV, which had broadcast the first four or five episodes in Canada,[31] dropped the show effective November 30 after a brief run during which it never entered the BBM Nielsen top 30.[32] CTV has since re-added the show to its lineup on Sundays at 8:30pm ET.
NBC waited until December 1 to commit to a full season of the show, announcing the commitment the day after the show followed Scrubs for the first time. The 30 November episode drew 6.6 million viewers, nearly a million more than the previously televised episode and only 1.5 million fewer viewers that the show's pilot.[33] The increase in viewership occurred in spite of the show's new time slot, opposite the second halves of Grey's Anatomy and a repeat of CSI, two of the three most highly-rated scripted series of the November 2006 sweeps.[34] The December 7 episode continued its rise, drawing 6.8 million viewers and attracting its highest 18–49 demographic, 3.2.
On January 17 NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly announced that he expected 30 Rock "to return next season";[35] the next day's episode, competing against new episodes of CSI ("Sweet Jane") and Grey's Anatomy ("Six Days, Part 2"), attracted 5.04 million viewers, the fewest since the beginning of the November 2006 sweeps, and 80th in Nielsen rankings.[36]
On February 2 NBC announced that 30 Rock would take a six-week break after the March 8 episode so the network can test out Andy Barker P.I..[37]
Then on March 12 NBC announced that 30 Rock would return sooner than previously stated. On April 5 30 Rock returned for a 35 minute super-sized episode at (8:40pm ET) following a new episode of The Office. The following week 30 Rock moved to its new time at (9:00pm ET), where it finished the rest of the first season. The season finale aired on April 26 2007.[38]
On April 4 2007 it was announced that 30 Rock had been renewed for a full second season of 22 episodes. [39]
The following day (April 5) Reilly explained that despite its so-so ratings even though it retained 80% of its lead-in, he notes that the renewal of 30 Rock demonstrates NBC's commitment to the series, plus he added that the decision to move it to the 9PM slot was due to having the show serve as a better lead-in for The Office than Scrubs: "There was some evidence that Scrubs while a qualitatively good match is not demographically necessarily the best flow for the show."[40]
Following the negative publicity resulting from the tirade he left on his eleven-year-old daughter's phone, Baldwin announced his intentions to leave television. Baldwin made the announcement on an episode of The View that aired on April 27 2007, which was ironically the day after 30 Rock’s season finale. NBC has stated that they will hold Baldwin to his contract for 30 Rock and it has been announced that the actor will fulfill his contractual obligations for the show.[41] Baldwin is signed on to appear in at least twelve episodes of the second season.[42] Presumably, he could leave the show afterwards if he chose to, although it is not clear whether he still wishes to leave 30 Rock.
DVD release
On September 4, 2007, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release 30 Rock - The Complete First Season on DVD (region 1) to the U.S. and Canadian markets. The three disc collection will include all twenty-one episodes with subtitles in English and Spanish and with an anamorphic widescreen format.[43]
References and similarities to other media
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
30 Rock was one of two shows on the 2006–07 NBC lineup that revolved around the off-camera happenings on a sketch comedy series, the other being the Aaron Sorkin dramedy Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Unfortunately for NBC, 30 Rock became more of a success than the highly touted Studio 60, which was produced by Warner Bros. Television and was cancelled after ending its troubled and critically-challenged first season. Though neither show received spectacular ratings, Studio 60 drew increasingly negative reviews and proved to be more expensive to produce.
30 Rock's crew have often made jokes about this similarity. For example, one early promo for 30 Rock portrayed Alec Baldwin mistakingly thinking he would meet Sorkin[44] and, when asked on her "Ask Tina" space what she thought of criticism 30 Rock got, Fey jokingly replied that people who didn't like it were probably confusing it with Studio 60. At least two 30 Rock episodes have subtly parodied Studio 60. In "Jack-tor", Liz tried to quote global education statistics, only to mess up and realize that she didn't know what she was talking about.[45] The episode "Jack the Writer" contained a self-referencing walk and talk sequence, such sequences being commonly used on Studio 60.
However, none of 30 Rock's producers have given Studio 60 any serious criticism, positive or negative. As of November 1, 2006, Fey has seen only the first two episodes of Studio 60. When asked what her impressions were, Fey jokingly replied that "I can't do impressions of Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry."[46] The producers of Studio 60 have made no comments about 30 Rock. However, after NBC announced it would pick up both shows, Sorkin sent Fey flowers and wished her luck with 30 Rock.[47][48]
That Girl and Mary Tyler Moore
Critics have often compared 30 Rock to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, with parallels especially being drawn between the relationship of Liz and Jack and that of Mary Richards and Lou Grant.[49][50][51] It has also been compared to That Girl.[52][53] Like That Girl and Mary Tyler Moore, 30 Rock is a sitcom centering around a single, brunette career woman living in a big city where she works in the television industry. 30 Rock, however, uses a more droll style of humor and is much less upbeat.
The title sequence used 30 Rock's pilot (which was not used in later episodes) was stylistically reminiscent of the opening sequences to That Girl and Mary Tyler Moore. A promotional video formerly included on NBC's 30 Rock website depicted a montage sequence of Liz struggling at romance while an updated version of "Love is All Around" (the same version featured in Mary and Rhoda) played in the background.
Star Wars
30 Rock contains frequent references to the Star Wars series. It has been established that Liz Lemon is a Star Wars fan.
- "Pilot" - Tracy shouts "I am a Jedi!" as he runs down the I-405 in his underwear.
- "Jack the Writer" - When Liz heads up to Jack's office to apologize to him, she says she feels like she's entering the Death Star. In response, Pete calls her "Captain Needa." Later she compares the emotional impact of Jack's attempts to be friendly to the scene in The Empire Strikes Back when the back of Darth Vadar's head is seen, therefore revealing him to be human.
- "Jack-tor" - When messing with Jenna's head, Frank mentions a "friend in accounting" named Lando Calrissian.
- "Tracy Does Conan" - Tracy starts speaking like Chewbacca.
- "The Head and the Hair" - Liz compares the effect the gorgeous hunk "The Hair" has on her to the effect the Death Star's tractor beams had on the Millennium Falcon (Jenna replies with "guys like that do not like Star Trek")
- "Up All Night" - In the opening scene, when Jack announces the imminent arrival of his jealous ex-wife, Liz nervously exclaims "Crazy Bianca is coming here?", possibly echoing the comment made by a terrified Moff Jerjerrod at the beginning of Return of the Jedi when he learns Emperor Palpatine will be coming to personally survey the Second Death Star.
- The Source Awards - During his date with Liz, Mr. Black says that he blogs about "Star Wars" in his spare time. When Liz becomes excited, he clarifies that his blog is about the Strategic Defense Initiative, not "the fantasy movie with the, uh, monsters."
- "Fireworks" - Jack, as Thomas Jefferson, holds up his hand and says "may the Force be with you" in Tracy's dream. Liz mentions watching Star Wars and Tootsie with Pete.
- "Corporate Crush" - Liz mentions Attack of the Clones, calling it the worst of the Star Wars films.
- "Hiatus" - During the confrontation between Jack, Liz and Kenneth in the opening, Liz threatens that she'll cut Kenneth open "like a tauntaun." Later, when Liz sees herself on the computer, she notices that her eyes are far apart and says she looks like Admiral Ackbar.
3rd Rock from the Sun
The show's name is similar to 3rd Rock, the commonly used short title for 3rd Rock from the Sun, another NBC sitcom created by and starring Saturday Night Live alumni. At the 64th Golden Globe Awards, Tim Allen mispronounced the show's name as 3rd Rock when mentioning Alec Baldwin had been nominated for the Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical Award.[54]
International broadcasters
30 Rock is broadcast on the following stations around the world.
Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere | Weekly Schedule |
---|---|---|---|
Canada | CTV | October 10,2006 | Currently Unknown ET (originally Tuesdays at 7:30pm, moved to weekend daytime hours due to primetime schedule congestion until March 7, 2007, replaced by Andy Barker, P.I., aired one episode, Black Tie, after American Idol results show on March 21, timeslot then given to Degrassi, current timeslot unknown) |
United States | NBC | October 11 2006 | Thursdays 9:00pm ET [55] |
Australia | Channel Seven | 2007[56] | |
India | Star World | April 12, 2007 | Thursdays 9:00pm |
Israel | yes stars 3 | March 7, 2007 | Wednesdays 10:30pm |
Poland | Canal+ Poland | May 24, 2007 | Thursdays 9:00pm |
Argentina | Sony Entertainment Television |
November 15 2006 |
Wednesdays 9:30pm[57] |
Brazil | Wednesdays 8:30pm[57] | ||
Chile | Wednesdays 9:30pm[57] | ||
Colombia | Wednesdays 7:30pm[57] | ||
Mexico | Wednesdays 8:30pm[57] | ||
Panama | Wednesdays 7:30pm[57] | ||
Peru | Wednesdays 7:30pm[57] | ||
Venezuela | Wednesdays 8:30pm[57] |
Awards and nominations
Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | Won | Gracie Allen Awards | Outstanding Female Lead in a Comedy Series | Tina Fey |
2007 | Nominated | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular gay character) | for "Blind Date" |
2007 | Nominated | Writers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Dave Finkel, Daisy Gardner, Donald Glover, Matt Hubbard, John Riggi |
2007 | Nominated | Writers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding New Series | Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Dave Finkel, Daisy Gardner, Donald Glover, Matt Hubbard, John Riggi |
2007 | Nominated | Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series | Adam Bernstein, for the Pilot |
2007 | Won | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Alec Baldwin |
2007 | Won | Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical | Alec Baldwin |
2007 | Nominated | People's Choice Awards | Favorite New TV Comedy |
References and footnotes
- ^ Two episodes, "Jack-tor" and "Fireworks", ran for around 27 minutes without commercials.
- ^ "New York-Based Television Programs". Retrieved 2007-01-19.
- ^ "TV Ratings ... on BroadcastingCable".
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap". May 25 2007.
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ignored (help) - ^ "TV Ratings on Zap2it". Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ "TVWeek.com". Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ "TV Ratings on BroadcastingCable". Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ "Week of December 11th-17th/2006 complete ratings". Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ ""'Studio 60' Gets Bump from DVRs"". Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ ""In their TV tastes, the rich are different"". Retrieved 2007-03-06.
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111501577.html
- ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1572282_3_0_,00.html
- ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/483614p-407120c.html
- ^ http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/screen/sit-up-and-watch/15291/
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/arts/television/24stan.html
- ^ http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/526251.html
- ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20011875,00.html
- ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/28/DDGDEOBS0H17.DTL
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- ^ "Breaking News". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
- ^ http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-janekrakowskijoins30rock,0,1779072.story
- ^ http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2006/10/08/1978793-cp.html
- ^ http://www.avclub.com/content/node/54729
- ^ http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/22836/
- ^ http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-tvratingstext18oct18,0,4771545.htmlstory?coll=cl-tv-features
- ^ http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_8013.asp
- ^ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=adnD7teOTjhg
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
futoncritic1025
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/cl-et-tvratingstext1nov01,0,1153653.htmlstory
- ^ http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-tvratingstext8nov08,0,364549.story
- ^ http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20061026/30Rock-episodes/
- ^ http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/artslife/story.html?id=719b0999-5265-4342-bace-c83a7d26ef2a&k=87589
- ^ http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcpicksup30rockforfullseason,0,1068703.story
- ^ http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-sweeps1dec01,0,1664447.story
- ^ http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6407954.html?display=Search+Results&text=%2230+rock%22
- ^ http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-tvratingstext24jan24,0,184006.htmlstory
- ^ Zap2it.com (02-02-07)
- ^ Zap2it.com (03-12-07)
- ^ Yahoo News (04-05-07)
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- ^ Baldwin's Request to Quit Sitcom Denied
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- ^ http://youtube.com/watch?v=yIPTJPXdl0w
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- ^ "Flowers? No joke"
- ^ "Tina Fey's Weekend Update: Aaron Sorkin calls her out!"
- ^ NBC's '30 Rock' may just make it after all
- ^ There's 'Moore' to '30 Rock' Than Meets the Eye
- ^ Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin help make '30 Rock' funny
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- ^ [7]
- ^ http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117957465.html?nav=globes
- ^ http://www.nbcumv.com/broadcast/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20060831000000-nbcswapswednesday.html
- ^ "Seven's Number 1 Tuesday". ebroadcast. Retrieved 17 January.
{{cite web}}
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