30 Rock: A One-Time Special

Last updated
"30 Rock: A One-Time Special"
30 Rock episode
Directed byOz Rodriguez
Written by
Featured music Jeff Richmond
Original air dateJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
Running time38 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Last Lunch"		Next →
—
List of episodes

"30 Rock: A One-Time Special" is a special episode of the American comedy television series 30 Rock , and the 139th overall episode of the series. It aired in the United States on NBC on July 16, 2020. It served as NBC's 2020 upfront presentation and reunited cast members Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, and Jack McBrayer. [1]

Contents

Plot

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Jack calls Liz to inform her that Kenneth Parcell, the now head of NBC, has asked them to reunite the cast for a TGS reboot on Peacock. Liz reaches out to the former writers of the show to see if they are interested, and they agree to participate. Liz also is able to recruit former stars Tracy Jordan and, despite initially avoiding her due to a series of public controversies, Jenna Maroney to return.

The gang virtually reunites to pitch it to Kenneth, but he refuses, revealing it was all a ruse to confront them about ignoring his several attempts to reunite virtually over Zoom. After being rejected, Jack reveals to Liz that he is bored of retirement and desperately wants to get back in the television game. Liz, Jack, Jenna, and Tracy all unite to crash Kenneth's speech during the NBC upfront. Kenneth gathers them in a private web room and realizes during their confrontation about his stunt that he's sick of being surrounded by "yes-persons" and missed having people be honest with him. Tracy and Jenna volunteer to lead the presentation while Kenneth shows Liz and Jack trailers for upcoming shows, to which they react with positivity.

After the presentation, Jack reveals to Liz that Kenneth has asked him to lead NBC's new female-centric streaming service Peahen and Liz reveals that Kenneth has asked her to write a new pilot.

Throughout the episode, promotions are made for several NBCUniversal properties, including Peacock, Universal Destinations & Experiences, Telemundo, NBC News, coverage of the rescheduled 2020 Summer Olympics, as well as upcoming new shows for the 2020–2021 television season.

Background

On June 16, 2020, NBC announced the network would air a new, remotely-produced special episode of the series. [1]

On July 14, Vulture reported that most of NBC's major affiliate groups, including Tegna, Hearst Television, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group, and Gray Television, whose NBC affiliates together reach about half the United States' population, would be refusing to air the special due to its focus on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, which these owners believed could siphon viewers away from their stations. [2] Certain affiliates did not air the episode, while others delayed it from its networked timeslot until the graveyard slot. [3] The following day, it was made available on the NBC website and Peacock, [2] and aired in primetime as part of a "roadblock" simulcast on several of NBCUniversal's cable channels. [2] [4]

Cast

For the special, the entirety of the main cast of the series returned, as well as several recurring cast members. The special also saw the appearances of several stars from different NBCUniversal television properties.

Reception

Critical reception

The special received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 31% approval rating based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 7.33/10. The website's critical consensus is, "It's fun to see the gang back together, but this One-Time Special has a little too much corporate synergy and not enough of the show's sardonic wit." [5] It holds on Metacritic a weighted average score of 49 out of 100 based on 13 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [6]

LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club commented upon the nature of the special given the show's recurring themes and in-universe portrayals of NBC itself, explaining that "a blatant hour-long commercial for television is technically the natural progression for the story 30 Rock told, which allows the special to somehow reach an even higher level of meta inception than it already had". Ferguson also praised the "seamless" nature of its videoconference-based scenes, and argued that although it was not the best episode of the series as a whole (if it could be considered an episode at all), "the fact that the story in between the ads actually works as a passable episode of 30 Rock only helps the special to do the job it’s really supposed to be doing: selling NBC Universal to advertisers (and viewers, as a distant second)."" [7]

Ratings

Preliminary ratings indicated the special episode scored a 0.4 rating in the 18–49 demographic, with an average of 2.49 million viewers in the 8–9 p.m. timeslot [8] (averaging 0.4 and 2.8 million in the first half-hour and 0.3 and 2.1 million in the second [4] ). Final ratings, which accounted for local preemptions (in what is believed to be 60% of NBC's affiliates [2] ), revised the episode's audience down to 0.2 and 878,000 viewers (beaten by a Superstore re-run in the 9–9:30 p.m. timeslot after, and the second-lowest viewership of the night on the Big Four). [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>30 Rock</i> American television sitcom (2006–2013)

30 Rock is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live, takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy show depicted as airing on NBC. The series's name refers to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, where the NBC Studios are located and where Saturday Night Live is written, produced, and performed. The series was produced by Lorne Michaels's Broadway Video and Fey's Little Stranger, in association with NBCUniversal.

The pilot episode of the American television sitcom 30 Rock premiered on October 10, 2006, on the CTV Television Network in Canada, and October 11, 2006, on NBC in the United States. The episode was directed by Adam Bernstein and written by Tina Fey, the series' creator, executive producer, and lead actress.

"Jack-Tor" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American situation comedy 30 Rock, which aired on November 16, 2006 on the NBC network in the United States, and on November 8, 2007 in the United Kingdom. The episode was written by Robert Carlock and was directed by Don Scardino. Guest stars in this episode include Katrina Bowden, Lonny Ross, Keith Powell, Maulik Pancholy, Teddy Coluca, Donald Glover, Doug Moe, and Matthew Stocke.

"The Head and the Hair" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by series creator Tina Fey and co-executive producer John Riggi. The director of this episode was Gail Mancuso. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 18, 2007. Guest stars in this episode include Katrina Bowden, Craig Castaldo, Peter Hermann, Brian McCann, John McEnroe, Maulik Pancholy, Keith Powell, and Lonny Ross.

<i>30 Rock</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the television comedy series 30 Rock originally aired between October 11, 2006, and April 26, 2007, on NBC in the United States. The season was produced by Broadway Video, Little Stranger and NBC Universal, and the executive producers were series creator Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels, JoAnn Alfano, Marci Klein, and David Miner.

<i>30 Rock</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007, and May 8, 2008, on NBC in the United States.

<i>30 Rock</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008, on the NBC network in the United States. The season was produced by Broadway Video, Little Stranger, and NBC Universal; the executive producers were series creator Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels, Marci Klein, David Miner, and Robert Carlock.

"Believe in the Stars" is the second episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. The 38th overall episode of the series was written by executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by series producer Don Scardino. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 6, 2008. Guest stars in this episode include Remy Auberjonois, Todd Buonopane, Raven Goodwin, and Oprah Winfrey.

"Cougars" is the seventh episode of the second season of 30 Rock, and the twenty-eighth episode overall. It was written by co-executive producer John Riggi and directed by Michael Engler. Guest stars in this episode include Kevin Brown, Grizz Chapman, Val Emmich, John Lutz, Maulik Pancholy, and Greg Scarnici.

"The Bubble" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the American television series 30 Rock. It was written by series' creator Tina Fey and directed by Tricia Brock. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 19, 2009. Jon Hamm and Bobb'e J. Thompson guest star in this episode, and there are cameo appearances by Calvin Klein and Meredith Vieira.

"Cutbacks" is the 17th episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 53rd episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Gail Mancuso. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. Guest stars in this episode include Roger Bart, Todd Buonopane, and Don Pardo.

"Audition Day" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 62nd overall episode of the series. The episode was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 5, 2009. Guest stars in this episode include Craig Castaldo, Nick Fondulis, Daniel Genalo, Marceline Hugot, Angela Grovey, Michael Mulheren, David Perlman, and Brian Williams. There are cameos by Gilbert Gottfried, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Walken, though, the three did not appear as themselves, but provided their voices in the episode.

"Klaus and Greta" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by Gail Mancuso. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 14, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include James Franco, Matt Lauer, and Jeffery Self. "Klaus and Greta" aired out of its usual timeslot with "Black Light Attack!" following it in the regular timeslot.

"Argus" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 77th overall episode of the series. It was written by 30 Rock producers Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan, and Paula Pell. The episode was directed by co-executive producer and show composer Jeff Richmond. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 29, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Will Forte, Marceline Hugot, and Burke Moses.

<i>30 Rock</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series on the NBC network in the United States, began airing on September 23, 2010. NBC announced on March 5, 2010, that 30 Rock would be returning for a fifth season in the 2010–2011 television season. Beginning with episode 11, 30 Rock was moved to the 10:00 PM timeslot, but, as a consolation, was renewed earlier than the other NBC sitcoms. During this time, Tracy Morgan underwent an emergency operation, causing his character to be written out for several episodes.

"Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 89th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon and directed by Ken Whittingham. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on December 2, 2010.

"¡Qué Sorpresa!" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 93rd overall episode of the series. It was directed by John Riggi, and written by Matt Hubbard. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 3, 2011. Guest stars include Ken Howard, Vanessa Minnillo, Brian Williams, Richard Belzer, Ice-T, and Elizabeth Banks.

"The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 107th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Jeff Richmond, and written by co-executive producer Matt Hubbard. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 26, 2012. Guest stars in this episode include Emma Stone, Ken Howard, Mick Foley, Andy Samberg, and the Philadelphia Phillies mascot the Phillie Phanatic. Steve Earle sings a ballad about Kenneth Parcell in the closing credits.

"The Beginning of the End" is the first episode of the seventh season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 126th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Don Scardino, and written by Jack Burditt. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 4, 2012.

"Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 131st overall episode of the series. It was directed by Don Scardino and written by Luke Del Tredici. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 15, 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 Petski, Denise (June 16, 2020). "'30 Rock' Returns To NBC For Upfront Special". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Adalian, Josef (July 14, 2020). "Blerg, Most NBC Stations Are Refusing to Air the 30 Rock Reunion". Vulture. Vox Media . Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  3. ↑ Kelly, Ray (17 July 2020). "Half of NBC affiliates didn't air '30 Rock' reunion". MassLive. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 Maglio, Tony (17 July 2020). "'30 Rock' vs 'Parks and Rec' Reunion Ratings: Reunited, but Does NBC Feel So Good?". TheWrap. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "30 Rock: A One-Time Special". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  6. ↑ "30 Rock: A One-Time Special". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  7. ↑ Ferguson, LaToya (July 17, 2020). "30 Rock returns (sort of) to shill NBC Universal and demolish any remaining fourth wall". The A.V. Club . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  8. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch. "SHOWBUZZDAILY THURSDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 7.16.2020". Showbuzzdaily. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  9. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.16.2020". Showbuzzdaily. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.