List of 30 Rock characters
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Main characters
The seven main cast members appear during the opening credits, while later additions receive star billing after the credits.
Main character appearance summary
Character | Portrayed by | Seasons | Special | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||
Liz Lemon | Tina Fey | Main | |||||||
Tracy Jordan | Tracy Morgan | Main | |||||||
Jenna Maroney | Jane Krakowski | Main | |||||||
Kenneth Parcell | Jack McBrayer | Main | |||||||
Pete Hornberger | Scott Adsit | Main | |||||||
Frank Rossitano | Judah Friedlander | Main | |||||||
Jack Donaghy | Alec Baldwin | Main | |||||||
Cerie Xerox
|
Katrina Bowden | Recurring | Starring | ||||||
James "Toofer" Spurlock
|
Keith Powell | Recurring | Starring | Main | |||||
Josh Girard
|
Lonny Ross | Recurring | Starring | ||||||
Dot Com
|
Kevin Brown | Recurring | Starring | Main | |||||
Grizz | Grizz Chapman | Recurring | Starring | Main | |||||
Jonathan
|
Maulik Pancholy | Recurring | Starring | Starring | Main | ||||
J.D. Lutz | John Lutz | Recurring | Starring | Main |
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon (Tina Fey), the series' protagonist, is head writer of TGS with Tracy Jordan. Jack Donaghy calls her a "New York third-wave feminist, college-educated, single-and-pretending-to-be-happy-about-it, over-scheduled, undersexed, you buy any magazine that says 'healthy body image' on the cover and every two years you take up knitting for... a week" person. Lemon is a Star Wars fan and is portrayed as a "geek." She also lacks certain social skills and is a stress eater, particularly ingesting junk food. She is generally shown to have liberal political views. Despite her high standards in men, personified in her imaginary perfect husband, Astronaut Mike Dexter, Lemon has had some "really terrible boyfriends", but eventually finds happiness with Criss Chross, with whom she adopts two children.
Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) is the loose-cannon star of TGS. He is a movie star with a reputation for erratic behavior. This reputation is well-deserved; much of it is an intentional attempt on his part to maintain his "crazy" persona in the eyes of the media. In the pilot episode, Jack Donaghy forces Liz Lemon to hire Tracy as the new star of her sketch comedy program The Girlie Show. To the chagrin of Liz and Jenna, Jack renames the show TGS with Tracy Jordan in the following episode. Tracy has remained the star of TGS ever since.
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) is the histrionic costar of TGS and Liz's best friend and former roommate. Though a talented singer, she is often shown as being extremely insecure about herself. A recurring motif in the show is Jenna's pursuit of fame through some ill-advised project ending up in public humiliation from which she never learns. She is a self-described "soul-sucking monster". Off-camera she is comically conceited, frequently lying about her age and attempts, but fails, to use her sexuality to manipulate men (almost always to disastrous effect).
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell (Jack McBrayer) is a cheerful, obedient Southern-born NBC page who "lives for television". In the early episodes, Kenneth seemed unfamiliar with some of Liz's staff (and Liz herself). In the pilot, Liz refers to Kenneth as "that NBC page". As the series progressed, his character became familiar with the other staff of TGS (including Jack Donaghy). Kenneth acts as Tracy Jordan's personal assistant (for instance, getting Tracy nachos from Yankee Stadium); he is a member of Tracy's entourage and becomes close to Tracy, Grizz, and Dot Com. By the end of the series, he ends up as the president of NBC.
It is revealed several times over the course of the show that not only may Kenneth not sleep, be immortal, and possibly be a clone, but also as stated by his mother (portrayed by Catherine O'Hara) that at the time of his birth he said to her, "Mama, I am not a person. My body is just a flesh vessel for an immortal being whose name, if you heard it, would make you lose your mind."[3]
Pete Hornberger
Peter "Pete" Hornberger (
In early seasons, Pete is Liz's closest friend at work and the only one she can rely on. Much like Liz, Pete generally plays straight man to the other characters, especially to Liz when she is temporarily pushed over the edge. Prior to his work on TGS, Pete was a skilled archer qualified to compete in the 1980 Summer Olympics, but lost his chance when President Carter decided to boycott the Moscow Games. Four years later, a case of "the yips" led him to botch his chance at making the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He was a member of the band Loverboy during his teenage years and his father was a member of the United States Congress.
Pete is married to Paula, with whom he has four sons and a daughter; her back-to-back pregnancies forced him to drop out of college twice. Aside from a brief scene in the pilot where Pete appears at home with one of his sons, the members of his family were unseen characters until the episode "Greenzo". In one episode, Pete reveals that he is afraid of his son Kyle, who is apparently very strong and, in "Black Tie", he spoke with his son Kaleb over the telephone, pretending to be popular fictional character Elmo, in order to encourage his son to "aim your pee-pee at the potty." In "Greenzo", Liz mentions he has three sons named Robert and Jack, and an unnamed one referred to as "that creepy little one who's always rubbing himself on the carpet". In the episode "Anna Howard Shaw Day", his daughter Evelyn is selling cookies for a school fundraiser. His wife, Paula, is implied to have a rather overbearing personality and Pete often goes to great lengths to make her happy, as in "Up All Night" when he realized that it was Valentine's Day, which also happens to be his wife's birthday. Pete also passed when one of Tracy's entourage expressed interest in him during that episode, showing that he may not always be happy in his marriage but he remains faithful. In the episode "Tracy Does Conan", Pete stated that his wife wishes he was not bald and, in "Black Tie", Pete mentions that they were married in a botanical garden. He lied to his wife about getting a vasectomy, but, as of "The Fighting Irish", she's getting suspicious. Therefore, Pete has asked Liz for the keys to her apartment for "my own safety." He is still living with Liz as of "Greenzo." However, Liz finds out that Pete and Paula are having an "affair" where they sneak around and use her apartment for trysts that include silk scarves and Pop-Tarts; Pete tells her that he and his wife got pregnant almost immediately after they began dating and have never had an exciting romantic/sexual life because of that, so they have found this way to spark their marriage.
With his role of Liz's confidant increasingly filled by Jack Donaghy, Pete played increasingly reduced roles as the series continued, although his marital woes and inability to catch a break were increasingly mined for humor. Jack pities Pete for his aimlessness and unattractive appearance, and occasionally attempts to boost his confidence, beginning by convincing him to wear a wig for a week in "Tracy Does Conan." In "Nothing Left to Lose", Jack is shocked to find out that Pete's only ambition is to remain in his current job. Jack attempts to help Pete by having him make adjustments to his lifestyle, including shaving off what remains of his hair. Unfortunately, it is revealed that his ring of hair was hiding an obscene birthmark that Jack describes as "a swastika made of penises", leading him to be beaten in the street and forced to wear another wig.
When TGS is canceled in "Last Lunch", Pete implies repeatedly he is planning to fake his death and escape from his life and family. He succeeds in doing so, setting up a new identity under the name "Dan Silversmith" in Hickory, North Carolina, but is tracked down a year later by his wife and meekly returns to his previous existence.
Frank Rossitano
Francis "Frank" Rossitano (
Friedlander said he made the hats for his character himself, using phrases he invented;[5] in "Jackie Jormp-Jomp", when Liz is suspended from work, one of her final requests before being forced out of the building was to know what Frank's hat said. Frank first started wearing the hats at age 14; his eighth-grade class photo shows him in a hat reading "My First Hat".
Frank was raised largely in Queens by his mother, Sylvia, after his father, a lawyer for the mafia, went into the
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy (
Cerie
Cerie Xerox (Katrina Bowden) is Liz's young, beautiful, laid-back assistant. Cerie is named after an actual person who was Lorne Michaels’ assistant at SNL. The heiress of the Xerox family,[7] her surname is revealed to also be "Xerox" in a scene cut from the broadcast version of "SeinfeldVision". She is the object of intense desire from the male writers of TGS because of her beauty and sometimes revealing clothing. As Liz’s assistant, her excessive youthful naïveté causes her to often misinterpret Liz's instructions to humorous effect and frequently overestimate Liz’s age. Despite her clueless demeanor, Cerie has shown great intellect on multiple occasions. She frequently receives drunken phone messages, which she states she does not think are cute, even when they are from Liz.
In "Jack the Writer", she says that, career-wise, she doesn’t actually want to work in television; rather, she plans to "marry rich and design handbags." She is also in a band that has performed on Letterman. Contractually, she can only hold beautiful black babies in Benetton advertisements.
In "
In "Secret Santa", Cerie tells Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon that her mother was born in 1976. This probably means that Cerie's mother was a teen mom when Cerie was born. However, in a previous episode, Cerie said that her mother is 38 years old.
Cerie states in "A Goon's Deed in a Weary World" that she quit years earlier, but inexplicably kept coming to work. She joins the rest of the TGS crew and cast on-stage, to resign personally to the Kabletown board of directors, in order to prevent the show from being recommissioned and thus enable Liz to devote her time to her newly adopted children. She sticks around to pack up the TGS writers' room, and orders both the writers' would-be last lunch which Liz dictates, and its replacement decreed by Lutz. ("Hogcock!", "Last Lunch")
Toofer Spurlock
James "Toofer" Spurlock (
Josh Girard
Josh Girard (
Most of Josh's work on the show seems to be as an impressionist; he has performed impressions of Ray Romano, Michael Jackson, Stone Phillips, Jay Leno, Elizabeth Taylor, George W. Bush, Christopher Walken and Jerry Seinfeld.
His impressions have raised eyebrows from people who are not impressed, like Elizabeth Taylor (played by
In the episode "The Break-Up", Josh states that his parents raised him as a girl for 10 years. Jack Donaghy mentions in the show's second episode that Josh had a 760 SAT score and graduated from SUNY Cortland. In "Hard Ball", Josh's agent Alan Steiner is introduced. In sharp contrast to Josh, Steiner was portrayed as slick and cunning. Steiner uses unnecessary abbreviations and has a "really bad sex addiction."
In "The Rural Juror", Josh snuck into Liz's office to get her copy of The Rural Juror and quickly dislikes it upon seeing the title ("Well, this is disappointing...I had to let Tony [the security guard] watch me pee to get that tape"). He does not appear in season three until the 13th episode, "Goodbye, My Friend".[12]
In "Season 4", Josh gets fed up with everyone's poor treatment of him and quits TGS. He then winds up auditioning again in "Audition Day", but he gets rejected; Danny Baker replaces him in the main TGS cast. Lonny Ross was written out of the series in season four. He appears via a flashback to a raunchy TGS sketch with Tracy in the series finale.
Dot Com
Walter "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown) is a member of Tracy's entourage. Another recurring character during the first two seasons, he is also credited as a series regular during seasons three and four. Dot Com is Tracy's driver and cook; in "Hard Ball", his and Grizz's last names are revealed.[13][14] Dot Com is erudite and intellectual; he is a 1993 graduate of Wesleyan University, aspires to screenwriting, and hints at successful entrepreneurial ventures. He credits a former campaign of his for a city council seat as having "raised the level of discourse in this city", even though he lost the election. Dot Com once portrayed Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, a role which Tracy praised, saying he saw Walter "become" Trigorin. Dot Com and Grizz are old friends, having met at a "summer camp for giants" ("Argus"). Like Tracy, Walter grew up in the South Bronx, though without experiencing poverty ("I wanted for nothing as a child, but that brings its own challenges," he notes, with Tracy responding "Shut up, Dot Com!"). Dot Com often serves as the voice of sanity within the series, and finds himself ignored with mounting frustration. During seasons 3 and 4, it is revealed that he is in love with Grizz's fiancée, Feyoncé, with whom he is implied to have had an affair.[15]
With the cancellation of TGS, Dot Com develops Grizz's sitcom, Grizz & Herz. He is soon joined behind the camera by Liz Lemon ("Last Lunch").[16]
Grizz
Warren "Grizz" Griswold (
Grizz reads George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire and expressed shock at a climactic moment toward the end of A Game of Thrones.
With the cancellation of TGS, Grizz remains at NBC. He is cast as the lead in a fish-out-of-water situation comedy developed by Dot Com, Grizz & Herz, in which his character runs an inn in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Liz eventually follows the duo, taking a behind-the-camera position and occasionally bringing her adopted children to work. ("Last Lunch")
Jonathan
Jonathan (
As a Christmas gift one year, Jack secured the release of Jonathan's sister from a North Korean prison.[18] Jack's wife Avery was later kidnapped to North Korea herself. Liz once caught Jonathan wearing a wedding dress and dancing with one of Jack's suits. ("Hogcock!")
Jonathan retains his position when Jack is replaced by Kathy Geiss, and is heartbroken by Jack's departure. He stays on as Jack's assistant when Jack is reinstated and keeps the same office despite Jack's promotion to chairman of NBC. Jack fires Jonathan in "Cutbacks", but he reappears as Jack's assistant three episodes later without explanation. He relocates with Jack to a suite upstairs when the latter is appointed chairman of Kabletown and eschews the company's Philadelphia headquarters in favor of remaining in the G.E. Building. ("Hogcock!" / "Last Lunch")
Jonathan is off-camera throughout the show's sixth season, something that the characters appear not to notice. His disappearance was due to actor Pancholy's co-starring role on another NBC sitcom, Whitney. Pancholy exists within the 30 Rock universe independently of Jonathan, being mentioned by Jack in "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell" during that period; Alec Baldwin likewise exists independently of Jack who mentions the actor in "Hogcock!" Jonathan returns in season seven, stating that he was away looking after his sick grandmother. ("The Beginning of the End")
Lutz
Johnny "J. D." Lutz (John Lutz) is a lazy TGS writer who is often ridiculed by the rest of the staff. When characters enter the room they sometimes yell, "Shut up, Lutz!" even if Lutz was not speaking at the time. The other characters are unconcerned about his well-being; when Lutz ran headfirst into a wall in "The Ones", no one helped him until a wall-mounted television fell on him, and even then, Pete (the producer) tells the writers, who instigated the incident, "I hope you've learned your lesson. Because of what you did, we almost lost a monitor." Lutz is originally from Alaska (which he hates), and claims to be part Inuit. His first two initials were mentioned in "The Aftermath", in which it was also revealed that he has a thyroid problem. The J is revealed to stand for Johnny (or John) in "The Moms". He attended Oberlin College; after his junior year, he traveled to South by Southwest (a film, interactive, and music festival in Austin, Texas). The show implies that he is a gay man in the process of coming out, although everyone ignores (or forgets) this due to their dislike of him. Lutz periodically mentions a girlfriend who lives in Canada, named Karen. No one believes him; therefore, Lutz created a website (JDLutz.com/karen/proof—an actual page on the 30 Rock website). He finally identifies himself as bisexual while shouting at his fellow writers on their last day of work in "Last Lunch". It is also mentioned during season six that Kellan Lutz from the Twilight series is his grandnephew, and while everyone thinks this is another one of his lies, Kellan actually does show up in Season 7 to hang out with his relative (and to try and tape a pro-Obama skit for TGS). In the series finale, Lutz finally takes revenge on the writing staff after seven years of ridicule by insisting that their final free lunch will be ordered from Blimpies, going to absurd lengths to ensure his victory, including legally changing his name to Johnny Aardvark so he will be first alphabetically. Lutz's mother is portrayed by John Lutz in drag in "The Moms"; however, this may just be the character Lutz impersonating his own mother, since they are not seen together.
Recurring GE/NBC/Kabletown employees
Danny Baker
Jack "Danny" Baker (
Danny had a brief fling with his boss, Liz Lemon, which annoyed Jack. Ironically, it was Jack's example that inspired Liz to "take her reward" with her employee in the first place. Assuming that Danny's real name of Jack is a diminutive of Jon or John, he is in keeping with Liz's tendency to date men who share names with celebrities and fictional characters: Jon Baker, the CHiPs character portrayed by Liz's childhood crush, Larry Wilcox. Indeed, Danny was even in-costume as Wilcox/Baker during one of their assignations. Jack persuaded Danny to end the affair by telling Danny that he (Jack) was in love with Liz.[20]
Danny is earnest, good-natured, and a talented singer. He defers to Jenna when his singing talent makes her jealous, to the point of deliberately singing badly during a Christmas special so she can step in and shine.[18] He mentions that he has a hard time recognizing sarcasm because "Canada has a small Jewish population", and was shocked to discover he was adopted despite his mother being Japanese.[21] Danny doesn't appear in much of the sixth season until he returns in the episode "Live from Studio 6H", in which he reveals that he has been locked in a prison in Singapore due to the discovery of a suspicious package he was possessing, which happened to have been given to him by Jenna. He makes his final appearance in "There's No I in America", when he asks Liz to help him from getting deported back to Canada, but Liz ignores his problem.
Appears In: "The Problem Solvers", "Secret Santa", "Black Light Attack!", "Winter Madness", "Floyd", "The Moms", "Live Show", "Mrs. Donaghy", "100", "Live from Studio 6H", "There's No I in America"
Don Geiss
Don Geiss (
Appears In: "The C Word", "Corporate Crush", "Jack Gets in the Game", "Succession", "Sandwich Day", "Reunion", "Larry King"
Kathy Geiss
Kathy Geiss (
Appears In: "
Devon Banks
Devon Banks (
Appears In: "
"Hank Hooper
Hank Hooper (
He is loosely based on the similarly alliteratively-named founder of Comcast, Ralph J. Roberts; Comcast is sometimes said to be run as a "family business.".[23]
Appears In: "¡Qué Sorpresa!", "Plan B", "100", "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell", "Standards and Practices", "The Shower Principle", "Game Over", "Florida".
Subhas
Subhas (Subhas Ramsaywack) is the head janitor at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. He is an Indian immigrant and is married to
Appears In: "Into the Crevasse", "Secret Santa", "Khonani", "Gentleman's Intermission", "¡Qué Sorpresa!", "TGS Hates Women", "I Heart Connecticut", "100", "Idiots Are People Two!", "Idiots Are People Three!", "Kidnapped by Danger", "Florida", "A Goon's Deed in a Weary World".
Kaylie Hooper
Kaylie Hooper (Chloë Grace Moretz) is the granddaughter of Hank Hooper, who is in competition with Jack to take over her grandfather's role as CEO of Kabletown. First introduced in "TGS Hates Women", she has twice used typical teenage girl antics to try to cover up her schemes to bring down Jack. Initially, she pretended to be interested in oceanography and later threatened to destroy Jack if he interfered with her future at Kabletown. Later on, she deliberately sabotaged an NBC reality show with singing kids as part of a convoluted plot to make sure Jack got her expelled from a private school she hated, thus landing her a spot at a school in Manhattan near her NYU student boyfriend—but Jack got the last laugh, as he ruined her dreams of playing lacrosse there, and thus she couldn't pretend he hadn't won that round. Kaylie returns in "Game Over", still wanting to be CEO of Kabletown. In this episode, it is apparently revealed to Jack that she is not Hank's granddaughter, and Jack plans to expose her. In reality, she is Hank's granddaughter, but she deliberately set up Jack to have him send someone else's DNA to Hank, believing it was hers, using Devon as a pawn in her plan. However, Jack reveals he never sent Hank the DNA results, but instead a birthday card, knowing Hank is very passionate about birthdays. Because of Jack's distractions throughout the week, Kaylie neglected to observe Hank's birthday, sealing Jack's fate as Kabletown CEO and Kaylie's ultimate downfall.
Appears In: "TGS Hates Women", "Standards and Practices", "Game Over".
Howard Jorgensen
Howard Jorgensen (Brian Stack) is Vice President of Locomotives at GE and a member of the board of directors. A former protégé of Jack's, he is married to a Filipina woman, has two children and owns a house with a pool. Jack has stated that people use Jorgensen as a scapegoat.
Appears In: "Jack Meets Dennis", "Succession", "Larry King"
Donny Lawson
Donny Lawson (Paul Scheer) is the head page at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, known for his weak one-liners and bizarre hand gestures. He despises Kenneth for his cheerfulness, and wants to transfer him to the CNBC studios in Paramus. Donny was introduced on the series when Jenna tries to find a replacement jacket for Kenneth; Donny uses this as an excuse to give Kenneth a demerit. He challenges him to a "page-off" (a strange contest, mixing physical stamina with NBC trivia) which is quickly broken up by Pete, who orders Donny to give Kenneth a new jacket.
Appears In: "Rosemary's Baby", "Cooter"
Jeffrey Weinerslav
Jeffrey Weinerslav (Todd Buonopane) (pronounced "weener-slave") works for GE human resources. He tried to mediate a dispute between Jenna and Tracy, but failed. Weinerslav is a self-described "overweight transgender". He counseled Liz during her forced leave for sexual harassment (which she attempted to extend by making a pass at him). He later counsels Jack and Liz when they briefly get married due to a clerical error.
Appears In: "Believe in the Stars", "Cutbacks", "Jackie Jormp-Jomp", "Let's Stay Together", "Mrs. Donaghy"
Hazel Wassername
Hazel Wassername, aka Richard Drench (
After leaving NBC, Wassername sues parent company Kabletown alleging to have been the victim of sexual harassment in "Florida". Although her claims make her look worse than any of her co-workers, she accurately recounts how badly everyone treats Kenneth; when Jenna and Tracy tell him to be honest, he confirms those incidents (though he isn't that upset about them) and the bad publicity leads Hank Hooper to finally cancel TGS.
Appears in: "Today You Are a Man", "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong", "St. Patrick's Day", "Grandmentor", "The Shower Principle", "Live from Studio 6H", "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?", "The Beginning of the End", "Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy", "Florida".
Greta Johansen
Legreta "Greta" Johansen (Rachel Dratch) is a cat wrangler who works on the show. In "The Baby Show" she offered to carry the child whom Liz wants, and revealed that she owns a small ferret farm 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City. Greta hints at an obsession with Liz, mentioning that she likes to watch Liz watching TV. Appears In: "Pilot", "The Baby Show", "The C Word", "100".
Dratch, who was featured as Jenna in the original pilot of the show but recast, has also played several minor characters, predominantly in season 1, including
Sue LaRoche-Van der Hout
Susannah "Sue" LaRoche-Van der Hout (Sue Galloway), also referred to as "girl-writer", is a TGS writer, who speaks with a heavy French-Dutch accent. The CBS dramatic series, The Mentalist, is a remake of a Dutch programme, Van der Hoot: Psychische (De Mentalist), which was based upon Sue's work as a police psychic in the Netherlands. Following the cancellation of TGS With Tracy Jordan, she takes a serving position at Hooters despite being heavily pregnant; she is called back for the final TGS episode.[24][25]
Sue has a pragmatic personality, but she is known for unpredictable behavior. She appears to have an affinity for
Notable appearances: "
Gaylord Felcher
Gaylord Felcher (Michael Torpey) is the head of
Appears in: "Standards and Practices", "Grandmentor"
Liz's love interests
The following characters have (at some point during the show) been boyfriends of Liz.
Dennis Duffy
Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters) was Liz's boyfriend for three episodes during the early part of the show's first season; he has also made appearances in each subsequent season. Liz had a relationship with him that ended prior to the series, and she briefly resumes a relationship with him only to break it off after discovering that he has been featured on To Catch a Predator. (Dennis later claimed that he knew the girl was actually eighteen because, "She said her last boyfriend was Asian, and that crap doesn't start 'till college.") Dennis has popped up occasionally in later seasons to annoy Liz and attempt to get back together. He is generally disliked by most of the characters, most notably Liz and Jenna, the latter of whom he had sex with behind Liz's back.
Dennis claims to be the love of Liz's life, which she disputes. The few good memories she has of him are mostly food-related, but she admits he makes her laugh. His nickname for her is "Dummy." She nearly got engaged to him and signed a lease on an apartment in Jacksonville before Jack Donaghy got over a pointless feud with Liz and stopped that. In his last two appearances on the show, Dennis has married an obnoxious Irish-American woman named Megan (Melissa McMeekin)(whose maiden name is also Duffy) and they have adopted an African-American baby boy whom they call "Black Dennis". While Dennis is worthless, he did inspire Liz to finally declare her love for her new boyfriend Criss Chros and, later, to marry him. Dennis also is convinced that Liz converted to Judaism for Criss, despite the fact that neither he nor Liz practice any religion.
Dennis is immature for a man his age, often exclaiming like a teenage boy. In one episode he sits on Liz's bed, playing
Appears In: "Jack Meets Dennis", "Tracy Does Conan", "The Break-Up", "Subway Hero", "Cooter", "Apollo, Apollo", "Anna Howard Shaw Day", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning", "100", "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong", "St. Patrick's Day", "Mazel Tov, Dummies!"
Floyd DeBarber
Floyd DeBarber (
Appears In: "
Drew Baird
Dr. Andrew "Drew" Baird (
He is recently divorced from Mandy and has one daughter from the marriage (Bethany, a rebellious teenager who drinks wine and starts fires). Liz and Drew's first date was on Valentine's Day 2009, during which Bethany ended up at Liz's apartment and Drew's mother died in the hospital. On her deathbed she reveals to Liz that she is not actually Drew's mother; the person Drew thinks is his sister is, in fact, his mother. She asks Liz to tell him the truth and Liz reveals this to Drew later in the episode.
In episode 15 of season three, ("
When Liz goes back to her ex-boyfriends in "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land," Drew appears with hooks on both hands: one hand had been lost in a firework explosion and the other in a helicopter accident, both caused by his stupidity. Drew later reappears in a cameo in season five episode "Live Show," having received one replacement hand from a death row inmate. The hand has a mind of its own, however, and begins to strangle him (In the West Coast version of "Live Show," Drew received a female hand transplant that constantly tries to seduce him). Liz later sums up Drew in the phrase "So handsome...so, so stupid."
Appears In: "Generalissimo", "St Valentine's Day", "The Bubble", "Anna Howard Shaw Day", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "Live Show". Jon Hamm also appeared in "Live from Studio 6H," playing two roles, but not Drew.
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes (Michael Sheen) is an Englishman whom Liz meets at her dentist's office while recovering from a root canal operation. Being under the effects of nitrous oxide, they seem to hit it off and list each other in their phones as "Future Husband" and "Future Wife". When sober, they immediately realize that they have nothing in common and dislike each other intensely. However, when they keep meeting each other by chance around the city, they continue to date believing that it is their destiny to "settle" for one another.
Wesley is displeased that the actor Wesley Snipes has his name, saying that the name is better suited to a "pasty, un-athletic British man". He frequently uses (fictional) British English phrases, such as "foot cycle" for bicycle and "film pod" for video camera, which annoys Liz. He is rude to her, mocking her disastrous romantic history and at one point compares her life to a "Cathy cartoon that just won't end".
He believes they are "settling soul mates" and sets the stage for another meeting during "Sweeps", which Liz assumes refers to
Appears In: "Future Husband", "Don Geiss, America and Hope", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "I Do Do".
Astronaut Mike Dexter
Astronaut Mike Dexter (John Anderson) is Liz's fantasy boyfriend, to whom she compares all other men; Mike often appears when Liz is either alone or involved in disastrous relationships, and is no longer seen once she develops a (relatively) normal social life. Liz mentions Dexter in several episodes, and he appears in her imagination throughout
Liz ends her idolization of the fictional astronaut after learning of her mother's premarital relationship with Buzz Aldrin (recreated in Liz's fantasy flashback by Fey and Anderson) and discussing the matter with present-day Aldrin in "The Moms".
Appears In: "
Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett (Matt Damon) is an airline pilot who begins a relationship with Liz in the season four finale. With an identical name to the television comedian's, he is her second consecutive boyfriend with the same name as a celebrity (after Wesley Snipes). Their first date takes place after he learns that Liz is the head writer of TGS with Tracy Jordan, and she finds out that Carol is an enthusiastic fan of the show, often showing episodes on his flights. Liz enjoys their relationship at first because his frequent absences for work gives her freedom. Carol, however, is eager to settle down and pursue a more normal relationship, since every relationship he has had as an airline pilot were intermittent affairs due to his constant travel for work.
Initially, Liz believes their similar personalities make them soul mates after they repeatedly share the same responses to games of "Would you rather". However they eventually realize that they are too similar, and in "Double-Edged Sword", their equally controlling personalities come to a head after a heated argument while being stuck for hours on the runway on a plane piloted by Carol.
Appears In: "I Do Do", "The Fabian Strategy", "Live Show", "Double-Edged Sword".
Criss Chros
Crisstopher Rick Chros (James Marsden) is an unemployed entrepreneur, and like Dot Com, attended Wesleyan University. Criss is the third of Liz's romantic interests to share a name with a celebrity (although there is a difference in spelling). He dropped out of law school, but holds a degree in ethnomusicology. He and Liz met somewhere between the end of season five and the beginning of season 6 at Riverside Park after Liz made fun of his turtleneck shirt. He runs a hot dog stand which sells organic hot dogs. It is revealed that he and Liz are dating in "Idiots Are People Two!" and that Liz has kept it a secret from Jack because she fears he'll disapprove of Criss — which Jack does, at first, but winds up changing his mind and gives Criss his "probational approval" card in "Idiots Are People Three!" In "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong", Liz discovers that her relationship with Criss has longevity after a failed trip to Ikea in which she and Criss have a big fight. Liz, assuming the fight is a breakup, frantically calls Criss to apologize and beg him to reconcile, only to discover that he never wanted to break up in the first place and is at home happily making dinner. In "St. Patrick's Day", a surprise visit from Dennis makes Liz finally admit that she is in love with Criss after an argument. When she tells him that she loves him, something she has never done to anyone, Criss responds by quoting Han Solo's response to Princess Leia, "I know," thereby proving his suitability to the Star Wars-obsessed Liz.
Jack sets up Liz on a "blind date" with Kevin, a man Jack actually hates, but his true purpose is to introduce Liz to Kevin's "awesome" Lemon-esque young daughter (Bebe Wood). After realizing that having children might be a good thing, Criss and Liz subsequently "put a pin" in this idea and decide to "just have some fun". Still, Criss is insecure in their relationship, believing that Liz might eventually bail on him. In the episode "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?", Criss sells his hot dog van to help pay for renovating Liz's apartment. Unfortunately he sells the van to "a really nice young guy on meth", who later steals money from a bank. Liz sees what she thinks is still Criss' van on a TV news report on the robbery, and thinking that Criss stole the money, tells him she will go to prison in his place. Criss considers this a sign that Liz will not bail on him, and later in the episode, when Liz observes that the room Criss is renovating will make a great nursery, they both realize that they are ready to try for a baby, whether biological or adopted.
As of Season 7, he and Liz are actively trying to have a child. Liz's unusual libido starts to make things a bit difficult, but they eventually find what works for them both. After a failed pregnancy test, Liz and Criss decide to get married in order to make an adoption process easier. They are married in a brief ceremony at City Hall attended by Jack, Dennis Duffy and his family, two homeless men and Tony Bennett.
Liz and Criss eventually adopt a pair of elementary-school aged twins, Janet and Terry (who are highly reminiscent of Jenna and Tracy). Criss briefly goes to work as a dental receptionist, but discovers he much prefers being a stay-at-home father.
Appears In: "Idiots Are People Two!", "Idiots Are People Three!", "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong", "Leap Day", "St. Patrick's Day", "Murphy Brown Lied to Us", "The Return of Avery Jessup", "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?", "Governor Dunston", "Mazel Tov, Dummies!", "A Goon's Deed in a Weary World", "Hogcock!"
Liz's one-episode love interests
- Gretchen Thomas (Stephanie March) is a "brilliant plastics engineer / lesbian" and a friend of Jack Donaghy from his rotation in General Electric's plastics division. Assuming Liz to be bisexual if not a lesbian (and maintaining that her shoes are "definitely bi-curious"), Jack sets up the pair on a blind date in "Blind Date". When proposing the idea to Liz, Jack refers to her simply as 'Thomas' (much as he generally addresses Liz by her surname, Lemon), and Liz is thus unaware of Gretchen's gender until meeting her. Despite Liz's lack of sexual attraction toward Gretchen, the two bond over dinner and Gretchen informs Jack that she finds Liz "great" and thinks she looks like Jennifer Jason Leigh. They enjoy a succession of platonic dates until Gretchen expresses that she feels she is starting to chase the straight girl and decides they should stop seeing each other. Liz attempts to make a pact that they get back together after 25 years and start a relationship then if they are both still single (including an offer to let Gretchen "do stuff to [her]" as long as Liz is not expected to reciprocate), but Gretchen walks away.
- Gray (Peter Hermann) appears in a season one episode as a tall, handsome and well-coiffed stranger Jenna and Liz keep bumping into at the 30 Rock building and refer to as "The Hair." When Liz and Gray finally meet, they trade witty banter and discover they share similar likes and annoyances. Although they seem to click, Liz cannot escape the feeling that their disparate levels of attractiveness make her unworthy to be with him. During a date that begins to turn romantic at Gray's apartment, Liz spots a photo of a mutual relative and they realize to their dismay that they're actually distant cousins. Liz shuts it down but before she leaves, Gray assures her that she is also a "hair."
- Steven Black (People's Choice Awardfrom him.
- Jamie Hamilton or "The Coffee Guy" (Val Emmich), who only appears in "Cougars", is an attractive younger man who has a crush on Liz Lemon, to whom he delivers coffee. Jamie refers to Liz as the "Sexy Librarian." As the two start to develop feelings for each other, Frank admits that he also has feelings for Jamie. Jamie asks Liz out on a date, but Liz refuses to go due to the difference in their ages. She asks Jamie how old he thinks she is and Jamie guesses 29. Liz quickly lies about her age and agrees that she is definitely 29. Jamie also lies about his age, telling Liz that he's 25, convincing Liz to consider the date. On their date, Liz admits that she's actually 37, whereupon Jamie reveals that he's in fact only 20. Jenna tells Liz that they're cougars. Liz becomes used to the idea of dating a much younger man and agrees to try it out. However, on a subsequent date, she meets Jamie's mother, Beth, who, in addition to sharing her proper forename (Elizabeth), bears a startling resemblance to Liz in looks and dress (indeed, portrayed by Tina Fey's lighting stand-in, Laura Berrios). Seeing Jamie next to Beth, Liz remarks under her breath, "Yup, that's what we look like." She immediately leaves and says "shut it down", ending their relationship.
- Stewart LaGrange (Peter Dinklage) is a diplomatic attaché who works at the United Nations, whom Liz encountered in the episode "Señor Macho Solo" after rubbing on his head from behind while "baby crazy", having mistaken him for a child due to his dwarfism. Stewart develops an interest in her due to assuming that her action was an aggressive form of flirting, and takes her out on several dates, while Liz, despite finding him charming, feels mildly uncomfortable due to the circumstances of their meeting. She inadvertently reveals her mistake when she instinctively pulls him back from a fire, offending him greatly. Liz later calls to apologize and suggests a meeting at the Brooklyn Bridge to see if they're willing to try again. However, Liz ends up mistaking a small child for Stewart, who witnesses it and turns away saying "shut it down".
- Gavin Volure (Steve Martin) is a rich entrepreneur and owner of a company called "Sunstream". Volure is agoraphobic, which leaves him confined to his Connecticut estate. Liz becomes interested in a relationship with Gavin when she discovers that his agoraphobia would prevent them from being intimate, something that Liz desires. Gavin later reveals to Liz that he is not agoraphobic, but is really under house arrest for arson, tax fraud, embezzlement and racketeering. Gavin attempts to escape the confines of his home with Liz, but he is captured. Gavin then later attempts a second escape, which succeeds. Gavin runs to TGS where he asks Liz to escape with him to Canada, but Liz refuses. Gavin then climbs to the top of the TGS set with the intention to jump, but, he is stopped by Tracy Jordan and presumably returned to his Connecticut estate.
- Brad Halster (Roger Bart) A consultant employed by the Himmler Group, Halster slashes TGS's budget and staff in "Cutbacks". Liz attempts to seduce him into restoring her employees' jobs by asking him out on a date and utilizing the show's make-up crew and wardrobe department to maximize her sex appeal.[31] Halster does not reverse his cuts the next morning, and is devastated when an angry Liz causes him to realise the quid-pro-quo nature of the date and moderate petting. Liz's plan ultimately succeeds, however, as Halster's sexual harassment complaint against her necessitates his recusal from consulting on TGS’ budget and Jack Donaghy personally handles evaluating the show. Liz's suspension also gives her a much-needed vacation from work.[32]
- James Franco (himself) was involved in a mock relationship with Jenna, orchestrated by his publicist in an attempt to quell the rumors of his infatuation with his Japanese love pillow, Kimiko, in "Klaus and Greta". The generally sexually repressed Liz uncharacteristically initiates their one-night stand, telling Franco after running into him and Kimiko at a bar, "Let's do this", and repairing to her apartment for their assignation.
Jack's love interests
The following characters have (at some point during the show) been Jack's girlfriend, wife or fiancée.
Bianca
Bianca (Isabella Rossellini) is Jack's first wife. Jack's mother disliked her from the beginning and their marriage was troubled. Bianca was introduced in season one, episode twelve. She is engaged to Vincent Foley, and in episode 13 her divorce with Jack was finalized (although they were legally separated since 1989). Jack mentioned that she was too much of a woman for him, which is why they divorced. A point of contention in their divorce was an Arby's restaurant outside of Telluride, Colorado. Jack also insisted on keeping the box they had trained their dog to poop in. Bianca tolerated most of Jack's affairs but is jealous of women who can actually make Jack happy, going so far as to violently attack Liz when she pretended to be Jack's fiancée.
Appears In: "Black Tie", "Up All Night".
Condoleezza Rice
Phoebe
Phoebe (
Appears In: "Corporate Crush", "Cleveland", "Hiatus".
C. C.
Celeste "C. C." Cunningham (
Appears In: "Somebody to Love", "Secrets and Lies", Episode 210, "Cooter".
Elisa Pedrera
Elisa Pedrera (
At some point thereafter, while back home in Puerto Rico, Elisa is incarcerated. In "Hogcock!", Jack convinces Elisa and Nancy Donovan to set aside their devout Catholicism and participate in a ménage à trois conjugal visit to Elisa's prison, the intensity of which rids both women of their accents.
Appears In: "Señor Macho Solo", "Flu Shot", "Generalissimo", "St. Valentine's Day", "Larry King", "The Ones", "Hogcock!"
Nancy Donovan
Nancy Donovan (
Appears In: "Secret Santa", "Winter Madness", "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "I Do Do", "Hogcock!"
Avery Jessup-Donaghy
Avery Jessup (
Appears In: "Anna Howard Shaw Day", "Future Husband", "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter", "The Moms", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "I Do Do", "When it Rains, it Pours", "Gentleman's Intermission", "Christmas Attack Zone", "¡Qué Sorpresa!", "Double-Edged Sword", "Everything Sunny All the Time Always", "The Return of Avery Jessup", "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?".
Main characters' relatives
Dick Lemon
Dick Lemon (Buck Henry; Sheffield Chastain as young Dick) is the father of Liz and Mitch Lemon. Like Liz, he grew up in White Haven, Pennsylvania, where he still lives.[35] Liz mentions that he served at Pearl Harbor, although it is quickly revealed that this was during the Korean War. Outwardly supportive of Liz, Dick secretly disagrees with, and is embarrassed by, many of her decisions.[36] At one point he arrives in New York declaring that he and his wife are "on a break" and he even accidentally tries to hit on Liz in a dark nightclub. Unknown to Liz, Dick once made out with Jenna on New Year's Eve.[37]
Appears in: "Ludachristmas", "Gentleman's Intermission", "Kidnapped by Danger"
Margaret Lemon
Margaret Lemon (née Freeman) (
Appears in: "Ludachristmas", "The Moms", "Kidnapped by Danger"
Terry and Janet
Terry and Janet (Dante Hoagland and Remy Bond) are fraternal twins whom Liz and Criss adopt in "A Goon's Deed in a Weary World". In addition to their genders, races, and names, their personalities are immediately revealed to be nearly identical to those of, respectively, Tracy and Jenna. Upon meeting them at the airport, Liz muses happily that gaining miniature versions of her two 'problem children' just as TGS is cancelled "seems about right" and she embraces the pair.
After a year in the Lemon-Chros family, Terry and Janet appear to have become less like Tracy and Jenna; they are well-behaved on the set of Grizz & Herz, sitting quietly off-camera and studying their homework while their mother and Dot Com produce the show.
Appear in: "A Goon's Deed in a Weary World", "Hogcock!", "Last Lunch"
Eliza Lemon
Eliza Lemon (
The sequence is an homage to
Appears in: "Last Lunch"
Paul L'astnamé (Mr. Jenna Maroney)
Mr. Jenna Maroney, formerly known as Paul L'astnamé (Will Forte), is Jenna's boyfriend and later husband. He is a female-impersonator (most often dressed as Jenna) who often refers to himself as a "she-man" or "shman." Paul and Jenna first met when Paul won first place in a Jenna Maroney impersonator contest in which Jenna herself placed fourth (parody of an urban legend about Charlie Chaplin, who allegedly finished fourth in a Charlie Chaplin contest, and of Dolly Parton who has confirmed the same happened to her at a drag-queen contest she entered[41]) and Jenna realized that by dating Paul she could date herself. They began a relationship characterized by many unconventional sexual practices. The pair become engaged to marry when he crashes a TGS sketch in "Live from Studio 6H". In "My Whole Life Is Thunder", Jenna and Paul are married in a surprise ceremony at the funeral of Jack's mother. Paul takes Jenna's first and last names.
Appears In: "Argus", "I Do Do", "Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish", "Christmas Attack Zone", "100", "Respawn", "The Tuxedo Begins", "Meet the Woggels!", "Murphy Brown Lied to Us", "Live from Studio 6H", "My Whole Life Is Thunder."
Forte had previously appeared in 30 Rock as Tomas, a servant of Prince Gerhardt, in the season one episode "Black Tie".
Angie Jordan
Angie Jordan (
For her initial appearance in "Jack the Writer" (a non-speaking cameo appearance), she was played by Sharon Wilkins. In all subsequent episodes (beginning with "Up All Night"), she is portrayed by Sherri Shepherd and has a more substantial role.
Appears In: "Up All Night", "Jack Gets in the Game", "The Collection", "Señor Macho Solo", "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001", "Mrs. Donaghy", "Queen of Jordan", "Queen of Jordan 2: Mystery of the Phantom Pooper".
Colleen Donaghy
Colleen Donaghy (née Murphy) (Elaine Stritch, Nicol Paone in flashback[42]) is Jack's overbearing, demanding mother who lives in a Florida retirement home. She and Jack share a tense and often confrontational relationship, although deep down they do, in fact, love each other. Colleen first appeared in season 1, episode 21; she is critical of Jack's abilities, and hesitant to show him affection. In season 3, episode 20, Colleen reveals that her ex-husband (Jimmy Donaghy) left her in 1957 and returned in 1959. The revelation leads Jack to conclude that Jimmy Donaghy could not have been his real father. It is later revealed that Jack's father is Milton Greene, a boarder in the Donaghy house with whom Colleen had an affair during Jim's absence. Jimmy Donaghy seemed to have been possibly aware of this impossibility when he met Jack after many years of absence (in an attempt to scam him), calling him a 'half-an-Englishman'. It is unknown if any of her other children (Eddie, Patrick, Patricia, or Katherine Catherine) were also illegitimate.
Colleen's relationship with Jack is often tense, owing to her constant criticism and her meddling in Jack's private life.
Despite her icy, stern demeanor, Colleen is shown to have been a deeply devoted mother. In a "
Despite rarely having a good thing to say about anyone, Colleen takes an instant liking to Liz, mistaking her for Jack's actual fiancée, Phoebe, and being visibly disappointed when Jack insists he and Liz are not engaged.[45] Although fond of Liz, Colleen nevertheless delights in critiquing Liz's appearance, and on one occasion manipulating the Lemons into a resentment-fueled fight.[36]
In "Meet the Woggles" Colleen reveals that Jack has always been her favorite child, since he always ate his vegetables, regularly attended church, and loved
Colleen dies of a heart attack in "My Whole Life Is Thunder" during a visit to New York to spend time with Jack, attempting to guilt him and seemingly depriving him of her approval literally up to her last breath. Her last words to Jack are "I just want you to be happy," which Jack interprets as sarcastic, calling them "one last twist of the knife." Jack and Liz subsequently discover in "Florida" that Colleen spent her final years in a cohabitational lesbian relationship and — much more shockingly — was happy and well-liked in the couple's retirement community, where she had a reputation as a friendly and fun-loving prankster. Jack is sent into a tailspin by the revelation that his mother actually wanted him to be happy, which leads to him re-evaluating his life and career in the finale.
Appears In: "Hiatus", "Ludachristmas", "Christmas Special", "The Natural Order", "The Moms", "Christmas Attack Zone", "Meet the Woggels!", "My Whole Life Is Thunder", and in still photographs in "Florida".
Milton Greene
Milton Greene (Alan Alda) is Jack's biological father. Milton rented a room from Colleen Donaghy in the Boston suburb of Sadchester in 1958, during one of Jimmy Donaghy's numerous long absences from his family. The two soon began a physical affair and, unbeknownst to Milton, conceived Jack.
A half-century later, Milton is a politically liberal professor of history at Vermont's Bennington College. In the interim, Milton had married and fathered a son named Spider-Man (Milton and his wife believed that children should be able to choose their own names). An admirer of Jimmy Carter, Milton is the author of a multi-volume biography of the former president, entitled From Peanut to President. Betty White is seen reading a volume when Tracy Jordan telephones her in "Stone Mountain".
Jack discovers in "The Natural Order" that Jimmy Donaghy had been gone when Jack was conceived. He and Len Wozniak narrow his possible fathers down to three men whom Jack lures to Manhattan under false pretences in "Mamma Mia". Seeing that George Park is Korean and then learning that Fred O'Dwyer lost his genitals in a grenade explosion during World War II, Jack invites Milton to his office and reveals their relation. Milton is overjoyed and announces that he is in need of a kidney to survive. In "Kidney Now!", Jack is relieved to learn that he is not a match and decides to hold a charity concert to find a kidney for Milton. It is revealed in "Christmas Attack Zone" that Elvis Costello was a tissue match and donated a kidney to Milton.
Milton's liberalism is exaggerated as a foil to Jack's conservative politics. He is kind, enthusiastic, and supportive of Jack.
Appears In: "Mamma Mia", "Kidney Now!", "Christmas Attack Zone".
Tracy Jr., George Foreman and Virginia Jordan
Tracy Jordan Jr. (Bobb'e J. Thompson) is the combative son of Tracy and Angie Jordan. The Jordans have another son, George Foreman Jordan, who appeared in "Gavin Volure" and "The Bubble" (played by Jalani McNair), and had his first speaking role in the season 6 episode "Meet the Woggels!", where he was accepted into Stanford University (to Tracy's disapproval) and played by Dante E. Clark. The Jordans' daughter Virginia was born in "When It Rains, It Pours", and appears twice in the 6th and 7th Season, played by twin infants Zoya and Zuri Bacai.
Appears In: "Gavin Volure", "Succession", "The Funcooker", "The Bubble", "Sun Tea" (Tracy Jr.), "Gavin Volure", "The Bubble", "Meet the Woggels!" (George Foreman), "Queen of Jordan 2: Mystery of the Phantom Pooper" and "Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy" (Virginia)
Verna Maroney
Verna Maroney (Jan Hooks) is Jenna's mother. A quintessential stage mother, she spent Jenna's childhood forcing her to perform in beauty pageants and talent shows, and is responsible for Jenna's need for the spotlight and for many of her neuroses. Verna became the last live-action role Hooks played before she died.
Appears In: "Verna", "The Moms".
Diana Jessup
Diana Jessup (Mary Steenburgen) is Avery's mother and Jack's mother-in-law. Diana shares many qualities with her daughter, which makes Jack instantly attracted to her.
Appears In: "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong", "Kidnapped by Danger", "Queen of Jordan 2: Mystery of the Phantom Pooper", "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?".
Sylvia Rossitano
Sylvia Rossitano (
Appears In: "Goodbye, My Friend", "The Moms", "Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whisky".
Paula Hornberger
Paula Hornberger (Paula Pell) is Pete's wife. Paula and Pete have been married since their sophomore year of college, after Paula was pregnant with the pair's first child 20 minutes into their first date. Paula and Pete have a seemingly tenuous relationship, as Pete lived with Liz after he lied about his vasectomy. The two reconnected after engaging in a post-marital affair.
Appears In: "Greenzo", "Kidney Now!", "Season 4", "I Do Do", "The Fabian Strategy", "Hogcock!" / "Last Lunch"
Recurring characters
Leo Spaceman
"Dr." Leo Spaceman (
Leo is the son of Dr. Harold (a.k.a. Heinrich) Spaceman, an equally incompetent and unethical physician. After serving in World War II, the elder Dr. Spaceman left Germany for a new life in the United States. In the 1950s, he was a television spokesman for Chatterton cigarettes, promoting their tar and nicotine to expectant mothers, as being necessary for their babies' skeletal development. In addition to his Nazi past, he was a notorious paedophile.
Appears In: "
Lenny Wosniak
Lenny Wosniak (Steve Buscemi) is a private investigator occasionally hired by Jack. He first appears in the second-season episode "The Collection", where (while spying on Jack to determine if he has any skeletons in his closet which could prevent him from being named the new CEO of General Electric) he discovers Jack has a large collection of homemade ceramic cookie jars. Jack also hires him in the third season to obtain personal information about a man his mother was seeing, and (later) the true identity of his father. In "The Tuxedo Begins", Jack hires him after he is mugged. During his investigations, Wosniak will occasionally don a disguise as he sees fit. He claims he was once "part of a special task force of very young-looking cops who infiltrated high schools," in a reference to 21 Jump Street. While attempting to infiltrate the pages union by seducing Kenneth, Wosniak affixes a blond wig in order to assume the persona of the "nympho-coed Charlene LaRue"- the attempt ultimately fails as Kenneth was "impervious" to Mrs. LaRue's charms. In "Game Over" Lenny goes undercover at Kaylie Hooper's high school as a female drama teacher, Jan Foster, discovers that he prefers being Jan to being Lenny, and gets engaged to a female math teacher.
Appears In: "The Collection", "The Natural Order", "Mamma Mia", "Season 4", "The Tuxedo Begins" and "Game Over".
Shawn Connelly
Shawn Connelly (Seth Kirschner) directs Tracy Jordan in Garfield 3: Feline Groovy until Tracy abruptly quits and causes the production to be shut down. His career ruined, Shawn is forced to move back into his parents' home. He again finds himself directing Tracy in an advertisement for the Boys & Girls Clubs, each elaborate take of which is ruined by Tracy's incompetence, until Jack Donaghy arrives on-set, feeds Tracy a mouth-full of jelly beans, and imitates his voice. Jack twice hires Shawn to direct films he executive produces and which star Jenna Maroney. The first is the
Appears In: "Into the Crevasse", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "Reaganing", "I Heart Connecticut", "Kidnapped by Danger", "Hogcock!"
Bev
Bev (Megan Mullally) is Liz Lemon's (later, Liz and Criss Chross's) adoption agent. She initially intends to reject Liz at the conclusion of her evaluation visit to Liz's workplace, many of the interviews of Liz's co-workers having reflected badly upon Liz or the safety of the studio for a child. Before Bev files her report, however, she sustains a head injury and forgets that she has conducted the evaluation. Liz gets the crew to help her "do over" the evaluation, hoping for a better result.
Although Liz's marriage to Criss was calculated to increase her chance at adopting, Bev explains that there remains a four-year waiting list for newborns and tries to convince Liz to adopt an older child. Liz eventually agrees after realising that years of dealing with her "problem children" Tracy and Jenna have proven her parenting skills. Bev subsequently convinces Liz to accept twins rather than a single child and schedules their arrival for a few short days later. She gets the date wrong, however, and informs Criss that Terry and Janet are flying in that afternoon.
Appears In: "Do-Over", "Game Over", "Florida", "A Goon's Deed in a Weary World"
Cooter Burger (James Riley)
Cooter Burger (Matthew Broderick) is a government employee and political lobbyist. He first met Jack in the declining Bush administration where together they worked to get fired by developing a "Gay Bomb". Years later, Cooter works as a Republican political lobbyist and tries to persuade Jack to have TGS make more sketches about Mitt Romney's fictional new running mate, Governor Dunston. Cooter's real name is James Riley; "Cooter Burger" is a combination of two nicknames given to him by George W. Bush.
Appears In: "Cooter", "Governor Dunston".
Simon Barrons
Simon Barrons (
Appears In: "The Problem Solvers", "Plan B", "Today You Are a Man".
Donald
Donald (Michael Benjamin Washington) is an entrepreneur who pretends to be Tracy Jordan's son (despite being two years older than Tracy). His money-making ideas consist of questionable business practices, such as picking out corporate names already in use (a frozen-yogurt and microbrewery restaurant called Microsoft, and a phone service for nationwide air-quality updates called American Airlines). Tracy knows Donald is not his son; he supports his misguided ideas anyway, and Jack (who had convinced Tracy to cut Donald off) later tells Tracy to keep being a dad. Donald opens a karate dojo named for Tracy, but the business fails. He also tries to solicit Jack for an investment in a new restaurant.
Appears In: "Mamma Mia", "Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish".
Lynn Onkman
Lynn Onkman (Susan Sarandon) is Frank's girlfriend and former high school teacher. Lynn seduced Frank when he was 14 years old and they became lovers. Lynn was eventually arrested and sent to jail. Lynn was released years later and reunited with Frank on an episode of Angie's reality show Queen of Jordan. Lynn and Frank broke up after an argument in which Lynn said that Frank still hadn't grown up, however, Lynn and Frank made up and continued their relationship. Frank's mother Sylvia heavily disapproved of Frank and Lynn's relationship, causing them to break up again. Liz was able to convince Sylvia to approve of Frank and Lynn's relationship when Sylvia sees Lynn's passion towards Frank, and so the two of them got back together. Despite Liz's help with Lynn and Frank's relationship, Lynn hates Liz, and has said that she believes Liz is a "terrible person". Lynn is also part of a Mexican prison gang named Los Tiburones.
Appears In: "Queen of Jordan (30 Rock)", "Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whisky".
Minor characters
The following is a supplementary list of recurring characters—including those appearing briefly in multiple episodes, such as a regularly-appearing writer—about whom little is known.
- Gabe Person (Seth Baird) – Replaces Jonathan as Jack's assistant during season 6 and several episodes of season 7. His most prominent appearance is in "Grandmentor", where he is dismissed by Jack as being nothing more than a "featured extra with no lines" after attempting to gain the lead role in the film Kidnapped by Danger.
- Lee (Tom Broecker) – The show's costume manager; appears in eleven episodes. Broecker is the real-world costume designer for 30 Rock.
- Stage manager (Teddy Coluca) – Appears in six episodes.
- Tracy Davids (Tracy Davids) – The stage manager's assistant; appears in two episodes. He yells at her[who?] when she can not move quick enough ("stage manager").
- D'Fwan (Tituss Burgess) – A flamboyantly gay member of Angie Jordan's entourage. Appears in four episodes.
- Rachel Baze (Rachel Hamilton) – One of the writers on the show; in "The Aftermath", Jack mentions her last name and that she just became engaged. She has speaking parts in two episodes. She appears often in the writers room during the first two seasons, but disappears after season 2.
- Anthony (Anthony Atamanuik) – One of the writers on the show; speaks in the final show.
- Donald (Donald Glover) – A stagehand on the show; has a speaking part in two episodes. Glover, a writer for 30 Rock, also briefly appears as a gay student graduating from Tracy Jordan's alma mater Frank Lucas High School when Jordan gives a commencement address in "Kidney Now!"
- Matt (Matt Dickinson) – Jack's assistant in two season-one episodes and one season-three episode (in place of Jonathan)
- Stage manager (Brendan Walsh) – Shouts "Shut it down!" at the end of each of the two episodes he appears in (referred to in credits as "Shut It Down").
- Alfonso Mysterioso/TGS Piano Player (St. Valentine's Day." He also appears as the TGS piano player in the first-season episode "The Baby Show". Richmond is the real-world primary composer on 30 Rock and Tina Fey's husband. His last name is called out when he is fired from Jenna's talent show (Hey, Baby, What's Wrong).
- Richard Esposito (Himself) – Jenna's hairstylist. He is long-suffering at the hands of Jenna's antics. They have an antagonistic relationship.
- Tim Grandy (Kevin Miller) – One of the writers on the show; in "The Aftermath", Jack mentions he is from Bowie, Maryland. He has a brief speaking part in "The C Word".
- Grace Park (Charlyne Yi) – An NBC page who has a slight romantic history with Kenneth. Appeared in "The C Word".
- Hannibal (Hannibal Buress) – A homeless man who seems to appear at moments most inconvenient to Liz and her staff. Buress was a writer for 30 Rock in seasons 5–6. He appears in "Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish", "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning", "TGS Hates Women", "Plan B", "100", "Respawn", "The Tuxedo Begins", "Leap Day" and "Queen of Jordan 2: Mystery of the Phantom Pooper".
- Moonvest (Leslie Moonves (president of NBC's competitor CBS Corporation) to whom the NBC executives assume Kenneth is referring, and avant-garde street musician Moondog.
- Sketch-Tron 6000 A recurring TGS robot sketch character originally from outer space, he appears in skits like "The Bear and Robot Talk Show", flashback dreams by Tracy Jordan, vice presidential debate skits, as well as simple background appearances behind major characters or on stage for TGS rehearsals in nine episodes over the show's 7 seasons. He appears in "Episode 210, "Cutbacks", "Live Show", "¡Qué Sorpresa!", "100", "The Beginning of the End", "Governor Dunston", and "A Goon's Deed in a Weary World". A Sketch-Tron 6000[47]fan site shows all appearances he made on the show.
- Himself) – He has made a number of cameo appearances as (an exaggerated) version of himself, portrayed as clueless and trying too hard to be funny. He also appeared as David Brinkley in the West Coast broadcast of "Live from Studio 6H".
- Sherry (Trinidadian nanny who proves to be a powerful negotiator against Jack. She appears in "It's Never Too Late for Now", "Everything Sunny All the Time Always", "Respawn" and "Leap Day".
- Male Newscaster (Jonathan Dickson) – The guy Tina Fey (Liz Lemon) gets her news from when she's down South and sick in bed. He appears in Stone Mountain
Guest characters
30 Rock has featured a number of guest appearances (including cameos and featured fictional roles):
- Clay Aiken as himself; revealed to be the cousin of Kenneth Parcell.
- Buzz Aldrin as himself (former lover of Liz's mother, Margaret Lemon (then Freeman), to whom she "repeatedly lost her virginity" while Waldo, the town pervert, watched from the bushes)
- Harry Anderson as himself
- Jennifer Aniston as Claire Harper (a wild college friend of Jenna and Liz)
- Fred Armisen as Raheem Haddad (Liz's new neighbor, whom she believes is a terrorist)
- William Baldwin as Lance Drake Mandrell, an actor who portrays Jack in the television movie "Kidnapped by Danger".
- Sara Bareilles as herself
- The Beastie Boys as themselves
- Joy Behar as herself
- Richard Belzer as himself portraying Sergeant John Munch
- Tony Bennett as himself
- Mary J. Blige as herself
- Michael Bloomberg as himself
- Nick Cannon as himself
- Jim Carrey as himself portraying the lead in Leap Day Williams
- James Carville as himself
- Don Cheadle as himself
- Anna Chlumsky as Liz Lemler, Floyd's former girlfriend.
- crystal methsmuggler
- Kim Jong-un.
- Gary Cole as Roger
- Tim Conway as Bucky Bright (an idol of Kenneth's who turns out to be a prejudiced, bisexual, womanizer; he points himself (Conway) out in a McHale's Navy publicity photo). Conway won an Emmy for the episode.
- Elvis Costello as himself
- Bryan Cranston as Ron, Kenneth's step-father
- Sheryl Crow as herself
- Ann Curry as herself
- Robert De Niro as himself
- Jeff Dunham and Bubba J as Rick Wayne and his dummy Pumpkin respectively (whom Jack finds hilarious and demands that he be hired over Liz's objections—until Pumpkin insults Liz and is then killed by Jack).
- Steve Earle as himself
- Jimmy Fallon as himself / a young Jack Donaghy in "Live from Studio 6H"
- Will Ferrell as the lead in Bitch Hunter, a made-up NBC show about the main character, played by Ferrell, who hunts bitches.
- Carrie Fisher as Rosemary Howard (a book author and Liz's girlhood idol, who has become mentally unstable)
- Mick Foley as his wrestling persona Mankind
- James Franco as himself
- Ina Garten as herself
- Ghostface Killah as himself
- Paul Giamatti as Ritchie
- Kathie Lee Gifford as herself
- Alan Gilbert (conductor) and members of the New York Philharmonic as themselves
- Whoopi Goldberg as herself
- Al Gore as himself
- Carvel
- Bill Hader as Kevin, Carol's co-pilot
- Tom Hanks as himself
- Sean Hayesas Jesse Parcell
- Florence Henderson as herself
- Edward Herrmann as Walter, a co-op board member (Episode 210, 2008)
- Lester Holt as himself
- Odafin Tutuola
- Norah Jones as herself
- Jon Bon Jovi as himself
- Kim Kardashian as herself
- Stacy Keach as himself
- Michael Keaton as Tom, an NBC maintenance man.
- Kermit the Frog as himself
- Gayle King as herself
- Larry King as himself
- Calvin Kleinas himself
- Gladys Knight as herself
- John Krasinski as himself
- Karolina Kurkovaas herself
- Talib Kweli as himself
- Padma Lakshmi as herself
- Nathan Lane as Eddie Donaghy, Jack's brother
- Matt Lauer as himself
- Cyndi Lauper as herself
- Adam Levine as himself
- John Lithgow as himself
- hip-hopmogul Ridikolous
- Ryan Lochte as himself
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Liz Lemon in cutaway flashbacks in the "Live Show"
- Kellan Lutz as a fictional version of himself who is J.D. Lutz's grand-nephew.
- Patti LuPone as Sylvia Rossitano (Frank's mother)
- Andie MacDowell as herself portraying Claire Williams in Leap Dave Williams
- Rachel Maddow as herself
- Steve Martin as Gavin Volure
- Paul McCartney as himself
- Michael McDonaldas himself
- John McEnroe as himself
- Tim Meadows as Martin Lutherking, an NBC lawyer.
- Rhett Miller as himself
- Vanessa Minnilloas Carmen Chao, a news anchor and Avery's rival.
- Andrea Mitchell as herself
- Conan O'Brien as himself
- Catherine O'Hara as Pearline, Kenneth's mother.
- Suze Orman as herself
- Nancy Pelosi as herself
- Aubrey Plaza as an NBC page (a job she once held in real life)
- Amy Poehler as a young Liz Lemon
- Markie Post as herself
- Queen Latifah as Congresswoman Regina Bookman
- Alysia Reiner as a Real Estate agent in "Sun Tea"
- Rob Reiner as Congressman Rob Reiner, a fictional version of himself
- Habsburgline with various disabilities
- Denise Richards as herself
- Andy Richter as Liz's brother, Mitch
- Al Roker as himself
- Andy Samberg as himself
- Susan Sarandon as Lynn Onkman, Frank's high school teacher and girlfriend
- Amy Schumer as Liz Lemon's stylist in the episode "Mamma Mia"
- David Schwimmer as Jared, an actor hired to play "Greenzo", a global warming mascot
- Amy Sedaris as Visor Lady
- Jerry Seinfeld as himself (to discuss SeinfeldVision)
- Molly Shannon as Katherine Catherine Donaghy, Jack's Sister
- Reshma Shetty as a Party Attendant in "Secrets and Lies"
- John Slattery as Steve Austin, an independent congressional candidate who Jack endorses
- Aaron Sorkin as himself
- Octavia Spencer as herself
- Emma Stone as herself
- Stanley Tucci as Henry Warren, an old colleague of Jack
- Meredith Vieira as herself in two episodes, and mentioned as a sexual predator of Kenneth in another[32]
- Oprah Winfrey as Liz Lemon's hallucination of Oprah Winfrey
- Jack Welch as himself
- Adam West as himself
- Betty White as herself; Tracy attempts to call and scare her to death, but fails
- Wendy Williams as herself
- "Weird" Al Yankovicas himself
- Rachael Yamagata as herself
Notes
- ^ It is unclear as to which version of "Ave Maria" this was, but the best-known ones are those by Bach/Gounod and by Schubert.
References
- ^ Belek, Cassie (2007-09-19). "Rock Solid Comedy Shines in First Season". The Observer. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- NBC Universal Media Village. Retrieved 2008-03-26.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Raynor, Madeline (January 4, 2016). "Every Hint and Reference to Kenneth's Immortality on '30 Rock'". Vulture. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "Blind Date". 30 Rock. NBC.
- ^ "Inside With: Judah Friedlander". The Apiary. Archived from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "'30 Rock': 'Queen of Jordan' makes its debut". EW.com. March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "Ma Cerie Amour". Paper. April 24, 2008. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ "30 Rock Special Features – Tour of the 30 Rock Set with Tina Fey". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13.
- ^ "Jump-starting a career". Los Angeles Times. September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "30 Rock: "Pilot"". TV Club. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "30 Rock Fans Demand Justice For Lonny Ross". Stereogum. January 16, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ Graham, Mark (March 6, 2009). "Lonny Ross Makes a Triumphant Return to 30 Rock". Vulture. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ NBC Universal. NBC.
- ^ NBC Universal. NBC.
- ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (October 11, 2016). "The 56 Most Important Characters of '30 Rock,' Ranked". IndieWire. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ O'Connell, Michael (January 31, 2013). "'30 Rock' Series Finale: Liz Lemon Shuts It Down One Last Time". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "A Jack moment". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Secret Santa"
- ^ a b "The Problem Solvers"
- ^ "Black Light Attack!"
- ^ "The Moms"
- ^ "The Player" Archived 2009-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, Fortune, October 27, 2008
- ^ Pearlstine, Norman (August 9, 2012). "Brian Roberts on His Vision for Comcast". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
Comcast (CMCSA) is a 49-year-old family company that morphed into a media behemoth with the 2011 purchase of NBCUniversal.
- ^ "Hogcock!". 30 Rock. January 31, 2013. NBC.
- ^ "Last Lunch". 30 Rock. January 31, 2013. NBC.
- ^ "Black Light Attack!". 30 Rock. NBC.
- ^ "It's Never Too Late for Now". 30 Rock. NBC.
- ^ "30 Rock Recap".
- ^ a b c "Jason Sudeikis Interview about Floyd". USA Today Pop Candy. 2010-08-13. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "30 Rock and The Office". Archived from the original on 2012-04-18.
- ^ "Lee, I need that dress Jenna wore for the hooker sketch, the heels Tracy wears when he plays Michelle Obama, and double... wait... triple Spanx. I need a make-up artist! No, the sluttier one."
- ^ a b "Jackie Jormp-Jomp"
- ^ "The Break-Up"
- ^ "Everything Sunny All the Time Always"
- ^ Dick states in "Ludachristmas" that part of his embarrassment about Liz's brief tenure on the highschool football team stemmed from having worn the same uniform.
- ^ a b "Ludachristmas"
- ^ "Last Lunch"
- Astronaut Group 3in 1963
- ^ Aldrin took her virginity the night before he shipped out to Korea which occurred in 1952
- ^ a b "The Moms
- ^ "Dolly Parton Once Entered a Dolly Look-Alike Contest and Lost — To a Man" by Melanie Aman, Woman's World. Aug 15, 2018. Accessed Aug 27, 2019.
- ^ "Nicol Paone". www.imdb.com.
- ^ episode "The Baby Show"
- ^ a b "Christmas Special"
- ^ "Hiatus"
- ^ "'30 Rock' Commercial Points to New Direction in TV Advertising". MediaBuzz.
- ^ "Sketchtron 6000 – 30 Rock Star". sketchtron6000.tumblr.com.