"30 Rock" to go live for Thursday's episode
(CBS/AP) Live, from New York, it's..."30 Rock."
The NBC sitcom, normally a polished, single-camera filmed affair, will take a second stab at broadcasting a live episode this week.
Pictures: Tina Fey
Pictures: Alec Baldwin
"30 Rock" first went live for a night in October 2010 with an episode performed during the show's normal time slot, then re-staged for West Coast viewers.
The same plan will be followed this Thursday: Originating from NBC's Studio 8H (the home of "Saturday Night Live"), "30 Rock" will air live for viewers in the Eastern and Central time zones at 8:30 p.m. EDT, then be reprised at 8:30 PDT for the rest of the country.
The theme of the episode plays into the idea of Live vs. Filmed. The Kabletown corporate bosses announce they will no longer pay for live production of "TGS" (the fictitious show-within-a-show produced by Liz Lemon, played by "30 Rock" star Tina Fey). After first resisting, Liz and NBC exec Jack Donaghy (co-star Alec Baldwin) realize their lives would be simplified by shooting "TGS" episodes on film, fast and cheap.
But Kenneth, the page-turned-censor-turned-janitor (Jack McBrayer) objects, arguing that nothing can replace the excitement of live television.
Fey told the New York Times that some special guests may make appearances, though she didn't name names. During the first live episode in 2010, Julia Louis-Dreyfus played Liz in flashbacks and Jon Hamm reprised his role as the hook-handed Drew Baird in a PSA for hand transplants.
"We're going to try to do that again this year," Fey said. "We have a lot of people coming - people I would call friends of the show and friends of comedy in general."
In TV, live is a favorite way to shake things up. "The Drew Carey Show" aired a live, improv-laced episode in 1999. Two years before that, "ER" staged an ambitious live hour of that medical drama. "Will & Grace" kicked off its season in September 2005 with a live episode whose guest star was none other than Alec Baldwin. And 20 years ago, the Fox sitcom "Roc," starring Charles S. Dutton as a garbage collector, aired a full season of episodes live.
Tell us: Will you tune in to see "30 Rock" go live?