30 Rock (2006–2013)

Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star, all while trying to run a successful TV show without losing her mind.

Creator:

Tina Fey

Stars:

Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski

Won 6 Golden Globes. Another 60 wins & 191 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Tina Fey	...	Liz Lemon (139 episodes, 2006-2013)
Tracy Morgan	...	Tracy Jordan (139 episodes, 2006-2013)
Jane Krakowski	...	Jenna Maroney (139 episodes, 2006-2013)
Jack McBrayer	...	Kenneth Parcell (139 episodes, 2006-2013)
Scott Adsit	...	Pete Hornberger (139 episodes, 2006-2013)
Judah Friedlander	...	Frank Rossitano (139 episodes, 2006-2013)
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack Donaghy (139 episodes, 2006-2013)
Keith Powell	...	Toofer (131 episodes, 2006-2013)
Katrina Bowden	...	Cerie (100 episodes, 2006-2013)
Kevin Brown	...	Dot Com (84 episodes, 2006-2013)
Grizz Chapman	...	Grizz (79 episodes, 2006-2013)
John Lutz	...	J.D. Lutz (75 episodes, 2006-2013)
Maulik Pancholy	...	Jonathan (64 episodes, 2006-2013)

Storyline

Liz Lemon is a producer of a Variety show. Jack Donaghy is a top TV network executive. Tracy Jordan is the unpredictable star of Lemon's hit variety show, "TGS with Tracy Jordan." Lemon constantly has her hands full, juggling corporate interference from Donaghy and off-the-handle star antics from Jordan, all while attempting to salvage her own personal life.

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Plot Keywords:

tv | tv show | tv network | writer | sketch comedy | 

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Taglines:

Work can be such a production.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

NBC [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Queen of Jordan

Filming Locations:

Silvercup Studios - 4222 22nd Street, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Broadway Video, Little Stranger, NBC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tracy Morgan ("Tracy Jordan") and recurring player Rachel Dratch followed creator/star Tina Fey from Saturday Night Live to create this show. In addition, star Alec Baldwin co-holds the record for the most times to host SNL (as of September 2010, Baldwin and Steve Martin are tied for most hostings at 15 episodes each).

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Quotes

Liz Lemon: What the what?

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Connections

Referenced in Conan: Every Kiss Begins with Kay, But Everything Else Begins with K-Y (2012)

User Reviews

Better than Studio 60

After the last few lackluster seasons of Saturday Night Live, I was worried that this show would suffer from the same affliction as those terrible SNL-based films, like The Ladies Man, Superstar, Coneheads, Night at the Roxbury.... but 30 Rock is actually a character-driven comedy, rather than a gag-driven one like those films.

Tina Fey managed to put together a great cast using classic sitcom archetypes. Alec Baldwin is hilarious and subdued as the meddling nitwit boss, Tracey Morgan is genuinely brilliant as the wild and crazy black guy, and newcomer Jack McBrayer is thoroughly enjoyable as the creepy intern. Of course, the whole show is centered on Tina Fey, the constantly put-upon producer of an SNL-type late night comedy show. She has great comedic sensibilities, but she has wisely surrounded herself with a fantastic ensemble cast.

The show is literally jam-packed with laugh-out-loud gags, so even when one joke doesn't work, there's at least two other jokes that do work around the corner. After Tracey Morgan's last sitcom flopped, I feared that we'd seen the last of him. As the Martin Lawrence-esquire egocentric star of the show-within-a-show, Morgan excels. Without the burden of carrying the entire show, Morgan is able to fully realize his potential playing 30 Rock's a psychotic, preening celebrity host. The real gem on the show is Alec Baldwin, who usually gets the best one-liners as the idiot-savant NBC executive who can manage a big business but not his own life. But what really makes the show work is its cast of veteran comedic character actors who staff the fictional comedy show, including Scott Adsit of HBO's Mr. Show and Judah Friedlander from the film American Splendor.

30 Rock premiered on NBC at the same time as the similarly themed Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, another SNL-based series. While Studio 60 took the dramatic route, 30 Rock went comedic. In the end, 30 Rock is better, however. Studio 60 suffers from too much moralizing and a large cast that the scripts can't quite manage to service.

My only complaint about 30 Rock is that we don't see enough of SNL-alum Rachel Dratch on camera. Rumor has it that she was meant to be a main cast member, but the network demanded her role be cut out. It's a shame because she is one of the funniest women in television.