The third season of ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American 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'', tak ...

'', an American

television comedy Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first United States television ...

series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008, on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

network in the United States. The season was produced by

Broadway Video Broadway Video is an American multimedia entertainment studio founded by Lorne Michaels, creator of the sketch comedy TV series ''Saturday Night Live'' and producer of other television programs and movies. Broadway Video also held the rights to ...

, Little Stranger, and

NBC Universal The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

; the executive producers were series creator

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...

Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...

Marci Klein Marci Klein (born October 21, 1967) is an American television producer best known for her work on '' Saturday Night Live'' and ''30 Rock.'' She has won four Emmy Awards. She is the daughter of fashion designer Calvin Klein. Early life and edu ...

, David Miner, and

Robert Carlock Robert Morgan Carlock (born September 21, 1972) is an American screenwriter and producer. He has worked as a writer for several NBC television comedies, and as a showrunner for ''30 Rock'', which was created by his recurring collaborator, comedia ...

. In this season, Liz focuses heavily on her personal life, trying to adopt a child and find a new romantic partner. Meanwhile,

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 Ea ...

pursues a new relationship,

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 Prime time E ...

undertakes a new

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage presence. ...

-based film project, and

Tracy Jordan Tracy Jordan is a fictional character in the American television series ''30 Rock'', played by the actor Tracy Morgan. The character is a movie star whose personality traits and life events are taken from Morgan's own life. In 2010, ''Entertain ...

enjoys the success of his video game developed at the end of the previous season. The third season aired under NBC's promotional banner "

Comedy Night Done Right Must See TV is an American advertising slogan that was used by NBC to brand its primetime blocks during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured some of its most popular sitcoms and drama series of ...

" on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small ...

. The season was critically acclaimed and received 22

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominations, the most for a single show in 2009. The nominations broke ''30 Rock'''s own record (17) for the most nominated comedy in a single

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

ceremony. The season was released on DVD as a three-disc boxed set under the title ''30 Rock: Season 3'' on September 22, 2009, by

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

Synopsis

Season 3 continues from the epilogue of the Season 2 finale, Cooter. Jack tries to get his job—and his promotion—back. Meanwhile, Liz tries to adopt a baby, while Tracy enjoys the success of his pornographic video game as Jenna sues him for not properly compensating her. Season-long plots include Jack meeting a new love interest, Elisa ( Salma Hayek), and the search for his real father (portrayed by

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...

). Liz also finds a new love interest, Dr. Drew Baird (

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 television series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televis ...

), while going through cutbacks and discovering her potential to host a

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...

. Jenna is cast as a

-type character since the life rights to Janis Joplin could not be obtained. Kenneth Parcell's ( Jack McBrayer) age is also revealed to be questionable. It is also revealed, in the penultimate episode of season 7, that Jack and Jenna were romantically involved throughout season 3.

Crew

The third season was produced by

, Little Stranger, Inc., and

Universal Media Studios Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a prede ...

and aired on NBC. The executive producers were series creator

, David Miner, and

. Jack Burditt,

John Riggi John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows. He is from Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended high school at Elder High School, in Cincinnati, OH. He has worked as a writer o ...

, and

Ron Weiner Ron Weiner (pronounced ) is an American television writer. He has written for several shows, including ''30 Rock'', ''NewsRadio'', '' Futurama'', ''Arrested Development'', ''Father of the Pride'', '' Help Me Help You' and Silicon Valley. Wein ...

acted as co-executive producers. The producers for the season were

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nic ...

Jerry Kupfer Jerry Kupfer is an American television producer who has worked on shows such as ''30 Rock'' and '' Strangers with Candy''. In addition he has won multiple Emmy awards. He was also nominated at the 71st Academy Awards in the category of Best Do ...

, and

Don Scardino Donald Joseph Scardino (born February 17, 1949) is an American television director and producer and a former actor. Career Acting Scardino was born in New York City, to jazz musician parents, Dorothy Denny Scardino and Charles Scardino. His f ...

with Diana Schmidt and Irene Burns as co-producers.

Joann Alfano JoAnn Alfano is an American television producer. Career Alfano replaced Suzanne Daniels as Executive Vice President Entertainment at Lifetime Networks in late 2008. Prior to starting TV Tray Entertainment in June 2007, Alfano was President of B ...

had been the executive producer for the first and second seasons and vacated that position afterward. Ron Weiner became a co-executive producer after being a story editor for the second season. Alec Baldwin, who plays Jack Donaghy in the series, became a producer for the third season. (No direct link. Browse to "Networks & Programs", "NBC Entertainment", "30 Rock" and click "Credits.") There were 11 directors through the season. Those who directed multiple episodes were series producer Don Scardino,

Gail Mancuso Gail Mancuso (born July 14, 1958) is an American film and television director. Early life and career Mancuso grew up in Melrose Park, Illinois. She is married to Brian Downs, a doctor, and divides her time between her homes in Valencia, Californ ...

, and Beth McCarthy. There were eight directors who each directed one episode throughout the season:

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...

Todd Holland Todd Holland (born August 13, 1961) is an American film and television director and producer. He directed over 50 episodes of '' The Larry Sanders Show'', for which he received an Emmy, and 26 episodes of ''Malcolm in the Middle'', for which he ...

Constantine Makris Constantine Makris A.S.C. is a Greek-American cinematographer, television director and television producer who has mainly worked on Dick Wolf's series. For his work on ''Law & Order'', he won Emmys for Outstanding Cinematography, Single Camera Ser ...

, John Riggi, Ken Whittingham, Tricia Brock,

Millicent Shelton Millicent B. Shelton is an American music video, television and film director. Shelton began her career as a wardrobe production assistant on the Spike Lee film ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989). She went on to direct music videos for artists such ...

, and

Scott Ellis Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American stage director, actor, and television director. Biography Ellis graduated from Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago.

. Series writers who penned episodes this season include Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Jack Burditt, John Riggi, and

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 la ...

Cast

Ten actors received star billing. Tina Fey portrayed

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

, the

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. In fictional comedy o ...

of a fictitious live-sketch-comedy television series ''TGS''. The ''TGS'' cast consists of three actors. The lead actor is the loose cannon movie star

, portrayed by Tracy Morgan. The co-stars are the dense

, portrayed by

Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer. She is best known for her starring role as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four ...

and Josh Girard, who is also a writer for ''TGS'', portrayed by

Lonny Ross Lonny Ross (born 1978) is an American comedy actor and writer. Early life Ross was born in Wantagh, New York. He attended and graduated from Wantagh High School in 1996. Acting career As part of the ensemble on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock'', he r ...

. Jack McBrayer played the naïve NBC page Kenneth Parcell.

Scott Adsit Robert Scott Adsit (born November 26, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, Adsit joined the mainstage cast of Chicago's The Second City in 1994 after attending Columbia College Chicago. He app ...

acted as the witty and wise ''TGS'' producer,

Pete Hornberger ''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey, which 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 ...

Judah Friedlander Judah Friedlander (born March 16, 1969) is an American actor and comedian, known for playing the role of writer Frank Rossitano on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock''. Friedlander is also known for his role as Toby Radloff in the film '' American Splendo ...

portrayed

trucker hat A trucker hat, mesh cap or netback cap is a type of baseball cap. It is also sometimes known as a "gimme s in 'give me'cap" or a "feed cap" because this style of hat originated during the 1970s as a promotional give-away from U.S. feed or farmi ...

-wearing staff writer

Frank Rossitano ''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey, which 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 ...

played the NBC network executive

. 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 Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

alumnus and ''TGS'' staff writer James "Toofer" Spurlock.

Katrina Bowden Katrina Bowden (born September 19, 1988) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Cerie on the NBC sitcom '' 30 Rock'' (2006–2013) and as Flo Fulton on the CBS daytime soap opera '' The Bold and the Beautiful'' (2019–pre ...

acted as writers' assistant

Cerie Xerox ''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey, which 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 ...

. Other cast members include,

Maulik Pancholy Maulik Navin Pancholy (, born January 18, 1974) is an American actor and author who is best known for his roles as Jonathan on ''30 Rock'', Baljeet Tjinder in ''Phineas and Ferb'', Neal in the first season of '' Whitney'', and as a character name ...

Jonathan Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

, Grizz Chapman as Grizz Griswold, and

Kevin Brown Kevin Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Kevin Brown (blues musician) (born 1950), English blues guitarist * Kevin Brown (author) (born 1960), American journalist and translator * Kevin Brown (poet) (born 1970), American poet and teacher * Kevin ...

as "Dot Com" Slattery. The cast featured recurring characters, including

John Lutz John Michael Lutz (born April 23, 1973) is an American actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing J. D. Lutz on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock'', and for his work as a writer on the NBC series ''Saturday Night Live'' for seven ...

J.D. Lutz ''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey, which 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 ...

, and

Chris Parnell Thomas Christopher Parnell (; born February 5, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006 and played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on ''30 Rock''. In animation, he voices Cyril Figgis ...

as Dr. Leo Spaceman. Salma Hayek had a recurring

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

in six episodes as

Elisa The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay uses a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presen ...

, a nurse for Jack Donaghy's mother and Donaghy's eventual love interest. She first appeared in "

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. T ...

" and made her final appearance in "

The Ones The Ones are an American electronic dance music group. Their 2001 hit single " Flawless" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Belgium and the United Kingdom. The trio consisted of three male vocalists Paul Alexander, JoJo Americo, and ...

appeared in the episodes "

The Natural Order "The Natural Order" is the twentieth episode of the third season of the American television comedy show ''30 Rock''. It was written by series creator Tina Fey with co-executive producer John Riggi and directed by Scott Ellis. The episode origi ...

" and " Mamma Mia" as Lenny Wosniak, a

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

occasionally hired by Donaghy.

appeared in the episodes "Mamma Mia" and "

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 s ...

" as

Milton Greene Milton H. Greene (March 14, 1922 – August 8, 1985) was an American fashion and celebrity photographer and film and television producer, best known for his photo shoots with Marilyn Monroe. Early life Greene was born Milton H. Greengol ...

, a man believed to be Jack Donaghy's father.

Main cast

, the head writer of ''TGS'', a live sketch comedy television show. (22 episodes) * Tracy Morgan as

, a loose cannon movie star and cast member of ''TGS''. (22 episodes) *

, a vain, fame-obsessed ''TGS'' cast member and Liz's best friend. (20 episodes, does not appear in “Gavin Volure”, “Larry King”) * Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell, a naïve, television-loving NBC page from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. (22 episodes) *

as Pete Hornberger, the witty and wise producer of ''TGS''. (14 episodes) *

as Frank Rossitano, an immature staff writer for ''TGS''. (18 episodes) *

, a high-flying NBC network executive and Liz's mentor. (22 episodes) *

as Cerie Xerox, the young, attractive ''TGS'' general assistant. (16 episodes) * Keith Powell as James "Toofer" Spurlock, a proud

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

staff writer for ''TGS''. (11 episodes) *

as Josh Girard, a young, unintelligent ''TGS'' cast member. (4 episodes) *

as Walter "Dot Com" Slattery, a member of Tracy's entourage. (14 episodes) * Grizz Chapman as Warren "Grizz" Griswold, a member of Tracy's entourage. (14 episodes) *

as Jonathan, Jack's assistant who is obsessed with him. (9 episodes)

Recurring cast

as J.D. Lutz, a lazy, overweight ''TGS'' writer who is often ridiculed by his co-workers. (13 episodes) * Salma Hayek as Elisa Pedrera, a Puerto Rican nurse and Jack's love interest. (6 episodes) *

as Dr. Leo Spaceman, a physician who practices questionable medical techniques. (4 episodes) *Todd Buonopane as Jeffrey Weinerslav, an employee in GE's human resources department. (3 episodes) *

as Dr. Andrew "Drew" Baird, a

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

and Liz's neighbor who she takes a romantic interest in. (3 episodes) *

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

as Colleen Donaghy, Jack's cold and overbearing mother. (3 episodes) *

as Milton Greene, Jack's biological father. (2 episodes) *

as Lenny Wosniak, a private investigator hired by Jack. (2 episodes) *

Marceline Hugot Marceline Hugot is an American stage and screen actress. She is best known for her work in the films ''Working Girl'', ''Julie & Julia'', '' To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar'', '' United 93''; as well as her work on such television ...

as Kathy Geiss, Don Geiss' socially awkward middle-aged daughter. (2 episodes) *

Nancy O'Dell Nancy O'Dell (born Nancy Evelyn Humphries; 1966) is an American television host and entertainment journalist. She served as co-anchor of the syndicated entertainment news show ''Entertainment Tonight'' from January 3, 2011, to August 2, 2019. E ...

as herself (2 episodes) *

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, broadcaster, and television personality. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, '' Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was a co-host of the da ...

as Angie Jordan, Tracy's no-nonsense wife. (2 episodes) *

Rip Torn Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' ...

as Don Geiss, CEO of GE and Jack's boss and mentor. (2 episodes) * Meredith Viera as herself (2 episodes)

Guest stars

Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, ' ...

as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–1992 television series ''Night Court''. He later starred in the si ...

as himself (Episode: "The One with the Cast of Night Court") *

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

as Claire Harper, Liz and Jenna's old roommate from college. (Episode: "The One with the Cast of Night Court") *

Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular char ...

as Devon Banks,

NBC's The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ar ...

Vice President of West Coast News, Web Content and Theme Park Talent Relations and Jack's nemesis. (Episode: "Do-Over") *

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...

as herself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Roger Bart Roger Bart (born September 29, 1962) is an American actor and singer. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. Bart received his second Tony Award n ...

as Brad Halster, a consultant hired to slash ''TGS's'' budget. (Episode: "Cutbacks") *

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...

as themselves (Episode: "Kidney Now!") * Mary J. Blige as herself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Billy Bush William Hall Bush (born October 13, 1971) is an American radio and television host. He is a member of the Bush family, a nephew of President George H. W. Bush and cousin of President George W. Bush and Florida governor Jeb Bush. After appearin ...

as himself (Episode: "Señor Macho Solo") *

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...

as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

as herself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Peter Dinklage Peter Hayden Dinklage (; born June 11, 1969) is an American film, television and stage actor. He received international recognition for portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which he ...

as Stewart LaGrange, a diplomatic attaché at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

who Liz dates. (Episode: "Señor Macho Solo") *

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music ...

as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glov ...

as a gay kid. (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Jackie Hoffman Jacqueline Laura Hoffman (born November 29, 1960 in Queens, New York City) is an American actress, singer, and comedian known for her one-woman shows of Jewish-themed original songs and monologues. She is a veteran of Chicago's famed The Second ...

as Rochelle Gaulke, the

defendant In court proceedings, a defendant is a person or object who is the party either accused of committing a crime in criminal prosecution or against whom some type of civil relief is being sought in a civil case. Terminology varies from one jurisd ...

in a case in which Liz is on the jury. (Episode: "The Funcooker") *

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, ...

as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

as herself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, an ...

as himself (Episode: "The Bubble") *

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys, an Emmy and 10 Cable ACE Awards. Over his career, he hosted over 50,000 interviews. ...

as himself (Episode: "Larry King") *

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Matt Lauer Matthew Todd Lauer (; born December 30, 1957) is an American former television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the ne ...

as himself (Episode: "Generalissimo") *

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

as herself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Adam Levine Adam Noah Levine (; born March 18, 1979) is an American singer and songwriter. He serves as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the pop rock band Maroon 5. Levine began his musical career in 1994 with the band Kara's Flowers, of which ...

as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

as himself (Episode: "Goodbye, My Friend") *

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of F ...

as Sylvia Rossitano, Frank's stereotypical

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

mother. (Episode: "Goodbye, My Friend") *

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...

as Gavin Volure, an

agoraphobic Agoraphobia is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no easy way to escape. These situations can i ...

entrepreneur who takes an interest in Liz. (Episode: "Gavin Volure") * Michael McDonald as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beh ...

as himself (Episode: "Gavin Volure") *

Rhett Miller Stewart Ransom "Rhett" Miller II (born September 1970) is the lead singer of the country rock band Old 97's. He also records and performs as a solo musician, and has been published as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Early life Mill ...

as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Janel Moloney Janel Moloney is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Donna Moss on the television series ''The West Wing'', a role for which she received nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series ...

as Jessica, a member of Liz's graduating class from high school. (Episode: "Reunion") *

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for playing Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award ...

as Bev, Liz's hostile adoption agent. (Episode: "Do-Over") *

Diane Neal Diane Neal (born November 17, 1976) is an American actress best known for her role as New York Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak in the television series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', which she played from 2003 to 2008, and 2011 to ...

as Erin, a member of Liz's graduating class from high school. (Episode: "Reunion") *

Don Pardo Dominick George "Don" Pardo (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenure with ...

as Sid, the ''TGS'' announcer. (Episode: "Cutbacks") *

Paula Pell Paula Pell (born April 15, 1963) is an American comedy writer, producer, and actress, best known for her work writing for the sketch series ''Saturday Night Live,'' being recognized with a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety ...

as Paula Hornberger, Pete's wife. (Episode: "Kidney Now!") *

Markie Post Marky or Markie may refer to: Nickname * Marky Cielo (1988–2008), Filipino actor and dancer * Marky Delgado (born 1995), American soccer player * Markie Mark (born 1974), BBC Radio director * Marky Markowitz (1923–1986), American jazz trumpete ...

as herself (Episode: "The One with the Cast of Night Court") * Robert Randolph as himself (Episode: "Kidney Now!") * Charlie Robinson as himself (Episode: "The One with the Cast of Night Court") *

Amy Schumer Amy Beth Schumer (born June 1, 1981) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She ventured into comedy in the early 2000s before appearing as a contestant on the fifth season of the NBC reality competition series ''Last Comic Standing'' ...

as a stylist. (Episode: "Mamma Mia") *

Maria Thayer Maria Christina Thayer is an American actress and comedian. She first earned public recognition for her portrayal of Tammi Littlenut on the cult series ''Strangers with Candy'' in 1999. Thayer has also had supporting roles in the comedy films '' H ...

as Jennifer Rogers, a blind woman who Kenneth has a crush on. (Episode: "St. Valentine's Day") * Adam West as himself (Episode: "Apollo, Apollo") *

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for '' NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...

as himself (Episode: "The Ones") *

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

as herself (Episode: "Believe in the Stars") *

Dean Winters Dean Gerard Winters (born July 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ryan O'Reily on the HBO prison drama '' Oz'' and had roles in TV series'' Rescue Me'', ''30 Rock'', ''Sex and the City'' and '' Law & Order: Special Vict ...

as Dennis Duffy, Liz's immature ex-boyfriend. (Episode: "Apollo, Apollo") *

Rachael Yamagata Rachael Yamagata (born September 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing five EPs and four studio albums. Her ...

as herself (Episode: "Kidney Now!")

Episodes

Reception

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the season has an approval rating of 92% with an average score of 8.3 out of 10 based on 38 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Brandishing its trademark silliness with vigor, ''30 Rock''s third season hits the ground running and cements its reputation as one of the smartest, funniest comedies on television." Robert Canning of IGN called the third season "a series at the top of its game", scoring the season a 9.3 out of 10. In particular, Canning noted that the "first half of the year ... had the most focus." Canning said the premiere episode " Do-Over" was "filled to capacity with comedy", called "

" "near perfect", but said the story for the finale "

" was "fun" but "average for a season finale." Alynda Wheat of ''

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

'', reviewing the DVD release, gave the season an A−. Jeremy Medina of ''Paste'' magazine also reviewed the premiere, saying it was "sort of like the first day of school after summer vacation: sort of awkward at times, but fast and buoyant and warmly familiar all the same". Brian Lowry of ''Variety'' was more critical, calling the third season "wildly uneven" and saying ''30 Rock'' was "merely a good comedy whose shortcomings prevent it from joining the ranks of great ones." The season is also noted by critics positively due to the praise of Tracy Morgan and Jack McBrayer's performance.

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which gives a score based on critical reviews, gave the season a rating of 84% from 17 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim".

Ratings

The season premiere, " Do-Over", received 8.7 million viewers and was the highest-rated episode of the series. The sixth episode "

Christmas Special Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared in in literature and Christmas music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth of material, with both adaptatio ...

" would break that mark, garnering 8.9 million viewers.

Digital Video Recorder A digital video recorder (DVR) is an electronic device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card, SSD or other local or networked mass storage device. The term includes set-top boxes with direct to ...

(DVR) accounted for an average additional 1.2 million viewers for episodes of the third season. ''30 Rock'' is the most popular series among upscale viewers, defined as those who have an income higher than $100,000 a year, on the broadcast networks. The show averaged 7.7 million viewers through the first ten episodes, a ratings level that ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called "solid" and credited to pairing the show with ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...

'' on NBC's Thursday schedule. The season finale, "

", aired on May 14, 2009, and was viewed by 5.7 million viewers.

Awards and nominations

This season of ''30 Rock'' received 22

nominations, the most for a show in 2009, breaking ''30 Rock'' own record for the most nominated comedy in a single Primetime Emmy Award year (previously 17). At the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, ''30 Rock'' won two

Creative Arts Emmy Award The Creative Arts Emmys are a class of Emmy Awards presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming. They are commonly awarded to behind-the-scenes personnel such as production designers, set ...

s, "Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series" and "Outstanding Picture Editing for a Comedy Series", for the episode "

Apollo, Apollo "Apollo, Apollo" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of American television comedy series ''30 Rock'', and the 52nd episode of the series overall. It was written by executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by Millicent Shelton. Th ...

". The show won three Primetime Emmy Awards: " Outstanding Comedy Series", Alec Baldwin won "

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The award is presented to the best performance by a lead actor in a television comedy series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy ...

" for his role as Jack Donaghy, and

won " Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series" for his work on "

Reunion Reunion may refer to: * Class reunion * Family reunion Reunion, Réunion, Re-union, Reunions or The Reunion may also refer to: Places * Réunion, a French overseas department and island in the Indian Ocean * Reunion, Commerce City, Colorado, US ...

". Tina Fey, though nominated, did not win " Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series", which she had won the previous year;

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...

from '' The United States of Tara'' won instead. CNN called the decision a "mild surprise", saying Fey was the "heavy favorite".

Distribution

''30 Rock'' is broadcast in Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and Australia, in addition to the United States. The show was

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simul ...

in Canada on

Citytv Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television ...

. This season of ''30 Rock'' was shown in Australia on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

at 11:30 p.m.

local time Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...

starting on February 2, 2009. The third season began in the UK on October 5, 2009, on Comedy Central, moving from

Five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

where the previous season had aired. The season was released on DVD by

on September 22, 2009, in the United States and Canada after it had completed an initial broadcast run on NBC. The DVD set is scheduled for Australian release on November 11, 2009. The 3-disc set of 22 episodes has a 1.78:1 aspect ratio,

Dolby Surround Dolby Pro Logic is a surround sound processing technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround. Dolby Stereo (also known as ''Dolby MP'' or ''Dolby SVA'') was developed by Dolby in 1976 ...

2.0 and 5.1, and English and Spanish subtitles. In addition to the episodes, the DVD set special features included unaired scenes, featurettes, and audio commentary on the select episodes, "Flu Shot", "Goodbye, My Friend", "The Bubble", "Apollo, Apollo", "The Ones", "Mamma Mia" and "Kidney Now!".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:30 Rock (Season 3) 2008 American television seasons 2009 American television seasons