Episode guide
Essential 30 Rock Episodes
NBC, 2006 to 2013
Our 6 character guides for 30 Rock point to 26 key episodes across 7 seasons. Of those, 6 turn up in two or more guides, so they come first, followed by every episode in air order.
Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.
The essentials(6)
Episodes that matter to more than one character, the most shared first.
- In 5 guides
Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
- Liz Lemon: Liz butts heads with her new boss, Jack Donaghy, when he orders her to hire Tracy Jordan.
- Jack Donaghy: Jack arrives to retool The Girlie Show and makes Liz hire Tracy Jordan.
- Jenna Maroney: Jenna's place as the star of The Girlie Show is threatened when Jack hires Tracy Jordan.
- Kenneth Parcell: Kenneth makes his debut as the eager NBC page who will do anything for the people working on the show.
- Tracy Jordan: Jack forces Liz to hire Tracy, an erratic movie star, as the new star of her show.
- In 2 guides
Season 2, Episode 1
"SeinfeldVision"
- Jenna Maroney: Jenna returns from hiatus overweight after starring in Mystic Pizza: The Musical.
- Tracy Jordan: Angie kicks Tracy out of the house, and Kenneth becomes his office wife.
- In 2 guides
Season 4, Episode 7
"Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001"
- Liz Lemon: Liz's Dealbreakers catchphrase earns her a talk show, and Jack's meddling leaves her so rattled she locks herself in her dressing room.
- Frank Rossitano: Named acting head writer while Liz is away, Frank slowly turns into her.
- In 2 guides
Season 5, Episode 11
"Mrs. Donaghy"
- Liz Lemon: Because of a wardrobe mix-up at Jack's wedding, the minister marries Liz to Jack instead of his bride.
- Jack Donaghy: Jack's wedding to Avery ends with Liz accidentally becoming his bride.
- In 2 guides
Season 5, Episode 14
"Double-Edged Sword"
- Jack Donaghy: Jack and Avery try to put off her labor during a romantic getaway.
- Tracy Jordan: Tracy finally completes his EGOT and buckles under the pressure that follows.
- In 2 guides
Season 7, Episode 13
"Last Lunch"
- Liz Lemon: Liz fights through one last round of chaos to get the final episode of TGS made.
- Jack Donaghy: Jack quits Kabletown and stumbles onto the invention that makes him chairman of GE.
Every key episode by season(26)
Season 1(6 episodes)
Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
An essential, in the guides for Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy, Jenna Maroney, Kenneth Parcell, and Tracy Jordan. Read the notes
Season 1, Episode 3
"Blind Date"
- Kenneth Parcell: Kenneth joins the writers' poker game and proves almost impossible to beat.
Season 1, Episode 5
"Jack-Tor"
- Frank Rossitano: Frank and Toofer trick Jenna into thinking her job is in danger.
Season 1, Episode 7
"Tracy Does Conan"
- Tracy Jordan: Tracy's new medication makes him even stranger than usual right before a late-night talk show appearance.
Season 1, Episode 10
"The Rural Juror"
- Jenna Maroney: Liz finally watches Jenna's new legal thriller and struggles to say anything nice about it.
Season 1, Episode 20
"Cleveland"
- Tracy Jordan: Tracy becomes convinced that the Black Crusaders are coming for him.
Season 2(3 episodes)
Season 2, Episode 1
"SeinfeldVision"
An essential, in the guides for Jenna Maroney and Tracy Jordan. Read the notes
Season 2, Episode 4
"Rosemary's Baby"
- Liz Lemon: Liz hires her childhood comedy idol as a guest writer and learns her hero's humor has not aged well.
Season 2, Episode 15
"Cooter"
- Kenneth Parcell: Kenneth tries to become a page at the Beijing Olympics despite the head page standing in his way.
Season 3(5 episodes)
Season 3, Episode 13
"Goodbye, My Friend"
- Frank Rossitano: On a guys' night out, Frank tells Jack about his father, and Jack offers to send him to law school.
Season 3, Episode 18
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp"
- Jenna Maroney: A mix-up convinces the world that Jenna is dead, and Jack tries to use it to promote her Janis Joplin film.
Season 3, Episode 20
"The Natural Order"
- Tracy Jordan: After Liz scolds him in front of the staff, Tracy turns into a model professional and demands she give up her own perks in return.
Season 3, Episode 21
"Mamma Mia"
- Jack Donaghy: Jack sets out to find his biological father with Liz's help.
Season 3, Episode 22
"Kidney Now!"
- Jack Donaghy: Jack's newly found father needs a kidney, so Jack organizes an all-star charity song to find a donor.
Season 4(2 episodes)
Season 4, Episode 7
"Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001"
An essential, in the guides for Liz Lemon and Frank Rossitano. Read the notes
Season 4, Episode 12
"Verna"
- Jenna Maroney: Jenna tries to dodge her visiting mother before the two reconcile.
Season 5(4 episodes)
Season 5, Episode 3
"Let's Stay Together"
- Kenneth Parcell: Jenna helps Kenneth reapply to the page program after he loses his job.
Season 5, Episode 11
"Mrs. Donaghy"
An essential, in the guides for Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy. Read the notes
Season 5, Episode 14
"Double-Edged Sword"
An essential, in the guides for Jack Donaghy and Tracy Jordan. Read the notes
Season 5, Episode 17
"Queen of Jordan"
- Frank Rossitano: Frank reunites with his lost love, his former teacher Lynn Onkman.
Season 6(2 episodes)
Season 6, Episode 4
"The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell"
- Kenneth Parcell: Jack decides to end the page program to impress Hank Hooper.
Season 6, Episode 10
"Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whisky"
- Frank Rossitano: Frank pretends to be Liz's boyfriend to hide his relationship with Lynn from his mother.
Season 7(4 episodes)
Season 7, Episode 7
"Mazel Tov, Dummies!"
- Liz Lemon: Hoping to speed up an adoption, Liz and Criss decide to get married.
Season 7, Episode 8
"My Whole Life Is Thunder"
- Jenna Maroney: Jealous that Liz married first, Jenna tries to upstage her and ends up marrying Paul in a surprise ceremony.
Season 7, Episode 12
"Hogcock!"
- Kenneth Parcell: Kenneth settles in as president of NBC, leaving Tracy without his favorite helper.
Season 7, Episode 13
"Last Lunch"
An essential, in the guides for Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy. Read the notes
Seen them all? Test yourself with the 30 Rock trivia quiz, or meet the 30 Rock characters.
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