Christmas Special (30 Rock)
Encyclopedia
"Christmas Special" is the sixth episode of the third season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
. It was written by executive story editor Kay Cannon
, and series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey
. The director of this episode was series producer Don Scardino
. The episode originally aired on December 11, 2008 on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC).
In the episode, Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) decides to help a charity for underprivileged children after her parents ditch their holiday plans. Jack Donaghy
's (Alec Baldwin
) mother, Colleen (Elaine Stritch
), stops Jack from going on a Christmas vacation so he ends up taking his frustration out on the TGS staff. The TGS crew have to ditch their own plans for a holiday-themed episode of the show.
"Christmas Special" received mixed reviews from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
system, it was watched by 8.9 million households during its original broadcast, becoming the series' highest rated episode. For her performance in this episode, Elaine Stritch received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination in the category for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
(Tina Fey) announces to the staff of The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) that she is participating in a charity which provides gifts to underprivileged children who write letters to Santa. She buys far more than what is requested in the letter, wanting to see the children's happiness. When Liz delivers the presents to the apartment in the letter, however, the door is answered by two adults who take the gifts, and she believes she has been tricked. Receiving no help from the US Postal Service, who run the charity, she attempts to have it shut down. This upsets Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) who refuses to believe anyone would scam a Christmas
charity. She takes Kenneth back to the apartment to prove she was right, but two children answer the door and Liz accidentally reveals to them that Santa Claus
is not real.
Meanwhile Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) accidentally backs into his mother, Colleen Donaghy (Elaine Stritch
), with his car in Florida. Bedridden, she decides to stay with Jack, and her presence greatly annoys him. Jack reveals to Liz that after he hit his mother he waited eight minutes before calling 9-1-1
, and is worried she will find out. Jack tries to stay away from his mother by having the cast and crew of TGS produce a last-minute Christmas special. However, Colleen discovers the secret, and confronts him with it. Jack responds by expressing his anger with her for her behavior at Christmas while he was a child. Ultimately, after talking with Liz, Jack realizes that Colleen was actually a caring mother, and reconciles with her.
, and series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey
. This episode was directed by series producer Don Scardino
. This was Cannon and Fey's third script collaboration, having co-written the episodes "Black Tie
" and "Somebody to Love
". "Christmas Special" originally aired on NBC in the United States on December 11, 2008.
The story with the Jack Donaghy
character accidentally hitting his mother with his car was based on an experience by one of the 30 Rock writers. According to executive producer Robert Carlock
: "This actually happened. The niece of one of our writers hit her grandmother—the writer's mother—with her car. We kind of spent a day saying, 'Can we do this? Is everything going to be okay?' And she was fine, so we figured that would be a fun, fraught thing to happen between Jack and his mom, especially right before Christmas."
This was Elaine Stritch
's third appearance as Collen Donaghy, Jack's mother, on 30 Rock. She guest starred in the episodes "Hiatus
" and "Ludachristmas
". At the end of "Christmas Special", Jack and Colleen sing a duet of "The Christmas Song
". In regards to the duet, Stritch told TV Guide
: "It's [Jack's] fantasy. It was an interesting acting challenge. I didn't sing it like I sing it; I sang it like I imagined Colleen Donaghy would try to sing it." Jane Krakowski
's character, Jenna Maroney
, also performs the song in the episode.
system, and became the show's highest rated episode so far. It received a 3.8 rating/9 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that 3.8% of all people in that group, and 9% of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. The season premiere episode, "Do-Over
", was up until that point the highest rated episode of the show, with 8.7 million viewers. Elaine Stritch received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards
for her work in this episode, but lost it to Tina Fey for her satirical portrayal of Sarah Palin
on Saturday Night Live
.
Critical reception of the episode was not entirely favorable. Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger
commented that he had not really liked any of Elaine Stritch's appearances as Jack's mother on the series, writing that "Jack's fear and loathing of his mother just feels claustrophobic and uncomfortable instead of funny, and I'm as eager to see the end of her visits as [Jack] usually is." Sepinwall said that "very little" of "Christmas Special" worked. "I want to be in the holiday spirit, but this is two Christmas duds in a row from 30 Rock, and we can't even blame the looming writers strike this time around." IGN
contributor Robert Canning believed the show could have delivered a Christmas episode, but noted that their attempt at it "was a little less than satisfying. The ideas were there, but the rhythm of the episode was off." Nonetheless, Canning said the episode was not terrible. He enjoyed all the plots except for Liz's, writing that it did not quite fit, and that "the overall result of Liz's plot just wasn't all that funny." In conclusion, Canning gave the episode a 7.8 out of 10 rating. Jeremy Medina for Paste
found that there was nothing "special" about this episode. In his opinion, Liz should be featured in "new and exciting plot line[s]" rather than helping Jack endure his troubles with his mother.
Not all reviews were negative; Bob Sassone
of AOL
's TV Squad wrote: "I'm a sucker for Christmas episodes." He was complimentary towards Stritch's role as Jack's mother, citing that she has been "demanding and a little difficult, but she also makes you really feel for her."
30 Rock (season 3)
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...
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
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...
. It was written by executive story editor Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon is an American television writer and actress who is best known for her work as an Emmy nominated writer and producer for the NBC series 30 Rock.-Biography:...
, and series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey
Tina 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...
. The director of this episode was series producer Don Scardino
Don Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
. The episode originally aired on December 11, 2008 on the National Broadcasting Company
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...
(NBC).
In the episode, 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:...
(Tina Fey
Tina 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...
) decides to help a charity for underprivileged children after her parents ditch their holiday plans. 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....
's (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...
) mother, Colleen (Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
), stops Jack from going on a Christmas vacation so he ends up taking his frustration out on the TGS staff. The TGS crew have to ditch their own plans for a holiday-themed episode of the show.
"Christmas Special" received mixed reviews from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system, it was watched by 8.9 million households during its original broadcast, becoming the series' highest rated episode. For her performance in this episode, Elaine Stritch received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination in the category for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Plot
Liz LemonLiz 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:...
(Tina Fey) announces to the staff of The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) that she is participating in a charity which provides gifts to underprivileged children who write letters to Santa. She buys far more than what is requested in the letter, wanting to see the children's happiness. When Liz delivers the presents to the apartment in the letter, however, the door is answered by two adults who take the gifts, and she believes she has been tricked. Receiving no help from the US Postal Service, who run the charity, she attempts to have it shut down. This upsets 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...
(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"...
) who refuses to believe anyone would scam a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
charity. She takes Kenneth back to the apartment to prove she was right, but two children answer the door and Liz accidentally reveals to them that Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
is not real.
Meanwhile 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....
(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...
) accidentally backs into his mother, Colleen Donaghy (Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
), with his car in Florida. Bedridden, she decides to stay with Jack, and her presence greatly annoys him. Jack reveals to Liz that after he hit his mother he waited eight minutes before calling 9-1-1
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
, and is worried she will find out. Jack tries to stay away from his mother by having the cast and crew of TGS produce a last-minute Christmas special. However, Colleen discovers the secret, and confronts him with it. Jack responds by expressing his anger with her for her behavior at Christmas while he was a child. Ultimately, after talking with Liz, Jack realizes that Colleen was actually a caring mother, and reconciles with her.
Production
"Christmas Special" was written by executive story editor Kay CannonKay Cannon
Kay Cannon is an American television writer and actress who is best known for her work as an Emmy nominated writer and producer for the NBC series 30 Rock.-Biography:...
, and series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey
Tina 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...
. This episode was directed by series producer Don Scardino
Don Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
. This was Cannon and Fey's third script collaboration, having co-written the episodes "Black Tie
Black Tie (30 Rock)
"Black Tie" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was directed by Don Scardino, and written by Kay Cannon and series creator Tina Fey. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on February 1, 2007...
" and "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (30 Rock)
"Somebody to Love" is the sixth episode of the second season of 30 Rock, and the twenty-seventh episode overall. It was written by Kay Cannon and the series' creator, Tina Fey, and was directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode first aired on November 15, 2007 on the NBC network in the United States...
". "Christmas Special" originally aired on NBC in the United States on December 11, 2008.
The story with the 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....
character accidentally hitting his mother with his car was based on an experience by one of the 30 Rock writers. According to executive producer Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock is an American television producer and screenwriter most widely known for his work as a writer for several NBC television comedies, particularly his work with Tina Fey as show runners for 30 Rock.-Early years:...
: "This actually happened. The niece of one of our writers hit her grandmother—the writer's mother—with her car. We kind of spent a day saying, 'Can we do this? Is everything going to be okay?' And she was fine, so we figured that would be a fun, fraught thing to happen between Jack and his mom, especially right before Christmas."
This was Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
's third appearance as Collen Donaghy, Jack's mother, on 30 Rock. She guest starred in the episodes "Hiatus
Hiatus (30 Rock)
"Hiatus" is the twenty-first and season finale episode of NBC's first season of 30 Rock. It was written by series creator and executive producer Tina Fey, and was directed by Don Scardino. It first aired on April 26, 2007 in the United States...
" and "Ludachristmas
Ludachristmas
"Ludachristmas" is the ninth episode of the second season of the television series 30 Rock and was first broadcast on December 13, 2007 on the NBC network in the United States. The episode was written by Tami Sagher and directed by Don Scardino...
". At the end of "Christmas Special", Jack and Colleen sing a duet of "The Christmas Song
The Christmas Song
"The Christmas Song" is a classic Christmas song written in 1944 by musician, composer, and vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer...
". In regards to the duet, Stritch told TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
: "It's [Jack's] fantasy. It was an interesting acting challenge. I didn't sing it like I sing it; I sang it like I imagined Colleen Donaghy would try to sing it." 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...
's character, 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...
, also performs the song in the episode.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Christmas Special" was watched by 8.9 million households, according to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system, and became the show's highest rated episode so far. It received a 3.8 rating/9 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that 3.8% of all people in that group, and 9% of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. The season premiere episode, "Do-Over
Do-Over
"Do-Over" is the first episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the thirty-seventh episode overall. It was written by the series' creator, executive producer and lead actress, Tina Fey and directed by series producer Don Scardino...
", was up until that point the highest rated episode of the show, with 8.7 million viewers. Elaine Stritch received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards
61st Primetime Emmy Awards
The 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place on September 20, 2009. CBS broadcast the Primetime event and E! the Creative Arts event; both take place at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The nominations for the Awards were announced on July 16....
for her work in this episode, but lost it to Tina Fey for her satirical portrayal of Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
Critical reception of the episode was not entirely favorable. Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
commented that he had not really liked any of Elaine Stritch's appearances as Jack's mother on the series, writing that "Jack's fear and loathing of his mother just feels claustrophobic and uncomfortable instead of funny, and I'm as eager to see the end of her visits as [Jack] usually is." Sepinwall said that "very little" of "Christmas Special" worked. "I want to be in the holiday spirit, but this is two Christmas duds in a row from 30 Rock, and we can't even blame the looming writers strike this time around." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
contributor Robert Canning believed the show could have delivered a Christmas episode, but noted that their attempt at it "was a little less than satisfying. The ideas were there, but the rhythm of the episode was off." Nonetheless, Canning said the episode was not terrible. He enjoyed all the plots except for Liz's, writing that it did not quite fit, and that "the overall result of Liz's plot just wasn't all that funny." In conclusion, Canning gave the episode a 7.8 out of 10 rating. Jeremy Medina for Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
found that there was nothing "special" about this episode. In his opinion, Liz should be featured in "new and exciting plot line[s]" rather than helping Jack endure his troubles with his mother.
Not all reviews were negative; Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone is an American writer. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Italian and Portuguese parents. He is the youngest of seven children....
of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad wrote: "I'm a sucker for Christmas episodes." He was complimentary towards Stritch's role as Jack's mother, citing that she has been "demanding and a little difficult, but she also makes you really feel for her."
External links
- "Christmas Special," at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...