Season 4 (30 Rock episode)

Plot

The episode opens at "Season 4", a fusion cuisine restaurant where Jack Donaghy uses the menu item "Cheesy Blasters" to argue that the cast and crew of TGS have lost touch with mainstream consumers. He instructs Tracy Jordan to reconnect with his lower-class roots and Jenna Maroney to adopt a "country" persona. Jack also tasks Liz Lemon with finding a new cast member to reduce the show's elitist image.

Liz enlists producer Pete Hornberger to help search comedy clubs, and they try to keep the process secret from the cast. Their awkward explanations lead them to tell the TGS writing staff, and Josh Girard quits upon learning of the plan. Meanwhile, NBC page Kenneth Parcell is troubled by unpaid overtime and is convinced by Jack to sign his timesheet. Kenneth later receives Jack's large bonus check by mistake and becomes angry, leading a page strike.

Other trade unions and Tracy join the strike. Jack hires private detective Lenny Wosniak to end it, but fails. Jack eventually admits he is a "big ol' liar", and Kenneth ends the strike, though he nearly reveals it was over a personal matter.

Production

The episode was written by Tina Fey, her eighteenth writing credit for the series, and directed by Don Scardino, his twenty-second helmed episode. It was filmed on August 28, September 1, September 30, and October 9, 2009. Steve Buscemi reprised his role as Lenny Wosniak for the fourth time, having previously appeared in "The Collection", "The Natural Order", and "Mamma Mia".

Buscemi had directed the 30 Rock episode "Retreat to Move Forward" earlier in 2009. Paula Pell made her third appearance as Paula Hornberger, wife of Pete Hornberger. The episode parodies the AIG bonus payments controversy of March 2009, in which AIG paid approximately $200 million in bonuses. In the episode, Kenneth receives Jack's bonus check by accident and leads a strike over unpaid overtime.

Jack hires Lenny to end the strike but eventually gives in to Kenneth's demand. The search for a new cast member, initiated by Jack's concern about elitism, continued throughout the season. A scene in which Jenna Maroney pulls an intern's earring off was originally intended for the season three episode "Gavin Volure" and appeared as a deleted scene on the season three DVD.

Reception

According to Nielsen, the episode was watched by 6.312 million households and earned a 3.0 rating/8 share in the 18–49 demographic. This was down 2.4 million viewers from the previous season's premiere, which had 8.7 million viewers. Variety and ABC noted that the 2009 Major League Baseball playoffs were a competitive factor on the original air date. IGN's Robert Canning scored the episode 9.2 out of 10, calling it proof that 30 Rock was worthy of the Best Comedy Emmy.

Sean Gandert of Paste magazine said the episode started the season on stronger footing than the first couple episodes of season 3, though it lacked as many classic moments as seasons one and two. Bob Sassone of TV Squad enjoyed the economic crisis and corporate bonuses theme, noting the show's ability to incorporate news into plot without feeling forced. TV Guide's Michael Anthony praised Steve Buscemi's performance. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called Kenneth's strike one of the more hilarious strikes in history.

Margaret Lyons of Entertainment Weekly found the episode a solid start to the new season. David Zurawik of The Baltimore Sun liked Buscemi's appearance. Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the hype was warranted. Kevin Aeh of Time Out singled out Tracy's storyline as the best part.

The Jay Leno Show

The episode served as a lead-out to The Jay Leno Show. After The Tonight Show transitioned to Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno was offered his own show at the 10:00 pm slot.

In the episode, NBC's storyline involved faltering and appealing to the masses, with Jane Krakowski's character singing "It's tennis night in america". At the episode's end, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey broke the fourth wall, saying "Ladies and gentlemen -- Jay Leno". The Jay Leno Show then began with Jay Leno thanking the 30 Rock stars and saying "time to give america what they want", followed by the same song with lyrics suited to his show.