History Trivia / ThirtyRock

** In the show itself, Tracy Jordan was known to do this. In the movie, ''Black Cop/White Cop'', Tracy played the white cop. According to Tracy, he was set to star in the movie ''Film/RushHour'' until being replaced by Creator/JackieChan. He also starred in a movie with Creator/BettyWhite about a [[PissTakeRap rapping grandma]]. Betty remarked about how well Tracy played the grandma. And there's a constant tension between his normal persona, his [[HappilyMarried happy home life]], and his efforts towards critical success.
*** Tracy played both the black cop and the white cop.

** According to Tina Fey, the earliest pitch for the show was one where Alec Baldwin played a conservative news pundit and she was a liberal who reluctantly took on the job of producing his show - She was asked to make it about the behind the scenes goings on of a live sketch show instead, and of course the pundit character was reworked into Jack.

*** In the West Coast broadcast of the LiveEpisode, someone suggests they cut out a sketch based on Capital One credit cards. Alec Baldwin turns to the camera and repeats his pitch from those same commercials.

* DescendedCreator: TinaFey was not originally going to star in the show.

* DuelingShows: ''Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip''. ''30 Rock'' won, as Creator/AaronSorkin acknowledges, bitterly, in a later cameo.

** In the show itself, Tracy Jordan was known to do this. In the movie, ''Black Cop/White Cop'', Tracy played the white cop. According to Tracy, he was set to star in the movie ''RushHour'' until being replaced by Creator/JackieChan. He also starred in a movie with Creator/BettyWhite about a [[PissTakeRap rapping grandma]]. Betty remarked about how well Tracy played the grandma. And there's a constant tension between his normal persona, his [[HappilyMarried happy home life]], and his efforts towards critical success.

** In the show itself, Tracy Jordan was known to do this. In the movie, ''Black Cop/White Cop'', Tracy played the white cop. According to Tracy, he was set to star in the movie ''RushHour'' until being replaced by JackieChan. He also starred in a movie with Creator/BettyWhite about a [[PissTakeRap rapping grandma]]. Betty remarked about how well Tracy played the grandma. And there's a constant tension between his normal persona, his [[HappilyMarried happy home life]], and his efforts towards critical success.

** When forced to write an environmental-themed episode for NBC's Green Week, the writers instead wrote a brutal satire of NBC's own environmental greenwashing, and then did it again the following year, and brought back former VPOTUS AlGore to "re-cycle" a joke. Also the one episode broadcast during the WGA writer's strike in season 2 (the un-named episode 210) has no writers in it, implying that they are on strike. During the Writer's Strike, the cast of ''30 Rock'' performed a live episode on-stage off-Broadway to raise money for the strikers.

--> '''Liz:''' My memory has "{{Seinfeld}}" money.

** One recurring cameo was an assistant played by Donald Glover, later known as [[Series/{{Community}} Troy Barnes]] and Grammy award winner Music/ChildishGambino.

** In "Fireworks," Alec Baldwin yet again again again plays Thomas Jefferson in Tracy Jordan's mind (... again).
** John Lutz plays both the writer JD Lutz and his mother.

*** In the Season Five episode "College" Jack mentions that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_and_Friends#Storytellers his voice was used]] for, among other things, ''ThomasTheTankEngine''.

---->'''Jack''': [[Series/SaturdayNightLive This is LIVE television. I've never done anything like that before]].

** Guest star Carrie Fisher: "[[StarWars Help me, Liz Lemon, you're my only hope!]]"

** Guest star MatthewBroderick's episode featured him and Jack searching government files for the worst plan ever, which was guaranteed to offend everyone, flop, and get them both fired. The [[SpringtimeForHitler plot]] and Broderick's mannerisms are very similar to his role in ''Film/TheProducers''.

*** "Always be talking, Jack!" (''GlengarryGlenRoss'')

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Seeing [[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Alex Cabot]] as a sweet, bubbly lesbian is weird in the extreme.
** Episode 1.7 features [[Series/ParksAndRecreation April Ludgate]] as a random NBC page.
** [[Series/TheSopranos Tony Soprano]]'s crazy Russian goomah appears as a saleswoman at the wedding dress shop in the Season 2 premiere.
** Liz dates [[Film/TheBourneSeries Jason Bourne]], [[{{Series/Oz}} Ryan O'Reilly]], [[Series/MadMen Don Draper]] and [[Film/TronLegacy Castor]].
** In season 7 she marries and adopts kids with [[Film/XMen Cyclops]].
** Season five's "Double-Edge Sword" features JohnCho as a [[Series/BreakingBad wise meth cook]].
** The coach of [[Series/{{Glee}} Vocal Adrenaline]] is an OutOfFocus member of the TGS cast.
** [[Series/{{Community}} Donald Glover]] has shown up as a PA and the gay student at Tracy's former high school, as well as young Tracy during a flashback in the second live episode. He was also a writer for the show.
** [[{{Entourage}} Vincent Chase]] appeared as a waiter in Season 1, something Comedy Central capitalized on in their advertising once they picked up the syndication rights.
** Jack is married to [[Film/{{TheHungerGames}} Effie Trinket]]!
** [[Series/ArrestedDevelopment G.O.B]] is described as being the "gay Jack Donaghy" (sorry [[ScrewYourself Hector]] [[ActingForTwo Moreda]] [[SingleMindedTwins (TheTriple)]]).
** The titular [[spoiler: [[Series/HowIMetYourMother mother]] ]]plays Abby Flynn, a guest writer in ''TGS Hates Women'' whom Liz accidentally outs her real identity to her crazy, homicidal ex. No wonder it's taken eight seasons and counting for [[spoiler: Ted Mosby]] to find her; she's in hiding!
** Jenna eventually marries an in-drag MacGruber.
** [[{{Series/ParksAndRecreation}} Councilman Jeremy Jamm]] is Mike, a Borders employee very angry about one particular and specific couple relationship tip included in Liz' book, "Dealbreakers".
** When Liz and Criss make out in an office supply store, the clerk who kicks them out is Black Cindy from ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack''
** Apparently Criss moved to New York City after being chased out of [[Series/ModernFamily Lily's princess castle]].
* HeyItsThatVoice:
** "Audition Day" features voice cameos from Christopher Walken, Gilbert Gottfried, and Martin Scorsese.
** Devon and Avery [[WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie once dated]] (they never interacted in show, however).
** Pete Hornberger is, oddly enough, [[Film/BigHero6 Baymax, your personal healthcare companion/walking marshmallow]].
*** He's also [[WesternAnimation/MoralOrel Clay Puppington]], Orel's alcoholic, thoroughly messed-up father.
** Kenneth Parcell is [[Film/WreckItRalph Fix-It-Felix junior]] and [[WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder Wander]].
** Hazel Wassername is [[WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers Louise Belcher]] and [[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Mabel Pines]].

** Seeing [[LawAndOrderSVU Alex Cabot]] as a sweet, bubbly lesbian is weird in the extreme.

---->'''Jack''': [[SaturdayNightLive This is LIVE television. I've never done anything like that before]].

** Devon and Avery [[Film/TheLegoMovie once dated]] (they never interacted in show, however).