The Problem Solvers
Encyclopedia
"The Problem Solvers" is the fifth episode of the fourth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 63rd overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner
and directed by co-executive producer John Riggi
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) network in the United States on November 12, 2009. Guest stars in the episode include Josh Fadem, Cheyenne Jackson
, Padma Lakshmi
, and Shawn Levy
.
In the episode, the new cast member for the fictional sketch comedy
show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS), the robot|Jack "Danny" Baker]] (Jackson) arrives on set and learns the intricacies of the show. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) offers Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) a chance to create a television pilot
based on her "Dealbreakers" sketch but Liz decides to search for other offers. In addition, after offering some advice Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) and Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) decide to solve other problems of the cast and crew. Finally, NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) grows annoyed as the cast members begin to ask less of him.
"The Problem Solvers" received generally mixed reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
system, the episode was watched by 5.8 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.9 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
who dressed up like a robot and had very limited recent experience with "real acting".
Meanwhile, Jack offers Liz the chance to star in a new television pilot
based on her "Dealbreakers" sketch. She is initially excited, but Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney convince her to test the market and search for other offers before agreeing to work with Jack. Liz signs with a talent agent
(Josh Fadem) to explore other options, but later learns he is a low-level agent. Jack cannot stand Liz's dismissal of him, and as a result, he announces through the media that NBC is moving forward with the pilot's production and calls in Padma Lakshmi
as a potential new host in place of Liz. Liz threatens to sue Jack and NBC for the rights to "Dealbreakers", but Jack informs her that NBC owns the rights to it. Liz takes a meeting with Sports Shouting producer, Scottie Shofar (Shawn Levy
), and Jack meets with Padma. During their respective meetings, however, the two realize that they should work with one another. They shake hands at the end of the episode, agreeing to create the pilot together.
After giving advice to Liz, Tracy and Jenna spend the episode calling themselves "The Problem Solvers" giving the TGS crew advice on their lives. From the moment he arrives, Danny treats NBC page
Kenneth Parcell politely and does not ask him to run any errands for him, a break from how Tracy and Jenna treat him. Danny explains to the two that lower-level people such as pages often rise up to positions where they would be the boss of actors such as themselves, and as a result, he is polite to avoid building bad relationships with potential future bosses. Tracy and Jenna are convinced and also stop asking Kenneth for things. Kenneth becomes upset that he is losing his responsibilities and confronts Danny, driving him to yell at Kenneth. Danny, who is Canadian
, has had a hard time pronouncing the word "about", but after yelling at Kenneth, and saying "about" without an accent, thanks Kenneth for helping him.
and directed by John Riggi
, both co-executive producers on 30 Rock. This episode was Weiner's fifth writing credit, having penned "Secrets and Lies
", "Señor Macho Solo
", "Goodbye, My Friend
", and "Mamma Mia
", and was Riggi's second directed episode, having helmed "Goodbye My Friend" in the show's third season
. "The Problem Solvers" originally aired in the United States on November 12, 2009, on NBC as the fifth episode of the show's fourth season
and the 63rd overall episode of the series.
"The Problem Solvers" was filmed on October 23, October 28, and October 29, 2009. Jack Donaghy hiring the robot street performer in the previous episode, "Audition Day
", was first introduced in the fourth season premiere episode "Season 4
", in which Jack explains that the TGS staff have become too elitist and need to change to survive in tough economic times, and informs Liz Lemon—the head writer on TGS—to begin searching for a new cast member to help lessen this elitist image. In this episode, the robot street performer is introduced to the TGS crew as Danny Baker, and was played by actor Cheyenne Jackson
, who made his 30 Rock debut with this episode. Series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey
had seen Jackson in the Broadway musicals Xanadu
and Damn Yankees
, the latter that starred Jane Krakowski
, who plays Jenna Maroney on the show. According to Jackson in a November 2009 interview, Fey set up a meeting to interest him in a role on the program. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times
, it was revealed that it was Krakowski who brought Jackson to the attention of the 30 Rock producers. In "Audition Day", Jackson did not play the robot, instead actor Daniel Genalo played the character.
Actor Josh Fadem played an inexperienced agent that Liz signs with in the episode. In a November 2009 interview with Tulsa World
, Fadem admitted to "[flubbing] a couple lines" during filming, but that no one on the set "made me feel bad." Director Shawn Levy
guest starred in the episode as Scottie Shofar, a producer for the show Sports Shouting, and who Liz has a meeting with in regards to her "Dealbreakers" talk show. Levy directed Fey in the 2010 comedy film Date Night
. Padma Lakshmi
, the host of the reality show Top Chef
, played herself in this 30 Rock episode in which she is a potential new host for the "Dealbreakers" talk show.
and the different rules used between Canadian
and American football
(e.g. 3 downs instead of 4, 12 men per side instead of 11, though incorrectly uses meters while Canadian football uses yards). The episode twice refers to a fictional show Sports Shouting which features four panelists yelling at each other about sports. Some reviewers noted the similarity to the real show Around the Horn
, an ESPN
program which also features four panelists discussing sports in a competitive setting. J. A. Adande
, a frequent panelist on Around the Horn, said through his Twitter
page "Sports Shouting now tops 'Werewolf Bar Mitzvah' as my favorite 30 Rock gag."
When Jack tells Liz that Padma Lakshmi is coming in for the pilot she says "Then who's going to host Top Chef
? You're ruining my life!" referring to a cooking
reality television
show Lakshmi hosts which Liz had previously shown a taste for in the season two
episode "Cougars
". Tracy reveals that early in his career he signed a very badly structured contract which requires he publicize "Wade Boggs
Carpet World" five times whenever he appears on camera, a reference to the baseball
player Wade Boggs. Later, Jenna reveals that Scottie Shofar was her assistant in Trivial Pursuit
: The Movie. The latter is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. As Danny grew angry he described Kenneth as having a "weird Don Knotts
face" and a "Hitler Youth
haircut."
This was the fourth time the show referenced Liz's "Dealbreakers" story arc. This first began in the third season
episode "Mamma Mia
", in which Liz had written a comedy sketch titled "Dealbreakers", and in the sketch, Jenna doled out comedic catchphrases as relationship advice to other women such as "If he wears an Atlanta Falcons
jersey to your sister's wedding? That's a Dealbreaker, ladies!" Liz tried gaining attention for writing the sketch, but Jenna took all the credit for it, thus making Liz jealous. Liz dispensed more "Dealbreaker"-style romantic advice in a talk show appearance in the episode "Kidney Now!
" and at the end of the episode Liz told Jack that she had signed a book deal based on the sketch. In the episode "Into the Crevasse
", Liz's book is published, but receives backlash from men close to her, as they believe her advice damaged their relationships. In this 30 Rock episode, Jack offers Liz a chance to create a television pilot based on her "Dealbreakers" sketch and although Liz decides to search for other offers she ultimately decides to work on the pilot with Jack.
In its original American broadcast, "The Problem Solvers" was watched by 5.8 million households, according to the Nielsen ratings
system. It received a 2.9 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic, that is 2.9 percent of all people in that group, and 7 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was a decrease from the previous episode, "Audition Day
", which was watched by 5.9 million American viewers.
"The Problem Solvers" received generally mixed reviews. Robert Canning of IGN
reviewed the episode, giving it a 7.4 out of 10 rating and opining the episode had "a few audible chuckles and several silent smiles", and that the tone of it "was just off." He cited that the Liz and Jack characters on opposing sides "was not as much fun as seeing them working together", and that Jenna and Tracy's antics throughout the series have been "funny most of the time", though "very little clicked in this episode." Television columnist Alan Sepinwall of the The Star-Ledger
said that the Tracy and Jenna team "often seems too far out of the realm of reality ... to enjoy them." Sepinwall was positive about Cheyenne Jackson's debut, noting he "fit in well his first time out." Sean Gandert of Paste
magazine called the episode the "best so far in the season" but admitted he was "disappointed in it" for not coming "close to greatness and we all know [30 Rock' s] done it before and can do it again." Gandert, who has not been a fan of Liz's "Dealbreakers" storyline, commented her plot here was "somewhat annoying, generally not that interesting", and concluded "it's hard to really care" that Liz get her talk show.
Bob Sassone
of AOL
's TV Squad noted that he liked how Jack and Liz interacted throughout the episode, and enjoyed their meeting at the Rockefeller Center
at the end. The A.V. Club
' s Nathan Rabin was complimentary towards "The Problem Solvers", reporting it was better than the past four episodes, and writing it had "alternating currents of competition and collaboration, hostility and affection and love and hate" that, according to Rabin, define Jack and Liz's relationship. Rabin was positive towards Padma Lakshmi's guest appearance, and gave this episode a B grade rating. Entertainment Weekly
contributor Margaret Lyons deemed this 30 Rock episode as the best work from Jack McBrayer's Kenneth. "If there's been a better episode for Kenneth in 30 Rock history, I'd love to know: From the backwards-talking to the bizarre fury, this was Jack McBrayer's finest (half) hour." Nick Catucci of New York
magazine wrote that this was a "fine" episode "with Jenna and Tracy in classic dopey-duo form and a couple of great fantasy bits ... But the Jack, Liz, and Jenna triangle felt like the funniest-ever Three's Company
episode squeezed into a couple of minutes." Meredith Blake, a contributor for the Los Angeles Times
, said that she was looking forward to Lakshmi's cameo, but after the airing, "her scene fell a little flat." In regards to the episode, itself, Blake said it was "a solid if not mind-blowing episode, even with the presence of [Lakshmi]."
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...
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 63rd overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner
Ron Weiner
Ron Weiner is an American television writer. He has written for several shows, including 30 Rock, NewsRadio, Futurama, Arrested Development, Father of the Pride, and Help Me Help You....
and directed by co-executive producer John Riggi
John Riggi
John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
. It originally aired 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) network in the United States on November 12, 2009. Guest stars in the episode include Josh Fadem, 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...
, Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Parvati Lakshmi also Padma, Lady Rushdie is an American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for...
, and Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian-American actor, director and producer who directed the comedy films Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, Night at the Museum, Date Night, and the sci-fi movie Real Steel...
.
In the episode, the new cast member for the fictional sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS), the robot|Jack "Danny" Baker]] (Jackson) arrives on set and learns the intricacies of the show. 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...
) offers 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...
) a chance to create a television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
based on her "Dealbreakers" sketch but Liz decides to search for other offers. In addition, after offering some advice 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:...
) and 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...
) decide to solve other problems of the cast and crew. Finally, 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...
(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"...
) grows annoyed as the cast members begin to ask less of him.
"The Problem Solvers" received generally mixed reception 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, the episode was watched by 5.8 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.9 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
This episode opens with Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy, and the rest of the TGS with Tracy Jordan staff welcoming Jack Baker, the new cast member, to the show. After realizing that Baker has the same first name as him, Jack quickly decides to rename him Danny. In the previous episode, Danny was hired by Jack from his work as a street performerBusking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
who dressed up like a robot and had very limited recent experience with "real acting".
Meanwhile, Jack offers Liz the chance to star in a new television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
based on her "Dealbreakers" sketch. She is initially excited, but Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney convince her to test the market and search for other offers before agreeing to work with Jack. Liz signs with a talent agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
(Josh Fadem) to explore other options, but later learns he is a low-level agent. Jack cannot stand Liz's dismissal of him, and as a result, he announces through the media that NBC is moving forward with the pilot's production and calls in Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Parvati Lakshmi also Padma, Lady Rushdie is an American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for...
as a potential new host in place of Liz. Liz threatens to sue Jack and NBC for the rights to "Dealbreakers", but Jack informs her that NBC owns the rights to it. Liz takes a meeting with Sports Shouting producer, Scottie Shofar (Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian-American actor, director and producer who directed the comedy films Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, Night at the Museum, Date Night, and the sci-fi movie Real Steel...
), and Jack meets with Padma. During their respective meetings, however, the two realize that they should work with one another. They shake hands at the end of the episode, agreeing to create the pilot together.
After giving advice to Liz, Tracy and Jenna spend the episode calling themselves "The Problem Solvers" giving the TGS crew advice on their lives. From the moment he arrives, Danny treats 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 politely and does not ask him to run any errands for him, a break from how Tracy and Jenna treat him. Danny explains to the two that lower-level people such as pages often rise up to positions where they would be the boss of actors such as themselves, and as a result, he is polite to avoid building bad relationships with potential future bosses. Tracy and Jenna are convinced and also stop asking Kenneth for things. Kenneth becomes upset that he is losing his responsibilities and confronts Danny, driving him to yell at Kenneth. Danny, who is Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, has had a hard time pronouncing the word "about", but after yelling at Kenneth, and saying "about" without an accent, thanks Kenneth for helping him.
Production
"The Problem Solvers" was written by Ron WeinerRon Weiner
Ron Weiner is an American television writer. He has written for several shows, including 30 Rock, NewsRadio, Futurama, Arrested Development, Father of the Pride, and Help Me Help You....
and directed by John Riggi
John Riggi
John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
, both co-executive producers on 30 Rock. This episode was Weiner's fifth writing credit, having penned "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...
", "Señor Macho Solo
Señor Macho Solo
"Señor Macho Solo" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 43rd overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting...
", "Goodbye, My Friend
Goodbye, My Friend
"Goodbye, My Friend" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 49th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by co-executive producer John Riggi. The episode originally aired on the...
", and "Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia (30 Rock)
"Mamma Mia" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 57th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by series producer Don Scardino. The episode originally aired on the National...
", and was Riggi's second directed episode, having helmed "Goodbye My Friend" in the show's third season
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...
. "The Problem Solvers" originally aired in the United States on November 12, 2009, on NBC as the fifth episode of the show's 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...
and the 63rd overall episode of the series.
"The Problem Solvers" was filmed on October 23, October 28, and October 29, 2009. Jack Donaghy hiring the robot street performer in the previous episode, "Audition Day
Audition Day
"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 the National Broadcasting...
", was first introduced in the fourth season premiere episode "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...
", in which Jack explains that the TGS staff have become too elitist and need to change to survive in tough economic times, and informs Liz Lemon—the head writer on TGS—to begin searching for a new cast member to help lessen this elitist image. In this episode, the robot street performer is introduced to the TGS crew as Danny Baker, and was played by actor 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...
, who made his 30 Rock debut with this episode. 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...
had seen Jackson in the Broadway musicals Xanadu
Xanadu (musical)
Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane, music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth. The title is a reference to the poem, Kubla Khan, or A...
and Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
, the latter that starred 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 plays Jenna Maroney on the show. According to Jackson in a November 2009 interview, Fey set up a meeting to interest him in a role on the program. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, it was revealed that it was Krakowski who brought Jackson to the attention of the 30 Rock producers. In "Audition Day", Jackson did not play the robot, instead actor Daniel Genalo played the character.
Actor Josh Fadem played an inexperienced agent that Liz signs with in the episode. In a November 2009 interview with Tulsa World
Tulsa World
Tulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma, and is the second-most widely circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. It was founded in 1905 and remains an independent newspaper,...
, Fadem admitted to "[flubbing] a couple lines" during filming, but that no one on the set "made me feel bad." Director Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian-American actor, director and producer who directed the comedy films Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, Night at the Museum, Date Night, and the sci-fi movie Real Steel...
guest starred in the episode as Scottie Shofar, a producer for the show Sports Shouting, and who Liz has a meeting with in regards to her "Dealbreakers" talk show. Levy directed Fey in the 2010 comedy film Date Night
Date Night
Date Night is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. It was released in the United States on April 9, 2010...
. Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Parvati Lakshmi also Padma, Lady Rushdie is an American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for...
, the host of the reality show Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
, played herself in this 30 Rock episode in which she is a potential new host for the "Dealbreakers" talk show.
Cultural references
During Danny's rallying speech in a football movie flashback, he makes several references to Canadian culture such as Boxing dayBoxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
and the different rules used between Canadian
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
(e.g. 3 downs instead of 4, 12 men per side instead of 11, though incorrectly uses meters while Canadian football uses yards). The episode twice refers to a fictional show Sports Shouting which features four panelists yelling at each other about sports. Some reviewers noted the similarity to the real show Around the Horn
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...
, an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
program which also features four panelists discussing sports in a competitive setting. J. A. Adande
J. A. Adande
Joshua Ade "J. A." Adande is an American sports columnist who covers the National Basketball Association for ESPN.com. He also serves as a panelist for ESPN's Around the Horn and as a guest host on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption television shows...
, a frequent panelist on Around the Horn, said through his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page "Sports Shouting now tops 'Werewolf Bar Mitzvah' as my favorite 30 Rock gag."
When Jack tells Liz that Padma Lakshmi is coming in for the pilot she says "Then who's going to host Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
? You're ruining my life!" referring to a cooking
Cooking show
A TV cooking show is a television program that presents the preparation of food, in a kitchen on the studio set. The host of the show, often a celebrity chef, prepares one or more dishes over the course of the show, taking the viewing audience through the food's preparation showing all...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show Lakshmi hosts which Liz had previously shown a taste for in 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 "Cougars
Cougars (30 Rock)
"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 Laura Berrios, Kevin Brown, Grizz Chapman, Val Emmich, Alan H...
". Tracy reveals that early in his career he signed a very badly structured contract which requires he publicize "Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
Carpet World" five times whenever he appears on camera, a reference to the baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player Wade Boggs. Later, Jenna reveals that Scottie Shofar was her assistant in Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
: The Movie. The latter is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. As Danny grew angry he described Kenneth as having a "weird Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
face" and a "Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
haircut."
This was the fourth time the show referenced Liz's "Dealbreakers" story arc. This first began in the third season
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...
episode "Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia (30 Rock)
"Mamma Mia" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 57th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by series producer Don Scardino. The episode originally aired on the National...
", in which Liz had written a comedy sketch titled "Dealbreakers", and in the sketch, Jenna doled out comedic catchphrases as relationship advice to other women such as "If he wears an Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
jersey to your sister's wedding? That's a Dealbreaker, ladies!" Liz tried gaining attention for writing the sketch, but Jenna took all the credit for it, thus making Liz jealous. Liz dispensed more "Dealbreaker"-style romantic advice in a talk show appearance in the episode "Kidney Now!
Kidney Now!
"Kidney Now!" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 58th overall episode of the series. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by show producers Jack Burditt and Robert Carlock...
" and at the end of the episode Liz told Jack that she had signed a book deal based on the sketch. In the episode "Into the Crevasse
Into the Crevasse
"Into the Crevasse" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 60th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on...
", Liz's book is published, but receives backlash from men close to her, as they believe her advice damaged their relationships. In this 30 Rock episode, Jack offers Liz a chance to create a television pilot based on her "Dealbreakers" sketch and although Liz decides to search for other offers she ultimately decides to work on the pilot with Jack.
Reception
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 received a 2.9 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic, that is 2.9 percent of all people in that group, and 7 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was a decrease from the previous episode, "Audition Day
Audition Day
"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 the National Broadcasting...
", which was watched by 5.9 million American viewers.
"The Problem Solvers" received generally mixed reviews. Robert Canning of 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...
reviewed the episode, giving it a 7.4 out of 10 rating and opining the episode had "a few audible chuckles and several silent smiles", and that the tone of it "was just off." He cited that the Liz and Jack characters on opposing sides "was not as much fun as seeing them working together", and that Jenna and Tracy's antics throughout the series have been "funny most of the time", though "very little clicked in this episode." Television columnist Alan Sepinwall of the 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...
said that the Tracy and Jenna team "often seems too far out of the realm of reality ... to enjoy them." Sepinwall was positive about Cheyenne Jackson's debut, noting he "fit in well his first time out." Sean Gandert of 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:...
magazine called the episode the "best so far in the season" but admitted he was "disappointed in it" for not coming "close to greatness and we all know [30 Rock
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 noted that he liked how Jack and Liz interacted throughout the episode, and enjoyed their meeting at the Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
at the end. 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...
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...
contributor Margaret Lyons deemed this 30 Rock episode as the best work from Jack McBrayer's Kenneth. "If there's been a better episode for Kenneth in 30 Rock history, I'd love to know: From the backwards-talking to the bizarre fury, this was Jack McBrayer's finest (half) hour." Nick Catucci of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine wrote that this was a "fine" episode "with Jenna and Tracy in classic dopey-duo form and a couple of great fantasy bits ... But the Jack, Liz, and Jenna triangle felt like the funniest-ever Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
episode squeezed into a couple of minutes." Meredith Blake, a contributor for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, said that she was looking forward to Lakshmi's cameo, but after the airing, "her scene fell a little flat." In regards to the episode, itself, Blake said it was "a solid if not mind-blowing episode, even with the presence of [Lakshmi]."