’30 Rock’ cast reunion? Why the show is getting one more episode

NBC already gave us one special episode of a cast reunion when they aired the Parks and Recreation reunion special in April. Now NBC is at it again and this time the carrot they’re dangling in faces is another reunion, but of the 30 Rock cast.

That’s right, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Jack McBrayer, Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan, and more of the cast will be back on NBC in July. It’s been seven years since 30 Rock, created & written by Tina Fey, went off the air and it’ll be good to see the old TGS crowd together again. While the Parks & Rec special didn’t quite work with the remote filming schtick, we’re hoping that 30 Rock’s classic meta goofiness will get the job done.

What to expect

On July 16th, we’ll be able to watch an hour-long, commercial-free special with the 30 Rock cast reprising their beloved roles. The show will be filmed remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic and will double as an upfront event for the NBCUniversal family of networks. 

We can look forward to a whole lot of crossovers from stars in the NBCUniversal family and will use that to highlight returning programming from NBC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and others. The episode will be scripted and we can’t wait to see how Tina’s going to play around with the guest appearances. 

NBC describes the reunion special as “a-first-of-its-kind all-audience-upfront-event”. NBCU’s advertising division is driving the special to tout the new stories and talent from NBCUniversal’s 2020-21 television season.

Working for the future

Tina Fey & Robert Carlock, 30 Rock’s executive producers, have stated that, “We’re happy to have this excuse to work together again for NBC. To quote Kenneth the Page, there are only two things we love in this world, television and everyone.”

NBCUniversal is excited to produce an upfront special that connects with viewers and celebrates the connections between the network, the advertisers, and the audience. The upfront promotions are historically about presenting the future of the network’s programming and, in turn, are about the future of the television industry.

Linda Yaccarino of advertising & partnerships at NBCUniversal also quipped, “As the old saying goes . . . when life hands you Lemon, have her host the upfront!”

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30 Rock was named one of the best comedy TV shows of its time and won sixteen Emmys during its run, including winning three Outstanding Comedy Series in a row. To watch the special tune into NBC on Thursday, July 16 8/7c. You’ll also be able to find it rebroadcast later on USA, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, and CNBC and will be available to stream on Peacock on Friday, July 17.