"Live from Studio 6H" is the nineteenth episode of the sixth season of the American television comedy series ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...

'', and the 122nd episode overall. It features a return to

live broadcasting A live broadcasting, also called a live transmission, generally refers to various types of media that are broadcasting without a significant delay. The most common seen media example of the live transmission is a news program or a news broadcasting ...

from the

season five A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...

episode "

Live Show Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

", both of which were directed by

Beth McCarthy-Miller Beth McCarthy-Miller (born September 3, 1963) is an American television director. Shows she has directed include ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''30 Rock''. Early and personal life McCarthy-Miller was born on September 3, 1963, in Elizabeth, Ne ...

, and co-written by series creator

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...

. The episode originally aired live on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

television network in the United States on April 26, 2012, with separate tapings for the East Coast and West Coast audiences. "Live from Studio 6H" featured guest appearances by comedian

Amy Poehler Amy Meredith Poehler ( ; born September 16, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her roles in sketch comedy, sitcoms and comedy films, she has earned acclaim and several accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award (out of 26 nom ...

, musician

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

, and several actors associated with ''30 Rock'' and ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

''. ''30 Rock'' follows the production of the fictional sketch comedy program ''The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan'' (''TGS''). In this episode, producer

Jack Donaghy John Francis "Jack" Donaghy ( ) is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom '' 30 Rock'', airing from 2006 to 2013. The character was created by series creator Tina Fey, and is portrayed by Alec Baldwin. He was introduced as the Vice President of ...

and head writer

Liz Lemon Elizabeth Miervaldis Lemon is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series '' 30 Rock''. She created and wrote for the fictional comedy-sketch show ''The Girlie Show'' and later ''TGS with Tracy Jordan''. She is ...

decide to cease live broadcasts of ''TGS'' to save money. In order to save the magic of live television,

Kenneth Parcell Andromakennethamblesorton "Kenneth" Ellen Parcell is a fictional character on the NBC comedy television series, ''30 Rock'', portrayed by Jack McBrayer. Originally a supporting character in the first two episodes of the series, the show's produ ...

gives an impassioned history of live broadcasting to his co-workers in order to maintain the tradition for the show. The episode makes explicit references to classic television

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

s and

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

s. It uses humor such as

breaking the fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th centu ...

and acknowledges that the actors are portraying fictional characters. It received generally positive reviews from critics. On June 22, 2020, it was revealed that both versions of this episode would be pulled from syndication due to the segment of

Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and tw ...

wearing

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

Plot

Jack (played by

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...

) notifies

(Fey) that the network is ceasing live broadcasts of ''TGS'' in order to save money.

is distressed by the decision and locks the show's staff in Tracy Jordan's dressing room to convince them of the magic provided by live television. Kenneth recounts memorable moments in

broadcast history to the TGS staff. Meanwhile, ''TGS'' co-star

Jenna Maroney Jenna Maroney (born Yustrepa Gronkowitz; February 24, 1969) is a fictional character on the American television series ''30 Rock'', played by Jane Krakowski. For her portrayal of Maroney, Krakowski was nominated four times for the Primetime E ...

(

Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She starred as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Out ...

) announces that she plans to upstage her fellow actors by announcing her engagement on air. Elsewhere,

NBC page The NBC Page Program is a 12-month paid fellowship at the NBCUniversal studios in New York City and Universal City, California. Pages contribute to various teams while on business, consumer, and content assignments. East Coast pages also give tou ...

Hazel Wassername ''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series, created by Tina Fey, that aired on NBC. The series takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series, also airing on NBC; the name "30 Rock" refers to the address of the ...

(

Kristen Schaal Kristen Joy Schaal ( ,; born January 24, 1978) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Known for her distinctive high-pitched, childlike voice, she voices Louise Belcher on ''Bob's Burgers'' and voiced Mabel Pines on '' Gravity Falls''. ...

) decides that she will run onstage to get her big break in entertainment by proposing to Maroney herself. It turns out that the appearance of Tracy Jordan's dance troupe on a live television fundraiser in 1986 had significant impacts: Tracy tripped and fell, realizing that he could be comedic; Liz

prank call A prank call (also known as a crank call, a hoax call, or a goof call) is a telephone call intended by the caller as a practical joke played on the person answering. It is often a type of nuisance call and can be illegal under certain circumsta ...

ed the studio, igniting her love for fighting authority; and Jack answered Liz's phone call, his professionalism impressing executive

Don Geiss ''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series, created by Tina Fey, that aired on NBC. The series takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series, also airing on NBC; the name "30 Rock" refers to the address of the ...

into giving him a promotion. The cast agree that they want to continue making live television. In the middle of a skit, Jenna's boyfriend Paul L'astname (

Will Forte Orville Willis Forte IV ( ; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a cast member and writer on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' for eight seasons from 2002 to 2010. During his time on ...

) proposes, but Jenna declines because she wants to marry for love rather than a ratings stunt. Hazel interrupts their moment by ripping apart a picture of

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

. The separate broadcasts have minor differences between them.

Production

NBC asked the cast and crew to create a second live episode and on March 21, 2012, co-star Baldwin announced in an interview with ''

Extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

'' that ''30 Rock'' would air their second live episode after the critical and commercial success of "

". The episode aired to capitalize on May sweeps. Fey, Morgan, Krakowski, and McBrayer had all expressed excitement about performing a second live show, but Baldwin was initially skeptical until he read the script and was convinced. "Live from Studio 6H" was co-written by series creator, executive producer, and lead actress Fey and co-showrunner and screenwriter and producer

Jack Burditt Jack Burditt is an American producer and screenwriter who has worked on television shows like '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'', ''Frasier'', ''30 Rock'', '' Last Man Standing'', ''Modern Family'', and ''The Mindy Project''. He won two Emmy awards ...

. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, who worked with Fey on the sketch comedy show ''

'' and received a nomination for a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is presented to the best directing of a television comedy series. Winners and nominations 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Total awards by netwo ...

for directing "

" in 2010. Like the previous episode, it was filmed in ''SNL'' home

Studio 8H Studio 8H is a television studio located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The studio is a part of NBC Studios (New York City), NBC Studios, the home of the NBC television network, located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It is most not ...

rather than ''30 Rock''’s usual

Silvercup Studios Silvercup Studios is one of the largest film and television production facilities in New York City. The studio is located in Long Island City, Queens, with another facility in the Port Morris neighborhood of the Bronx. The studio complex has ...

as the latter is configured for single-camera filming and an absence of a live audience.

Although the full list of guest stars remained a secret up to airing, Fey revealed that former ''30 Rock'' writer

Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...

and previous guest star

would appear. Prior to the West Coast airing, guest star

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the celebrity sex tape ...

previewed that she would appear on the episode.

Television

Like "

", "Live from Studio 6H" relies on self-reflective comedy and references to classic late night television. This episode includes extended skits referencing ''

The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...

'', ''

Amos and Andy ''Amos 'n' Andy'' was an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City. While the show had a brief life on 1950s television with black actors, the 1928 to 1960 radio sho ...

'', ''

Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by come ...

'', ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'' is a TV Variety show, variety-Television comedy, comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves ...

'', telethons, and news broadcasts from the 1950s through 1980s. In addition, the show closed with an on-stage good-bye in the style of ''Saturday Night Live'', owing to the strong overlap in cast and crew of the two programs. Hazel's attention-grabbing stunt explicitly parodied a 1992 ''SNL'' appearance by O'Connor where she ripped up a picture of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. The proposal scene parodied ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...

'' episode "

A Little Kiss "A Little Kiss" is the two-part Mad Men season 5, fifth season premiere of the American television drama series ''Mad Men''. Officially counted as the first two episodes of the season and the 53rd and 54th episodes of the series. It was writt ...

". The satire of ''Laugh-In'' includes the mailbox reference to

H. R. Haldeman Harry Robbins "Bob" Haldeman (October 27, 1926 – November 12, 1993) was an American political aide and businessman, best known for his service as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon and his consequent involvement in the Water ...

from " Rosemary's Baby" (despite explicitly taking place during the Johnson administration). Baldwin reprises his

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

impression from "

Subway Hero "Subway Hero" is the 12th List of 30 Rock episodes, episode of the 30 Rock season 2, second season of ''30 Rock'' and 33rd episode of the series. It was written by Jack Burditt, one of the series' co-executive producers, and executive producer ...

" in parodying Nixon's "Sock it to me?" cameo from September 1968. As ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' noted, this episode was more self-consciously nostalgic of television history than "Live Show" and Ellen Gray of ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' has pointed out that having a live show for sweeps is itself a television tradition.

Reception

Meredith Blake of

gave the episode a B, praising its nostalgia for television and daring to break out of a strictly scripted format, but criticizing it for having too loose of a structure and relying on skits and cameos. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

''s Breia Brissey also gave it a positive review and praised its overview of television history. Frazier Moore of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

characterized it as "full of fun" and "very lively." The energetic pace of the episode was also praised by ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

''s Chris Harnick, explaining that it "was an excuse to play dress up and have fun—and that's just what they did." Andy Greenwald of

Grantland ''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...

characterized the episode as "a balletic, inspired, and insane live half-hour about the importance and visceral thrill of live television." The ''Alfie and Abner'' segment, parodying ''

Amos 'n' Andy ''Amos 'n' Andy'' was an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City. While the show had a brief life on 1950s television with black actors, the 1928 to 1960 radio sho ...

'', caused controversy for its potential to reproduce negative stereotypes about

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

References

External links

*
NBC's page for ''30 Rock'', featuring both broadcasts streaming
{{30 Rock episodes 30 Rock season 6 episodes American live television shows Metafictional television episodes Blackface minstrel shows and films Television episodes written by Tina Fey Television episodes directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller Television episodes pulled from general rotation Television controversies in the United States Stereotypes of African Americans Race-related controversies in television