Jack the Writer
Encyclopedia
"Jack the Writer" is the fourth episode of the first season
of the American situation comedy
30 Rock
, which aired on November 1, 2006 on the NBC
network in the United States, and on November 1, 2007 in the United Kingdom. The episode was written by Robert Carlock
and was directed by Gail Mancuso
. Guest stars in this episode include Katrina Bowden
, Keith Powell
, Maulik Pancholy
, Tom Broecker
, Jonathan Lutz
, James Anderson
and Sharon Wilkins
.
The episode focuses on the relationship between Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
), head writer of TGS with Tracy Jordan, and Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
), her boss; and the distractions the writers of TGS face when writing sketches. This becomes evident when Liz's assistant, Cerie Xerox (Katrina Bowden), wears sexually suggestive clothing; and when Jack decides to join the writers for observation. Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) learns that working for Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
), the main star of TGS, is more than he expected.
(GE) called Six Sigma
, which encourages bosses to interact with their staff. He tells Liz and the writers that he will be sitting in the writers' room every day as an observer. As days pass, Jack begins to interfere with the writers' work, and instead of just being an observer, he regularly gives the writers ideas for upcoming sketches. This causes a major frustration for the staff, so Liz tells Jack that the writers do not like his involvement. Jack says that although he enjoyed joining the writers every day, he tells Liz that he accepts their decision.
Afterwards, Jack's secretary tells Liz that Jack wants her to apologize, but that she has to pretend that it was her idea. Liz goes to Jack's office and apologizes, and they forgive each other. While the staff eats their lunch, Jack introduces the staff to two of his guests. The writers mention to Liz that they would love to go outside to the same roof that is used for The Today Show, and Liz tells them that she can make it happen now that she and Jack are friends. Liz asks Jack, but he denies the request. He tells her that the two guests were his bosses from GE, and then criticizes Liz and her staff. He apologizes to Liz, but she says that their friendship is over. Having settled the situation with Jack, Liz tries to talk to her assistant Cerie about her attire, which seems to distract the writers. Liz attempts to convince her to wear something conservative, but Cerie tells Liz that she would look great in something sexy herself, and Liz is later seen walking down the hallway with a dress that reads "Dirty Diva".
Kenneth, who is now working for Tracy, learns that working for Tracy is more than he expected. Tracy orders Kenneth to complete several tasks, including going to the Yankee Stadium for nachos, and picking up an important package, which turns out to be an illegal fish that Tracy wants to put in his aquarium. Tracy then tells Kenneth to buy something for his wife, Angie Jordan (Sharon Wilkins), and to take her to a fancy restaurant, where he gives her Tracy's gift.
) always appears wearing a trucker hat with a humorous phrase written on it, which is Friedlander's routine trademark in real life, in this episode it reads, "Ninja Expert", "Arcade Champ" and "Big Foot Expert".
, both of which debuted on 2006–07 NBC lineup
, revolved around the off-camera happenings on a sketch comedy series. Evidence of the overlapping subject matter between the shows, as well as the conflict between them, arose when Aaron Sorkin
, the creator of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, asked Lorne Michaels
to allow him to observe Saturday Night Live for a week, a request Michaels denied. Despite this, Sorkin sent Fey flowers after NBC announced it would pick up both series, and wished her luck with 30 Rock. Fey wound up "winning" over Sorkin when Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was cancelled after one season and 30 Rock was renewed for a second. Though 30 Rock' s first season ratings proved lackluster and were lower than those of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the latter was more expensive to produce. "Jack the Writer" contains a self-referencing walk and talk
sequence, which is commonly used on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Sorkin's previous series.
Star Wars
is frequently referenced in 30 Rock, beginning with the pilot episode
where Tracy Jordan is seen shouting that he is a Jedi
. Liz Lemon admits to being a huge fan of Star Wars, saying that she had watched it many times with Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
), and saying she dressed up as the Star Wars character Princess Leia
for several Halloweens. Fey, a fan of Star Wars herself, said that the weekly Star Wars joke or reference "started happening organically" when the crew realized that they had a Star Wars reference "in almost every show". Fey said that from then on "it became a thing where [they] tried to keep it going", and that even though they could not include one in every episode, they still had a "pretty high batting average". Fey attributed most of the references to Robert Carlock
, who she described as "the resident expert". In this episode, Liz repeatedly uses analogies from Star Wars for her situation with Jack, when she realizes that she "need[s] to get new DVDs".
system, "Jack the Writer" was watched by approximately 4.61 million American viewers, ranking eighty-first in the weekly charts. The episode received a rating of 1.7/5 in the key adults 18–49 demographic. The 1.7 refers to 1.7% of all 18–49 years olds, and the 5 refers to 5% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. In the United Kingdom, the episode attracted 500,000 viewers and a 4% share of the viewing audience at the time of the broadcast.
Robert Canning of IGN
felt that while the episode was "still an entertaining half-hour, there was nothing to it that was incredibly memorable." He said that Tracy Jordan was "quickly becoming one of the more enjoyable aspects of the show". Matt Webb Mitovich of TV Guide
felt that "this outing fell a bit flat for [him]". He thought that "the best moment this week, by far, had to be that big, fat wink to Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (and West Wing, and Sports Night
... ), where Liz and Pete, upon realizing that they had traveled in a small circle over the course of a banter exchange, shrugged and said, 'Nice walk-and-talk', and then bumped fists. Nice."
30 Rock (season 1)
The first season of the television comedy series 30 Rock originally aired between October 11, 2006 and April 26, 2007 on NBC in the United States...
of the American situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, which aired on November 1, 2006 on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network in the United States, and on November 1, 2007 in the United Kingdom. The episode was written by Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock is an American television producer and screenwriter most widely known for his work as a writer for several NBC television comedies, particularly his work with Tina Fey as show runners for 30 Rock.-Early years:...
and was directed by Gail Mancuso
Gail Mancuso
Gail Mancuso is an American television director.- Select TV work :* Modern Family * $h*! My Dad Says * 30 Rock * Scrubs...
. Guest stars in this episode include Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden is an American actress. She is known for her short role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live and for her role as Cerie in 30 Rock .- Education :...
, Keith Powell
Keith Powell
Keith Powell is an American television actor who is best known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.-Career:Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware...
, Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Sanjay on Weeds from 2005 to present, and his role as Jonathan on 30 Rock, which he has played since the show began in 2006....
, Tom Broecker
Tom Broecker
Tom Broecker is an American television actor and costume designer. Currently, he is the costume designer for Saturday Night Live , the costume designer for NBC's 30 Rock, where he also plays the recurring role of Lee the costume designer on the show-within-a-show, and The Big C on Showtime...
, Jonathan Lutz
John Lutz (television writer)
John Lutz is an American actor, writer and comedian.-Biography:The son of a Lutheran minister, Lutz grew up in suburban Chicago and Detroit. He attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, majoring in psychology and minoring in...
, James Anderson
James Anderson (writer)
James Anderson is an American television writer and actor. Since 2000, he has served as a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live. Anderson recently played himself on an episode of the network's new series 30 Rock.-External links:...
and Sharon Wilkins
Sharon Wilkins
Sharon Wilkins is an American actress.Wilkins hails from Newburgh, New York and makes her home on the Upper Westside of Manhattan. She has had a number of roles on Broadway and in film and does some commercial work. She is currently appearing in the National Tour of Xanadu The Musical...
.
The episode focuses on the relationship between Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
), head writer of TGS with Tracy Jordan, and Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
), her boss; and the distractions the writers of TGS face when writing sketches. This becomes evident when Liz's assistant, Cerie Xerox (Katrina Bowden), wears sexually suggestive clothing; and when Jack decides to join the writers for observation. Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
(Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
) learns that working for Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
), the main star of TGS, is more than he expected.
Plot
The staff are preparing to write sketches for TGS with Tracy Jordan when Jack arrives and announces that he went through a program at General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(GE) called Six Sigma
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola, USA in 1986. , it is widely used in many sectors of industry.Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and...
, which encourages bosses to interact with their staff. He tells Liz and the writers that he will be sitting in the writers' room every day as an observer. As days pass, Jack begins to interfere with the writers' work, and instead of just being an observer, he regularly gives the writers ideas for upcoming sketches. This causes a major frustration for the staff, so Liz tells Jack that the writers do not like his involvement. Jack says that although he enjoyed joining the writers every day, he tells Liz that he accepts their decision.
Afterwards, Jack's secretary tells Liz that Jack wants her to apologize, but that she has to pretend that it was her idea. Liz goes to Jack's office and apologizes, and they forgive each other. While the staff eats their lunch, Jack introduces the staff to two of his guests. The writers mention to Liz that they would love to go outside to the same roof that is used for The Today Show, and Liz tells them that she can make it happen now that she and Jack are friends. Liz asks Jack, but he denies the request. He tells her that the two guests were his bosses from GE, and then criticizes Liz and her staff. He apologizes to Liz, but she says that their friendship is over. Having settled the situation with Jack, Liz tries to talk to her assistant Cerie about her attire, which seems to distract the writers. Liz attempts to convince her to wear something conservative, but Cerie tells Liz that she would look great in something sexy herself, and Liz is later seen walking down the hallway with a dress that reads "Dirty Diva".
Kenneth, who is now working for Tracy, learns that working for Tracy is more than he expected. Tracy orders Kenneth to complete several tasks, including going to the Yankee Stadium for nachos, and picking up an important package, which turns out to be an illegal fish that Tracy wants to put in his aquarium. Tracy then tells Kenneth to buy something for his wife, Angie Jordan (Sharon Wilkins), and to take her to a fancy restaurant, where he gives her Tracy's gift.
Trivia
Frank Rossitano (Judah FriedlanderJudah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...
) always appears wearing a trucker hat with a humorous phrase written on it, which is Friedlander's routine trademark in real life, in this episode it reads, "Ninja Expert", "Arcade Champ" and "Big Foot Expert".
Production
30 Rock and Studio 60 on the Sunset StripStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
, both of which debuted on 2006–07 NBC lineup
2006-07 United States network television schedule
The following article details the developing fall prime time schedules for the United States six major English language broadcast networks. Following are lists of what programs have been either renewed or canceled by their networks, the new programs picked up by the networks, and a schedule grid...
, revolved around the off-camera happenings on a sketch comedy series. Evidence of the overlapping subject matter between the shows, as well as the conflict between them, arose when Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
, the creator of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, asked Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels, CM is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it.-Early life:...
to allow him to observe Saturday Night Live for a week, a request Michaels denied. Despite this, Sorkin sent Fey flowers after NBC announced it would pick up both series, and wished her luck with 30 Rock. Fey wound up "winning" over Sorkin when Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was cancelled after one season and 30 Rock was renewed for a second. Though 30 Rock
Walk and talk
Walk and talk is a distinctive storytelling-technique used in filmmaking and television production in which a number of characters have a conversation en route. The most basic form of walk and talk involves a walking character that is then joined by another character. On their way to their...
sequence, which is commonly used on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Sorkin's previous series.
Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
is frequently referenced in 30 Rock, beginning with the pilot episode
Pilot (30 Rock)
The pilot episode of the American situation comedy series 30 Rock premiered on October 10, 2006 on the CTV Television Network in Canada, and October 11, 2006 on NBC in the United States...
where Tracy Jordan is seen shouting that he is a Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
. Liz Lemon admits to being a huge fan of Star Wars, saying that she had watched it many times with Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
), and saying she dressed up as the Star Wars character Princess Leia
Princess Leia Organa
Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe...
for several Halloweens. Fey, a fan of Star Wars herself, said that the weekly Star Wars joke or reference "started happening organically" when the crew realized that they had a Star Wars reference "in almost every show". Fey said that from then on "it became a thing where [they] tried to keep it going", and that even though they could not include one in every episode, they still had a "pretty high batting average". Fey attributed most of the references to Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock is an American television producer and screenwriter most widely known for his work as a writer for several NBC television comedies, particularly his work with Tina Fey as show runners for 30 Rock.-Early years:...
, who she described as "the resident expert". In this episode, Liz repeatedly uses analogies from Star Wars for her situation with Jack, when she realizes that she "need[s] to get new DVDs".
Reception
According to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system, "Jack the Writer" was watched by approximately 4.61 million American viewers, ranking eighty-first in the weekly charts. The episode received a rating of 1.7/5 in the key adults 18–49 demographic. The 1.7 refers to 1.7% of all 18–49 years olds, and the 5 refers to 5% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. In the United Kingdom, the episode attracted 500,000 viewers and a 4% share of the viewing audience at the time of the broadcast.
Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
felt that while the episode was "still an entertaining half-hour, there was nothing to it that was incredibly memorable." He said that Tracy Jordan was "quickly becoming one of the more enjoyable aspects of the show". Matt Webb Mitovich of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
felt that "this outing fell a bit flat for [him]". He thought that "the best moment this week, by far, had to be that big, fat wink to Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (and West Wing, and Sports Night
Sports Night
Sports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show also called Sports Night. It focuses on the friendships, pitfalls, and ethical issues the creative talent of the program face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure...
... ), where Liz and Pete, upon realizing that they had traveled in a small circle over the course of a banter exchange, shrugged and said, 'Nice walk-and-talk', and then bumped fists. Nice."