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30 Rock (season 2)
Encyclopedia
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 Plaza, the address of the GE Building
where NBC Studios
is located. The show stars Tina Fey
as head writer
Liz Lemon
.
In a season shortened by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
, the fifteen episodes of the season initially aired as part of NBC's "Comedy Night Done Right". The 30 Rock season two DVD box set was released in Region 1 on October 7, 2008 and subsequently released in regions 2 and 4.
because Jack was planning to digitally insert Seinfeld into all of NBC's programming with edited footage from Seinfeld's sitcom Seinfeld.
The sophomore season, much like the first season, includes various plotlines including Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) coping with her obesity problem which she developed during the summer while performing on the fictitious Broadway musical Mystic Pizza
: The Musical. Another story arc includes the conservative Jack dating the Democratic congresswoman Celeste Cunningham (D
-VT
) (Edie Falco
). Liz's attempts at recovering from her failed reunion with Floyd are also viewed as well as Tracy trying to deal with his failing marriage to Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepherd
). Later, Tracy attempts to finish his masterpiece invention, a pornographic videogame.
As the season progresses, Jack and his rival Devon Banks (Will Arnett
) both aspire to become the Chairman Of GE. When about to announce that Jack will be his successer, Don Geiss (Rip Torn
), the current Chairman Of GE, slips into a diabetic coma
. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Devon places his fiancee, Geiss' daughter, Kathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot) as the puppet GE Chairwoman.
, Little Stranger and NBC Universal
and was aired on NBC, a terrestrial
television network
in the U.S. The executive producers were creator Tina Fey
, Lorne Michaels
, Joann Alfano
, Marci Klein
, David Miner
and Robert Carlock
with Jack Burditt
and John Riggi
acting as co-executive producers. Producers for the season were music composer Jeff Richmond
, Matt Hubbard
and Don Scardino
with Diana Schmidt, Margo A. Myers and Irene Burns
acting as co-producers.
There were six different directors throughout the season. Those who directed more than one episode were Don Scardino, Michael Engler
and Beth McCarthy
. There were three directors who only directed one episode each throughout the season, they were Richard Shepard
, Kevin Rodney Sullivan
and Gail Mancuso
. The main writers for the season were Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Matt Hubbard, Jack Burditt and John Riggi, who all wrote, or co-wrote at least two episodes. Jon Pollack
, Kay Cannon
, Ron Weiner
, Tami Sagher
, Donald Glover
and Andrew Guest
only wrote, or co-wrote, one episode each.
In July 2007, Fey talked to the Philadelphia Daily News
about the show's second season, explaining some changes she had in mind:
The season was affected by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
, which began on November 5, 2007 and ended on February 12, 2008. The season's show runner
s Tina Fey and Robert Carlock
publicly committed to honor the strike themselves and to not ask their writers to do otherwise. As a result, only 15 episodes of the 22 episodes ordered could be produced.
The second season had a cast of ten actors who received star billing
. Tina Fey portrayed Liz Lemon
, the head writer
of a fictitious live sketch comedy television series named TGS with Tracy Jordan (commonly known as just TGS). The TGS cast consists of three actors. The lead actor is the loose cannon movie star Tracy Jordan
, portrayed by Tracy Morgan
. The co-stars are the dense, limelight-craving Jenna Maroney
, portrayed by Jane Krakowski
as well as the playful Josh Girard, who is also a writer for TGS, portrayed by Lonny Ross
. Jack McBrayer
played the naïve Kenneth Parcell
. Scott Adsit
acted as the witty and wise TGS producer, Pete Hornberger. Judah Friedlander
portrayed the wise-cracking, trucker hat
wearing, repulsive staff writer Frank Rossitano. Alec Baldwin
played the high flying NBC network executive Jack Donaghy
. Donaghy's full corporate title for the majority of the season is "Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming." Keith Powell
played the Harvard University
alumnus and TGS staff writer Toofer Spurlock. Katrina Bowden
acted as writers' assistant Cerie Xerox. The cast also included some recurring characters including Maulik Pancholy
as Jonathan, Grizz Chapman
as Grizz Griswold, Kevin Brown
as "Dot Com" Slattery, John Lutz
as J.D. Lutz, and Chris Parnell
as Dr. Leo Spaceman.
said that this season was "smart, funny and thoroughly entertaining". He also praised many of the guest stars who appeared throughout the season. Regarding the main cast, Canning wrote that "the regulars all seemed to up their game in this second season", particularly praising Fey's portrayal of Liz Lemon, calling her "the heart of the show." Canning ranked the season 8.9 out of 10. John Kubicek of BuddyTV
felt that the series had "learned from its mistakes and now knows what works and what doesn't". He praised the main cast, and also thought that the supporting cast had been refined. Kubicek enjoyed Tracy's pairing with Kenneth, and Jenna's subplot, as he felt actress Krakowski was the weakest link from the first season. Alistair Harkness of The Scotsman
described the season as "hilarious and absurd", and wrote that "each character's personality is to the forefront in a way not seen since the heyday of Seinfeld
". Harkness said the writing was sharp and the jokes were magnificent, "with plenty of quotable dialogue", but felt "what's truly heartening is that it's the regular cast that carries the comedy".
," garnered 7.33 million American viewers, placing it third in its timeslot of 8:30 pm EST. On December 13, 2007, "Episode 209" aired at 9:00 pm EST and it was viewed by 5.6 million viewers. Upon returning to its 8:30 pm EST timeslot on January 10, 2008, the episode which aired, "Episode 210
," was viewed by 6 million viewers. 30 Rock was moved to 9:30 pm EST on April 24, 2007 and began airing after The Office. The season's first airing at 9:30 pm EST garnered 5.52 million viewers. The following week, the lowest rated episode of the season, "Sandwich Day
," aired. The episode was viewed by 5.4 million viewers. The season finale, "Cooter
," which aired on May 8, 2008, was viewed by 5.6 million viewers. The second season averaged 6.4 million viewers for all 15 episodes, excluding repeat broadcasts.
, the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical, for her portrayal of Liz Lemon. Both Fey and Alec Baldwin received Screen Actors Guild Awards
, in the categories of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, respectively. The season also received the Writers Guild of America Award
for Best Comedy Series, as well as The Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Series - Comedy from the Producers Guild of America
. 30 Rock received 17 Emmy nominations, for its second season, meaning it was the second most nominated series of the year. These 17 nominations broke the record for the most nominations for a comedy series, meaning that 30 Rock was the most nominated comedy series for any individual Emmy year. The previous holder of this record was The Larry Sanders Show
in 1996 with 16 nominations. 30 Rock also won the Television Critics Association Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Comedy." The series also received a George Foster Peabody Award
during its second season, with the Peabody board saying "True or false, accurate or exaggerated, recalled from experience or just plain made up, 30 Rock is as funny, or funnier, than the show it pretends to be producing."
(EST), the ninth episode airing at 9:00 pm EST, episode ten through twelve airing at 8:30 pm EST, and the final three episodes airing at 9:30 pm EST.
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
series, originally aired between October 4, 2007 and May 8, 2008
2007–08 United States network television schedule
The following article details the developing fall prime time schedules for the United States' six major English language broadcast networks. Following are lists of what programs have been either renewed or canceled by their networks, the new programs picked up by the networks, and then a schedule...
on 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...
in the United States. 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...
takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live 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...
series depicted as airing on NBC; the name refers to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the address of the GE Building
GE Building
The GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
where NBC Studios
NBC Studios
The NBC Studios in New York, New York is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the historic GE Building houses the headquarters of the NBC television network, its parent General Electric, and NBC's flagship station WNBC , as well as cable news channel MSNBC.When NBC Universal relocated,...
is located. The show stars 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...
as head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
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:...
.
In a season shortened by 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 ....
, the fifteen episodes of the season initially aired as part of NBC's "Comedy Night Done Right". The 30 Rock season two DVD box set was released in Region 1 on October 7, 2008 and subsequently released in regions 2 and 4.
Synopsis
Season two begins with Liz and the crew of TGS returning from summer hiatus to many problems. An immediate problem is Jack being threatened by Jerry SeinfeldJerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
because Jack was planning to digitally insert Seinfeld into all of NBC's programming with edited footage from Seinfeld's sitcom Seinfeld.
The sophomore season, much like the first season, includes various plotlines including 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...
) coping with her obesity problem which she developed during the summer while performing on the fictitious Broadway musical Mystic Pizza
Mystic Pizza
Mystic Pizza is a 1988 American coming of age film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, and Lili Taylor.The title of the film was based on a pizza shop that caught the eye of Hollywood screen writer, Amy Holden Jones...
: The Musical. Another story arc includes the conservative Jack dating the Democratic congresswoman Celeste Cunningham (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
-VT
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
) (Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
). Liz's attempts at recovering from her failed reunion with Floyd are also viewed as well as Tracy trying to deal with his failing marriage to Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepherd
Sherri Shepherd
Sherri Evonne Shepherd is an American comedienne, actress, and television personality. She is one of five co-hosts on the ABC daytime talkshow, The View, as well as being the current host of the Newlywed Game and having a recurring role as Angie Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock...
). Later, Tracy attempts to finish his masterpiece invention, a pornographic videogame.
As the season progresses, Jack and his rival Devon Banks (Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
) both aspire to become the Chairman Of GE. When about to announce that Jack will be his successer, Don Geiss (Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
), the current Chairman Of GE, slips into a diabetic coma
Diabetic coma
Diabetic coma is a reversible form of coma found in people with diabetes mellitus. It is a medical emergency.Three different types of diabetic coma are identified:#Severe diabetic hypoglycemia...
. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Devon places his fiancee, Geiss' daughter, Kathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot) as the puppet GE Chairwoman.
Production
The season was produced by Broadway VideoBroadway Video
Broadway Video is a media production and distribution company located within the Brill Building on Broadway, New York, United States. Founded in 1979 as a production house tasked with post-production work on Saturday Night Live, Broadway Video has since become one of the largest independent...
, Little Stranger and NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
and was aired on NBC, a terrestrial
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
in the U.S. The executive producers were 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...
, 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:...
, Joann Alfano
Joann Alfano
-Career:She replaced Suzanne Daniels as Executive Vice President, Entertainment, Lifetime Networks in late 2008.Prior to starting TV Tray Entertainment in June 2007, Alfano was President of Broadway Video Television, where she developed and executive produced NBC's 30 Rock and the ABC series Sons...
, Marci Klein
Marci Klein
Marci Klein is a four-time Emmy Award-winning American television producer who is best known for her work on 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live...
, David Miner
David Miner (television producer)
David Miner is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television producer who is best known for his work as an executive producer on NBC's 30 Rock and MTV's Human Giant. Miner is the manager of Tina Fey, 30 Rock's star and creator.-External links:...
and 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:...
with Jack Burditt
Jack Burditt
Jack Burditt is an American producer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
and 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...
acting as co-executive producers. Producers for the season were music composer 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:...
, Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard is an American television writer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows. He graduated from Beverly High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts in the class of 1996, where he excelled in the English Department. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was an...
and 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...
with Diana Schmidt, Margo A. Myers and Irene Burns
Irene Burns
Irene Burns is an American television producer who has worked on shows such as 30 Rock and Oz.-External links:...
acting as co-producers.
There were six different directors throughout the season. Those who directed more than one episode were Don Scardino, Michael Engler
Michael Engler
Michael Engler is an American theatre director, and television director and producer. His Broadway credits include Eastern Standard and I Hate Hamlet...
and Beth McCarthy
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...
. There were three directors who only directed one episode each throughout the season, they were Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard is an American film and television director and screenwriter. In 2007 Shepard received a Directors Guild of America Award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for the television pilot Ugly Betty....
, Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Kevin Rodney Sullivan is an American film and television actor and film director. He is married to wife Nita Sullivan, and has a daughter, Nicole L. Sullivan.-Early Life and Acting Career:...
and Gail Mancuso
Gail Mancuso
Gail Mancuso is an American television director.- Select TV work :* Modern Family * $h*! My Dad Says * 30 Rock * Scrubs...
. The main writers for the season were Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Matt Hubbard, Jack Burditt and John Riggi, who all wrote, or co-wrote at least two episodes. Jon Pollack
Jon Pollack
Jonathan Pollack is an American television producer and writer.Pollack has worked on shows such as Spin City, Just Shoot Me!, Father of the Pride, Joey, Andy Barker, P.I., Home Improvement and 30 Rock...
, 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:...
, 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....
, Tami Sagher
Tami Sagher
Tami Sagher is an American television producer and writer and actress. Some of her most notable work includes: 30 Rock, Psych and Madtv. She has recently become a staff writer on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother....
, Donald Glover
Donald Glover
Donald McKinley Glover is an American actor, writer, comedian, and musician. Glover first came to attention for his work in the sketch group Derrick Comedy, and is best known for his role as community college student Troy Barnes on the NBC comedy series Community...
and Andrew Guest
Andrew Guest
Andrew Guest is an American television writer. Guest's most notable works are episodes of Hope & Faith and 30 Rock . Guest was also a member of the production staff on Hope & Faith and writes episodes for Community...
only wrote, or co-wrote, one episode each.
In July 2007, Fey talked to the Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
about the show's second season, explaining some changes she had in mind:
The season was affected by 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 ....
, which began on November 5, 2007 and ended on February 12, 2008. The season's show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
s Tina Fey and 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:...
publicly committed to honor the strike themselves and to not ask their writers to do otherwise. As a result, only 15 episodes of the 22 episodes ordered could be produced.
Cast
Billing (film)
Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works...
. Tina Fey portrayed Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
, the head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
of a fictitious live sketch comedy television series named TGS with Tracy Jordan (commonly known as just TGS). The TGS cast consists of three actors. The lead actor is the loose cannon movie star Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
, portrayed by Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
. The co-stars are the dense, limelight-craving Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
, portrayed by Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
as well as the playful Josh Girard, who is also a writer for TGS, portrayed by Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross is a comedy actor and writer. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work as Josh Girard on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock...
. 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"...
played the naïve Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
. Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
acted as the witty and wise TGS producer, Pete Hornberger. Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...
portrayed the wise-cracking, trucker hat
Trucker hat
A trucker hat or mesh hat is a type of baseball cap. It is also sometimes known as a "gimme cap" or a "feed cap" because this style of hat originated as a promotional give-away from feed or farming supply companies to farmers, truck drivers, or other rural workers.The design of a trucker hat is...
wearing, repulsive staff writer Frank Rossitano. Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
played the high flying NBC network executive Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
. Donaghy's full corporate title for the majority of the season is "Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming." Keith Powell
Keith Powell
Keith Powell is an American television actor who is best known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.-Career:Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware...
played the Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
alumnus and TGS staff writer Toofer Spurlock. Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden is an American actress. She is known for her short role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live and for her role as Cerie in 30 Rock .- Education :...
acted as writers' assistant Cerie Xerox. The cast also included some recurring characters including Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Sanjay on Weeds from 2005 to present, and his role as Jonathan on 30 Rock, which he has played since the show began in 2006....
as Jonathan, Grizz Chapman
Grizz Chapman
Grizzwald "Grizz" Chapman is an American television actor best known for his recurring role as Grizz on the NBC series 30 Rock. A June 2007 interview with rollingout.com lists Chapman's height as 6'10". In his commentary for the episode "Tracy Does Conan," Tracy Morgan revealed that they met when...
as Grizz Griswold, Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
as "Dot Com" Slattery, John Lutz
John Lutz (television writer)
John Lutz is an American actor, writer and comedian.-Biography:The son of a Lutheran minister, Lutz grew up in suburban Chicago and Detroit. He attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, majoring in psychology and minoring in...
as J.D. Lutz, and 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...
as Dr. Leo Spaceman.
Critical reception
In his review of the season, Robert Canning of IGNIGN
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...
said that this season was "smart, funny and thoroughly entertaining". He also praised many of the guest stars who appeared throughout the season. Regarding the main cast, Canning wrote that "the regulars all seemed to up their game in this second season", particularly praising Fey's portrayal of Liz Lemon, calling her "the heart of the show." Canning ranked the season 8.9 out of 10. John Kubicek of BuddyTV
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
felt that the series had "learned from its mistakes and now knows what works and what doesn't". He praised the main cast, and also thought that the supporting cast had been refined. Kubicek enjoyed Tracy's pairing with Kenneth, and Jenna's subplot, as he felt actress Krakowski was the weakest link from the first season. Alistair Harkness of The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
described the season as "hilarious and absurd", and wrote that "each character's personality is to the forefront in a way not seen since the heyday of Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
". Harkness said the writing was sharp and the jokes were magnificent, "with plenty of quotable dialogue", but felt "what's truly heartening is that it's the regular cast that carries the comedy".
Ratings
The season premiere, "SeinfeldVisionSeinfeldVision
"SeinfeldVision" is the first episode of the second season of 30 Rock and the twenty-second episode of the series. It was written by the series' creator, executive producer and lead actress, Tina Fey and directed by producer Don Scardino...
," garnered 7.33 million American viewers, placing it third in its timeslot of 8:30 pm EST. On December 13, 2007, "Episode 209" aired at 9:00 pm EST and it was viewed by 5.6 million viewers. Upon returning to its 8:30 pm EST timeslot on January 10, 2008, the episode which aired, "Episode 210
Episode 210
The untitled tenth episode of the second season of the television series 30 Rock was first broadcast in the United States on January 10, 2008, on the NBC network. The episode was written by show runner Robert Carlock and Donald Glover, and was directed by Richard Shepard...
," was viewed by 6 million viewers. 30 Rock was moved to 9:30 pm EST on April 24, 2007 and began airing after The Office. The season's first airing at 9:30 pm EST garnered 5.52 million viewers. The following week, the lowest rated episode of the season, "Sandwich Day
Sandwich Day
"Sandwich Day" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of 30 Rock and the thirty-fifth episode overall. It was written by one of the season's executive producers, Robert Carlock, and one of the season's co-executive producers, Jack Burditt. The episode was directed by one of the season's...
," aired. The episode was viewed by 5.4 million viewers. The season finale, "Cooter
Cooter (30 Rock)
"Cooter" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of 30 Rock and thirty-sixth episode of the series. It was written by series' creator Tina Fey and was directed by one of the season's producers, Don Scardino. The episode first aired on May 8, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
," which aired on May 8, 2008, was viewed by 5.6 million viewers. The second season averaged 6.4 million viewers for all 15 episodes, excluding repeat broadcasts.
Awards
Tina Fey picked up a Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
, the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical, for her portrayal of Liz Lemon. Both Fey and Alec Baldwin received Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
, in the categories of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, respectively. The season also received the Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for Best Comedy Series, as well as The Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Series - Comedy from the Producers Guild of America
Producers Guild of America
Producers Guild of America is a trade organization representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 4,700 members of the producing establishment worldwide...
. 30 Rock received 17 Emmy nominations, for its second season, meaning it was the second most nominated series of the year. These 17 nominations broke the record for the most nominations for a comedy series, meaning that 30 Rock was the most nominated comedy series for any individual Emmy year. The previous holder of this record was The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
in 1996 with 16 nominations. 30 Rock also won the Television Critics Association Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Comedy." The series also received a George Foster Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
during its second season, with the Peabody board saying "True or false, accurate or exaggerated, recalled from experience or just plain made up, 30 Rock is as funny, or funnier, than the show it pretends to be producing."
Episodes
During its second season, 30 Rock moved time slots three times. All episodes aired on a Thursday, but with the first eight episodes airing 8:30 pm Eastern Standard TimeEastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
(EST), the ninth episode airing at 9:00 pm EST, episode ten through twelve airing at 8:30 pm EST, and the final three episodes airing at 9:30 pm EST.
| Series episode |
Season episode |
Title | Directed by | Written by | U.S. viewers (million) |
Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DVD releases
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | Discs | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2008 | May 25, 2009 | January 8, 2009 | 3 | Episode commentaries, Outtakes, Deleted scenes, The table read for the episode "Cooter Cooter (30 Rock) "Cooter" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of 30 Rock and thirty-sixth episode of the series. It was written by series' creator Tina Fey and was directed by one of the season's producers, Don Scardino. The episode first aired on May 8, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States... ," 30 Rock Live at the UCB Theatre, a behind-the-scenes look at an episode of Saturday Night Live which was hosted by Tina Fey, and The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Presents: An Evening With 30 Rock. |