30 Rock (season 5)
Encyclopedia
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.
On July 31, 2010, NBC announced that an episode of 30 Rocks fifth season
would be filmed and broadcast live, twice, on the evening of October 14, 2010. The two separate recordings resulted in a live telecast of the episode to American viewers in both the West and East Coast. The episode was a ratings success and was met with very positive reviews. The season also featured the show's 100th episode
, which aired as a one hour episode.
), a man she met in the episode "I Do Do
", and Jack practicing to be and then being a father. Jack finally marries the woman he chose in "I Do Do", but an error in the wedding certificate leads to shocking results. Jack meets with Kabletown's boss, Hank Hooper (Ken Howard
), who acts rather like Kenneth, and meets his competition in his granddaughter, Kaylee Hooper (Chloë Moretz
). Meanwhile, Tracy also becomes a father and finally gets an EGOT ("E" standing for "Emmy", "G" for "Grammy", "O" Oscar
", and "T" for "Tony
" ). However, the pressure of being an award-winning celebrity leads Tracy to nearly bring TGS to cancellation. With the help of Jenna, Kenneth tries to get back into the NBC Page Program. Tracy's wife, Angie, is given a reality show of her own, "Queen of Jordan
", which was aired as an episode of 30 Rock. In the middle of the season, Jack and Avery's daughter is born, but a few episodes later, something happens in their relationship that separates them, possibly forever. Jenna continues her relationship with Paul. The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) celebrates its 100th episode.
portrays Liz Lemon
, the head writer
of a fictitious live sketch-comedy television series TGS. The TGS cast consists of two main actors. The lead actor is the loose cannon movie star Tracy Jordan
, portrayed by Tracy Morgan
. His co-star is the extremely narcissistic Jenna Maroney
, portrayed by Jane Krakowski
. Jack "Danny" Baker (Cheyenne Jackson
) is the newest TGS cast member. Jack McBrayer
plays the naïve NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
. Scott Adsit
acts as the witty and wise TGS producer, Pete Hornberger. Judah Friedlander
portrays trucker hat
-wearing staff writer Frank Rossitano. Alec Baldwin
plays the NBC network executive Jack Donaghy
. Donaghy's full corporate title for the majority of the season is "Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming". Keith Powell
plays the Harvard University
alumnus and TGS staff writer James "Toofer" Spurlock. Katrina Bowden
acts as writers' assistant Cerie Xerox. The cast features recurring characters, including Maulik Pancholy
as Jonathan, Grizz Chapman
as Grizz Griswold, Kevin Brown
as "Dot Com" Slattery, and John Lutz
as J.D. Lutz. The cast also features recurring guest star Elizabeth Banks
, who stars as Avery Jessup, Jack's wife. She has been prominently featured throughout the season. Condoleezza Rice
appeared as a fictional version of herself, an old girlfriend of Jack Donaghy.
", drew 5.9 million viewers, an increase from the previous episode, "I Do Do
" (5.5 million), but a decrease on the fourth season
premiere, "Season 4
", which had drawn an audience of 6.4 million. The fourth episode of the season, "Live Show
", aired live
and demonstrated a turnaround, attracting a season high of 6.7 million viewers. This figure was the highest overall for NBC in the 8:30 p.m. Thursday timeslot for non-sports events since December 2009. Following NBC's decision to move 30 Rock to the later time of 10:00 p.m. for the second half of the season, ratings declined to beneath five million viewers per week, starting with the episode "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning
".
The penultimate episode of the season, "Everything Sunny All the Time Always
" became the new lowest-rated episode of the series, with less than four million viewers tuned in. Previously, the fourth season episode "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
" had been the lowest-rated, with four million. The season finale, "Respawn
", attracted 4.2 million viewers, and overall, the season averaged 5.3 million viewers, ranking one hundred and sixth for the year, according to Nielsen Media Research
.
30 Rock season five was found to have added an average of 30 percent more viewers in the 18–49 demographic, when DVR
plus seven day viewers were factored in. This is a measurement of the viewers who recorded the series and viewed it within seven days of broadcast. In all, the season added 1.4 million (28 percent) more total viewers when seven day results were factored in.
It is noted as a "comeback" season for 30 Rock after what critics considered an uneven fourth season.
and before The Office on Thursdays. On November 15, 2010, it was announced 30 Rock would move to 10:00 p.m., following Parks and Recreation
starting January 20, 2011 (the show's sixth season renewal was also announced along with this information). Episode 22 - "Everything Sunny All the Time Always" aired at the special time of Thursday at 10:30-11:00 (ET/PT), due to extended episodes of The Office and Parks and Recreation
.
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, an American television comedy
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
series on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
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
Mrs. Donaghy
"Mrs. Donaghy" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 91st overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt and directed by Tricia Brock. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting...
, 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.
On July 31, 2010, NBC announced that an episode of 30 Rocks fifth season
Live Show
"Live Show" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 84th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, and co-written by series creator Tina Fey and co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock...
would be filmed and broadcast live, twice, on the evening of October 14, 2010. The two separate recordings resulted in a live telecast of the episode to American viewers in both the West and East Coast. The episode was a ratings success and was met with very positive reviews. The season also featured the show's 100th episode
100 episodes
In the U.S. television industry, 100 episodes is the traditional threshold at which point a television series becomes viable for syndication. 100 episodes are advantageous for stripped syndication because such shows can be sold for higher per-episode pricing; it also allows for 20 weeks of...
, which aired as a one hour episode.
Synopsis
Season 5 continues with Liz in a relationship with Carol (Matt DamonMatt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
), a man she met in the episode "I Do Do
I Do Do
"I Do Do" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 80th overall episode of the series. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey...
", and Jack practicing to be and then being a father. Jack finally marries the woman he chose in "I Do Do", but an error in the wedding certificate leads to shocking results. Jack meets with Kabletown's boss, Hank Hooper (Ken Howard
Ken Howard
Kenneth Joseph "Ken" Howard, Jr. is an American actor, best known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow...
), who acts rather like Kenneth, and meets his competition in his granddaughter, Kaylee Hooper (Chloë Moretz
Chloe Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz is an American actress, known for her role as Hit-Girl in the 2010 superhero film Kick-Ass. She also appeared in The Amityville Horror, Days of Summer, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hugo, and portrayed Abby, the child vampire, in Let Me In.-Personal life:Moretz was born in Atlanta,...
). Meanwhile, Tracy also becomes a father and finally gets an EGOT ("E" standing for "Emmy", "G" for "Grammy", "O" Oscar
Oscar
Oscar, The Oscar, OSCAR or Oskar may refer to:* Academy Award or Oscar, presented by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for cinematic film achievements...
", and "T" for "Tony
Tony
Tony is a male name. It can be a short form of Anthony or Antonio. It may refer to:* Anthony , includes a list of people with this name* Kawasaki Ki-61, a Japanese WWII-era fighter aircraft, code-named "Tony"...
" ). However, the pressure of being an award-winning celebrity leads Tracy to nearly bring TGS to cancellation. With the help of Jenna, Kenneth tries to get back into the NBC Page Program. Tracy's wife, Angie, is given a reality show of her own, "Queen of Jordan
Queen of Jordan (30 Rock)
"Queen of Jordan" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 97th overall episode of the series. It was "written" by Tracey Wigfield and directed by Ken Whittingham. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
", which was aired as an episode of 30 Rock. In the middle of the season, Jack and Avery's daughter is born, but a few episodes later, something happens in their relationship that separates them, possibly forever. Jenna continues her relationship with Paul. The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) celebrates its 100th episode.
Cast
Tina FeyTina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
portrays Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
, the head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
of a fictitious live sketch-comedy television series TGS. The TGS cast consists of two main actors. The lead actor is the loose cannon movie star Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
, portrayed by Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
. His co-star is the extremely narcissistic Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
, portrayed by Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
. Jack "Danny" Baker (Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
) is the newest TGS cast member. Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
plays the naïve NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
. Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
acts as the witty and wise TGS producer, Pete Hornberger. Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...
portrays trucker hat
Trucker hat
A trucker hat or mesh hat is a type of baseball cap. It is also sometimes known as a "gimme cap" or a "feed cap" because this style of hat originated as a promotional give-away from feed or farming supply companies to farmers, truck drivers, or other rural workers.The design of a trucker hat is...
-wearing staff writer Frank Rossitano. Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
plays the NBC network executive Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
. Donaghy's full corporate title for the majority of the season is "Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming". Keith Powell
Keith Powell
Keith Powell is an American television actor who is best known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.-Career:Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware...
plays the Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
alumnus and TGS staff writer James "Toofer" Spurlock. Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden is an American actress. She is known for her short role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live and for her role as Cerie in 30 Rock .- Education :...
acts as writers' assistant Cerie Xerox. The cast features recurring characters, including Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Sanjay on Weeds from 2005 to present, and his role as Jonathan on 30 Rock, which he has played since the show began in 2006....
as Jonathan, Grizz Chapman
Grizz Chapman
Grizzwald "Grizz" Chapman is an American television actor best known for his recurring role as Grizz on the NBC series 30 Rock. A June 2007 interview with rollingout.com lists Chapman's height as 6'10". In his commentary for the episode "Tracy Does Conan," Tracy Morgan revealed that they met when...
as Grizz Griswold, Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
as "Dot Com" Slattery, and John Lutz
John Lutz (television writer)
John Lutz is an American actor, writer and comedian.-Biography:The son of a Lutheran minister, Lutz grew up in suburban Chicago and Detroit. He attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, majoring in psychology and minoring in...
as J.D. Lutz. The cast also features recurring guest star Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
, who stars as Avery Jessup, Jack's wife. She has been prominently featured throughout the season. Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
appeared as a fictional version of herself, an old girlfriend of Jack Donaghy.
Ratings
The fifth season premiere, "The Fabian StrategyThe Fabian Strategy
"The Fabian Strategy" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 81st overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, and written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey...
", drew 5.9 million viewers, an increase from the previous episode, "I Do Do
I Do Do
"I Do Do" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 80th overall episode of the series. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey...
" (5.5 million), but a decrease on the fourth season
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
premiere, "Season 4
Season 4 (30 Rock)
"Season 4" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 59th episode overall. It was written by the series creator, executive producer and lead actress, Tina Fey and directed by series producer Don Scardino. The episode originally aired on the...
", which had drawn an audience of 6.4 million. The fourth episode of the season, "Live Show
Live Show
"Live Show" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 84th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, and co-written by series creator Tina Fey and co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock...
", aired live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
and demonstrated a turnaround, attracting a season high of 6.7 million viewers. This figure was the highest overall for NBC in the 8:30 p.m. Thursday timeslot for non-sports events since December 2009. Following NBC's decision to move 30 Rock to the later time of 10:00 p.m. for the second half of the season, ratings declined to beneath five million viewers per week, starting with the episode "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning
Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning
"Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by executive producer Robert Carlock. The director of this episode was Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
".
The penultimate episode of the season, "Everything Sunny All the Time Always
Everything Sunny All the Time Always
"Everything Sunny All the Time Always" is the twenty-first episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 102nd overall episode of the series. It was written by Producer Kay Cannon & Co-Executive Producer Matt Hubbard and directed by John Riggi...
" became the new lowest-rated episode of the series, with less than four million viewers tuned in. Previously, the fourth season episode "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 75th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon and series creator Tina Fey. The episode was directed by series producer Don Scardino...
" had been the lowest-rated, with four million. The season finale, "Respawn
Respawn (30 Rock)
"Respawn" is the twenty-third episode and season finale of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 103rd overall episode of the series. It was directed by Don Scardino, and written by Hannibal Buress and Ron Weiner. The episode originally aired on the National...
", attracted 4.2 million viewers, and overall, the season averaged 5.3 million viewers, ranking one hundred and sixth for the year, according to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
.
30 Rock season five was found to have added an average of 30 percent more viewers in the 18–49 demographic, when DVR
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
plus seven day viewers were factored in. This is a measurement of the viewers who recorded the series and viewed it within seven days of broadcast. In all, the season added 1.4 million (28 percent) more total viewers when seven day results were factored in.
It is noted as a "comeback" season for 30 Rock after what critics considered an uneven fourth season.
Timeslot
During the fall of 2010, the show aired at 8:30 p.m., after CommunityCommunity (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
and before The Office on Thursdays. On November 15, 2010, it was announced 30 Rock would move to 10:00 p.m., following Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
starting January 20, 2011 (the show's sixth season renewal was also announced along with this information). Episode 22 - "Everything Sunny All the Time Always" aired at the special time of Thursday at 10:30-11:00 (ET/PT), due to extended episodes of The Office and Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
.
Episodes
| Series episode |
Season episode |
Title | Directed by | Written by | U.S. viewers (million) |
Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|