Live Show
Encyclopedia
"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
. The episode originally aired live
on the NBC
television network in the United States on October 14, 2010, with separate tapings for the East Coast television audience as well as the West Coast. "Live Show" featured appearances by Rachel Dratch
, Bill Hader
, Jon Hamm, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
.
On the fictional sketch comedy show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) show night, head writer Liz Lemon
(Fey) grows increasingly infuriated when no one seems to remember her 40th birthday. Just before TGSs live taping, Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) decides to break character
, much to his co-workers' chagrin. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) struggles with the consequences of his promise to give up drinking while his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
) is pregnant with their child.
"Live Show" was an experiment for 30 Rock—filming with a multiple-camera setup
before a studio audience
to broadcast live—and the episode received positive reviews for its boldness as well as the nostalgia it showed for classic sitcom conventions. The episode was also a ratings success, improving upon the audience that 30 Rock had grown since its last season.
(Tina Fey
), the head writer of The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS), is preparing to air another episode of TGS, but is angry that her co-workers have forgotten her 40th birthday. Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) frustrates her further by deciding to break character during the show's live broadcast in an homage to The Carol Burnett Show
. Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
), who also stars on TGS, is determined to not let Tracy upstage her and declares she will have a deliberate wardrobe malfunction
and bare her breast on live television if Tracy does not stop. As the show goes awry due to Tracy and Jenna's unprofessionalism, Liz is forced to cut away to commercials for Dr. Leo Spaceman's (Chris Parnell
) new album of erotic ballads to cure erectile dysfunction
and Drew Baird's (Jon Hamm) public service announcement
for hand-transplant surgery.
Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) struggles with a promise that he made to his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
)—he will not drink alcohol during her entire pregnancy in a show of solidarity with her. Instead, he takes up knitting and stage magic, but finds the urge to drink so strong that he begins sniffing paint cans and Jenna's breath just to get a whiff of alcohol. During TGS, Liz gets a phone call from her boyfriend Carol (Matt Damon
) informing her that he is going through extreme turbulence and may crash his plane.
In the final act of the show, Jack conspires with the cast and crew to give Liz a last-minute birthday surprise which he wants to appear like they planned all along and Carol safely lands his plane. All they can muster on short notice is a polka
band and a large cake with Fonzie
on it—gifts that were intended to celebrate janitor Jadwiga's (Rachel Dratch
) birthday, who proceeds to ruin the TGS goodnights and tear into the cake with her bare hands. In Jack's office, Liz and Jack share a drink as Liz's birthday wish. In the final scene, as Jack takes a drink, the program reverts to a pre-recorded segment and Jack says, "That's more like it." The episode ends with a live goodnight from the TGS stage by the cast of the episode, a la Saturday Night Live
.
. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
, a long-time television director who worked with Fey on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live
(SNL).
On July 30, 2010, the NBC
network announced that an episode of 30 Rocks fifth season
would be filmed and broadcast live on two occasions in the evening of October 14, 2010. The decision was made in part due to lagging ratings for all of NBC's Must-See TV line-up, and the idea was originally conceived during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
, when the cast performed two live versions of the season two
episode "Secrets and Lies
" as a benefit at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
in New York City. When asked by Entertainment Weekly
the reason of doing a live episode, Fey said "[The live performance] was what made us think that it would be fun to do [a live episode]. And how far we've come... Now we're going to do it on TV." In this same interview, Fey revealed that the episode would also be performed in front of a live audience. "It will be exciting for us to do it for a live audience and see if we get live laughter." Fey noted that the experience "was so fun to feel the different timing of the show live and the audience response, which you just don't get in a single-camera show." In another interview, Fey revealed that the staff have talked about doing a live show for years "because we felt we had sort of interesting personnel for it", and following the conclusion of the writers' strike they spoke to NBC about performing live and attempted to film it during the fourth season
; however, they were unable to schedule it. For the fifth season, the writing staff began planning the live performance and waited until McCarthy-Miller—a recurring 30 Rock director—was available to helm it. Fey and Carlock said in separate discussions that another decision to do this episode of 30 Rock was based on the cast having theater and improvisation experience. Alec Baldwin had previously performed in the East and West live broadcasts of the Will & Grace
season 8 premiere episode, "Alive and Schticking
".
Prior to the broadcast, the cast rehearsed "Live Show" for three days and had one rehearsal before a live audience the day of broadcast. The two separate recordings of the episode resulted in a live telecast to American viewers in both the East
and West Coasts
of the United States—the crew briefly considered a third broadcast for the Midwest
, but decided against it. The initial East Coast broadcast included a theme song sung by Jane Krakowski and the later West Coast version's song was performed by Cheyenne Jackson
—the two also performed to warm-up the crowd in the rehearsal. In addition, the two episodes had a few scripted differences, such as the lyrics to Dr. Leo Spaceman's song, an instance of Liz Lemon mocking Jack Donaghy's office assistant Jonathan (Maulik Pancholy
) by referring to him as a character from the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire
in the East Coast broadcast and Aladdin in the West Coast airing, the subtitle in the Fox News skit, and the fictional commercial that featured Drew Baird is different—in the initial airing, he is given a hand transplant from an executed black man; in the second, he has a woman's hand. This episode marks Rachel Dratch's first appearance on 30 Rock since season one
, and her first work since delivering her son Eli on August 24, 2010.
rather than film stock
, the video quality for this episode was noticeably different from standard episodes of 30 Rock. Jack acknowledges this at the start of the episode by asking why everything looks like a "Mexican soap opera
." Throughout the episode, the characters broke the fourth wall
—a term used when a character in a television show, film or on stage directly addresses the audience: Tracy Jordan's unprofessional acting within the TGS episode, Jack's references to the video quality, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
' portrayal of Liz in cut-away sequences, and the re-hashing of standard sitcom plot elements.
In addition, there were several connections with SNL: Fey, Morgan, Dratch, Bill Hader
, Louis-Dreyfus, Parnell, and director McCarthy-Miller are all SNL alumni (fellow alumnus Will Ferrell
was asked to reprise his recurring "Bitch Hunter
" character, but had a scheduling conflict); the show was filmed in SNLs Studio 8H before a live audience; the ending sequence was a good night from the cast while the credits scrolled (and the credits used the same font as SNL); and promos leading up to the episode were voiced by long-time SNL announcer Don Pardo
. The music for the episode—both for the TGS sequences and incidental underscore—was provided live by the SNL house band under the direction of Fey's husband Jeff Richmond
and Leon Pendarvis. Furthermore, long-time SNL producer Lorne Michaels
attended the rehearsal and performances to give his advice. Each commercial break during the show was predicated on an emergency commercial break on TGS, including a fictional commercial and a fake NBC technical difficulties screen.
competitor and timeslot leader $h*! My Dad Says by 0.1. This rating was the show's highest since December 10, 2009, episode "Secret Santa
" and the highest overall for NBC in the 8:30 p.m. Thursday timeslot for non-sports events since December 2009.
Critical reception of the episode was largely positive. Todd VanDerWerff—writing for The A.V. Club
—gave the episode an A−, noting the nostalgia for classic television and specifically three-camera sitcoms that this episode displayed. While the pace and tone of "Live Show" were different from a standard episode of 30 Rock, he considers this episode, "an experiment, as a weird hybrid of 30 Rock, an old sitcom, and Saturday Night Live" and ultimately a success. James Poniewozik
of Time
also wrote that the episode was uneven, but successful as a tribute to television. TV Squad's Bob Sassone
was impressed by the episode, specifically Fey's performance and Louis-Dreyfus' imitation of Liz Lemon. Other positive reviews have noted the lack of mistakes in the comic timing and performance, the strength of the guest stars, and the performers' ability to keep up the pace that is expected in a 30 Rock episode. Frazier Moore of the Associated Press
gave the episode a negative review, calling it "vaudevillian
" and "a slice of self-indulgence and excess." Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald
considered the episode "so-so" due to its "humdrum script." As a live television experiment, reviewers have considered it a success, particularly in reference to other live broadcast experiments, such as NBC drama ER
s 1997 episode "Ambush" and SNL, with Entertainment Weekly
declaring it "like SNL, only funny." In reviewing the best television programs of 2010, The A.V. Club named 30 Rock number 18 and cited this episode as amongst the best of the year.
30 Rock (season 5)
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...
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...
, and the 84th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy or Beth McCarthy-Miller was the director of NBCs Saturday Night Live starting in 1995. She left SNL in 2006 at the end of season 31, replaced as director by Don Roy King...
, and co-written by series creator 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...
and co-showrunner and 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:...
. The episode originally 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...
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...
television network in the United States on October 14, 2010, with separate tapings for the East Coast television audience as well as the West Coast. "Live Show" featured appearances by Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch
Rachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
, Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
, Jon Hamm, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
.
On the fictional sketch comedy show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) show night, head writer 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:...
(Fey) grows increasingly infuriated when no one seems to remember her 40th birthday. Just before TGSs live taping, 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:...
(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:...
) decides to break character
Breaking character
Breaking character, "to break character", is a theatrical term used to describe when an actor, while actively performing in character, slips out of character and behaves as his or her actual self...
, much to his co-workers' chagrin. 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...
) struggles with the consequences of his promise to give up drinking while his girlfriend Avery Jessup (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...
) is pregnant with their child.
"Live Show" was an experiment for 30 Rock—filming with a multiple-camera setup
Multiple-camera setup
The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, or multicam is a method of filmmaking and video production. Several cameras—either film or professional video cameras—are employed on the set and simultaneously record or broadcast a scene...
before a studio audience
Studio audience
A studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...
to broadcast live—and the episode received positive reviews for its boldness as well as the nostalgia it showed for classic sitcom conventions. The episode was also a ratings success, improving upon the audience that 30 Rock had grown since its last season.
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
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 head writer of The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS), is preparing to air another episode of TGS, but is angry that her co-workers have forgotten her 40th birthday. 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:...
(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:...
) frustrates her further by deciding to break character during the show's live broadcast in an homage to The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33...
. 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...
(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...
), who also stars on TGS, is determined to not let Tracy upstage her and declares she will have a deliberate wardrobe malfunction
Wardrobe malfunction
A wardrobe malfunction is a euphemism for accidental exposure of intimate parts. It is different from flashing, as the latter implies a deliberate exposure...
and bare her breast on live television if Tracy does not stop. As the show goes awry due to Tracy and Jenna's unprofessionalism, Liz is forced to cut away to commercials for Dr. Leo Spaceman's (Chris Parnell
Chris Parnell
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
) new album of erotic ballads to cure erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance....
and Drew Baird's (Jon Hamm) public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
for hand-transplant surgery.
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...
) struggles with a promise that he made to his girlfriend Avery Jessup (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...
)—he will not drink alcohol during her entire pregnancy in a show of solidarity with her. Instead, he takes up knitting and stage magic, but finds the urge to drink so strong that he begins sniffing paint cans and Jenna's breath just to get a whiff of alcohol. During TGS, Liz gets a phone call from her boyfriend Carol (Matt Damon
Matt 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...
) informing her that he is going through extreme turbulence and may crash his plane.
In the final act of the show, Jack conspires with the cast and crew to give Liz a last-minute birthday surprise which he wants to appear like they planned all along and Carol safely lands his plane. All they can muster on short notice is a polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
band and a large cake with Fonzie
Fonzie
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days . He was originally a secondary character, but eventually became the lead...
on it—gifts that were intended to celebrate janitor Jadwiga's (Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch
Rachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
) birthday, who proceeds to ruin the TGS goodnights and tear into the cake with her bare hands. In Jack's office, Liz and Jack share a drink as Liz's birthday wish. In the final scene, as Jack takes a drink, the program reverts to a pre-recorded segment and Jack says, "That's more like it." The episode ends with a live goodnight from the TGS stage by the cast of the episode, a la 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...
.
Production
"Live Show" was co-written by series creator, executive producer, and lead actress Fey and co-showrunner and executive producer Robert CarlockRobert 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:...
. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy or Beth McCarthy-Miller was the director of NBCs Saturday Night Live starting in 1995. She left SNL in 2006 at the end of season 31, replaced as director by Don Roy King...
, a long-time television director who worked with Fey on the sketch comedy show 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...
(SNL).
On July 30, 2010, 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 announced that an episode of 30 Rocks fifth season
30 Rock (season 5)
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...
would be filmed and broadcast live on two occasions in the evening of October 14, 2010. The decision was made in part due to lagging ratings for all of NBC's Must-See TV line-up, and the idea was originally conceived during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
, when the cast performed two live versions of the season two
30 Rock (season 2)
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. 30 Rock takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series depicted as airing on NBC; the name refers to 30 Rockefeller...
episode "Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies (30 Rock)
"Secrets and Lies" is the eighth episode of the second season of 30 Rock, and the twenty-ninth overall. It was written by Ron Weiner and directed by Michael Engler. The episode first aired on December 6, 2007 on the NBC network in the United States...
" as a benefit at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre or UCB Theatre is an improvisational theatre and associated UCB Training Center with locations in Chelsea, New York, the EEast Village, New York and Hollywood, California.....
in New York City. When asked by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
the reason of doing a live episode, Fey said "[The live performance] was what made us think that it would be fun to do [a live episode]. And how far we've come... Now we're going to do it on TV." In this same interview, Fey revealed that the episode would also be performed in front of a live audience. "It will be exciting for us to do it for a live audience and see if we get live laughter." Fey noted that the experience "was so fun to feel the different timing of the show live and the audience response, which you just don't get in a single-camera show." In another interview, Fey revealed that the staff have talked about doing a live show for years "because we felt we had sort of interesting personnel for it", and following the conclusion of the writers' strike they spoke to NBC about performing live and attempted to film it during 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...
; however, they were unable to schedule it. For the fifth season, the writing staff began planning the live performance and waited until McCarthy-Miller—a recurring 30 Rock director—was available to helm it. Fey and Carlock said in separate discussions that another decision to do this episode of 30 Rock was based on the cast having theater and improvisation experience. Alec Baldwin had previously performed in the East and West live broadcasts of the Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
season 8 premiere episode, "Alive and Schticking
Alive and Schticking
"Alive and Schticking" is the season premiere of the American television series Will & Graces eight season. It was written by Bill Wrubel and directed by series producer James Burrows. The episode was broadcast live on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on September 29, 2005,...
".
Prior to the broadcast, the cast rehearsed "Live Show" for three days and had one rehearsal before a live audience the day of broadcast. The two separate recordings of the episode resulted in a live telecast to American viewers in both the East
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
and West Coasts
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
of the United States—the crew briefly considered a third broadcast for the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
, but decided against it. The initial East Coast broadcast included a theme song sung by Jane Krakowski and the later West Coast version's song was performed by 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...
—the two also performed to warm-up the crowd in the rehearsal. In addition, the two episodes had a few scripted differences, such as the lyrics to Dr. Leo Spaceman's song, an instance of Liz Lemon mocking Jack Donaghy's office assistant Jonathan (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....
) by referring to him as a character from the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
in the East Coast broadcast and Aladdin in the West Coast airing, the subtitle in the Fox News skit, and the fictional commercial that featured Drew Baird is different—in the initial airing, he is given a hand transplant from an executed black man; in the second, he has a woman's hand. This episode marks Rachel Dratch's first appearance on 30 Rock since season one
30 Rock (season 1)
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...
, and her first work since delivering her son Eli on August 24, 2010.
Connection with television tropes
As the live broadcast of "Live Show" was recorded with TV cameras edited live to videoVideo
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
rather than film stock
Film stock
Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. The equivalent in television production is video tape.-1889–1899:...
, the video quality for this episode was noticeably different from standard episodes of 30 Rock. Jack acknowledges this at the start of the episode by asking why everything looks like a "Mexican soap opera
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
." Throughout the episode, the characters broke the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
—a term used when a character in a television show, film or on stage directly addresses the audience: Tracy Jordan's unprofessional acting within the TGS episode, Jack's references to the video quality, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
' portrayal of Liz in cut-away sequences, and the re-hashing of standard sitcom plot elements.
In addition, there were several connections with SNL: Fey, Morgan, Dratch, Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
, Louis-Dreyfus, Parnell, and director McCarthy-Miller are all SNL alumni (fellow alumnus Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
was asked to reprise his recurring "Bitch Hunter
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...
" character, but had a scheduling conflict); the show was filmed in SNLs Studio 8H before a live audience; the ending sequence was a good night from the cast while the credits scrolled (and the credits used the same font as SNL); and promos leading up to the episode were voiced by long-time SNL announcer Don Pardo
Don Pardo
Dominick George "Don" Pardo is an American radio and television announcer. He is best known as the voice of the long-running late night sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live....
. The music for the episode—both for the TGS sequences and incidental underscore—was provided live by the SNL house band under the direction of Fey's husband Jeff Richmond
Jeff Richmond
Jeffrey "Jeff" Wayne Richmond is an American composer, actor and television producer. Richmond currently produces and composes the music for 30 Rock, a sitcom created by and starring his wife Tina Fey.-Career:...
and Leon Pendarvis. Furthermore, long-time SNL producer Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels, CM is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it.-Early life:...
attended the rehearsal and performances to give his advice. Each commercial break during the show was predicated on an emergency commercial break on TGS, including a fictional commercial and a fake NBC technical difficulties screen.
Reception
"Live Show" drew in the largest audience for 30 Rock, season five, with 6.701 million viewers, and reached a season high 3.1 Nielsen rating/9% share with adults 18–49, which was a 43% increase over the previous episode and a 15% increase from the season premiere; it trailed CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
competitor and timeslot leader $h*! My Dad Says by 0.1. This rating was the show's highest since December 10, 2009, episode "Secret Santa
Secret Santa (30 Rock)
"Secret Santa" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 66th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by series' creator Tina Fey and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
" and the highest overall for NBC in the 8:30 p.m. Thursday timeslot for non-sports events since December 2009.
Critical reception of the episode was largely positive. Todd VanDerWerff—writing for The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
—gave the episode an A−, noting the nostalgia for classic television and specifically three-camera sitcoms that this episode displayed. While the pace and tone of "Live Show" were different from a standard episode of 30 Rock, he considers this episode, "an experiment, as a weird hybrid of 30 Rock, an old sitcom, and Saturday Night Live" and ultimately a success. James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...
of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
also wrote that the episode was uneven, but successful as a tribute to television. TV Squad's 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....
was impressed by the episode, specifically Fey's performance and Louis-Dreyfus' imitation of Liz Lemon. Other positive reviews have noted the lack of mistakes in the comic timing and performance, the strength of the guest stars, and the performers' ability to keep up the pace that is expected in a 30 Rock episode. Frazier Moore of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
gave the episode a negative review, calling it "vaudevillian
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
" and "a slice of self-indulgence and excess." Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
considered the episode "so-so" due to its "humdrum script." As a live television experiment, reviewers have considered it a success, particularly in reference to other live broadcast experiments, such as NBC drama ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
s 1997 episode "Ambush" and SNL, with Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
declaring it "like SNL, only funny." In reviewing the best television programs of 2010, The A.V. Club named 30 Rock number 18 and cited this episode as amongst the best of the year.