"
Succession" is the thirteenth
episode of
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
's
second seasonThe second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007 and May 8, 2008 on NBC in the United States. 30 Rock is centered on TGS with Tracy Jordan, a fictional sketch comedy series, and its head writer Liz Lemon portrayed by Tina Fey...
of
30 Rock30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that currently airs on NBC on Thursday nights. The series takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series depicted as airing on NBC; the name "30 Rock" refers to the address of the GE Building where NBC...
and the thirty-fourth episode overall. It was written by
Andrew GuestAndrew Guest is an American television writer. Guest's most notable works are episodes of Hope & Faith and 30 Rock . Guest was also a member of the production staff on Hope & Faith...
and one of the seasons' co-executive producers,
John RiggiJohn Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
; it was directed by
Gail MancusoGail Mancuso is an American television director.- Select TV work :* 30 Rock * Scrubs * Teachers * Living with Fran * Rodney...
. It first aired on April 24, 2008 in the United States. Guest stars in this episode include
Will ArnettWilliam Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the FOX comedy Arrested Development. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major film roles. He recently played supporting roles in the comedy films Semi-Pro, Blades of...
, Marceline Hugot,
Chris ParnellThomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American actor and comedian who was a Saturday Night Live cast member in 1998-2001 and 2002-2006. He has a recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning 30 Rock and was a supporting cast member of the short-lived 2008 sitcom Miss Guided...
,
Brian StackBrian Stack is an Emmy-winning American writer/actor/comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on the late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien.-Early life:...
, Tom Toner and
Rip TornRip Torn is an American actor. His work includes the role of Artie on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated for six Emmy awards, winning in 1996. Torn won an American Comedy Awards for Funniest Supporting Male in a Series, two CableACE Awards for his work on The Larry Sanders Show...
.
In this episode
Jack DonaghyJohn Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. His character is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric....
(
Alec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in films such as Beetlejuice and The Hunt for Red October, in addition to the Martin Scorsese films The Aviator and The Departed.He was nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild...
) and Devon Banks' (Will Arnett) race to be the new CEO of
General ElectricThe General Electric Company, or GE , is a multinational American technology and services conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York. In 2009, Forbes ranked GE as the world's largest company...
comes to an end;
Tracy JordanTracy Jordan is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:The character is a successful movie star with a reputation for unpredictable, highly erratic behavior...
(
Tracy MorganTracy Morgan is an American actor and comedian, best known for his work on the TV series Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock on which he played Tracy Jordan.-Early life and career:...
) gets the idea to make a pornographic video game, and
Liz LemonElizabeth "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 show runner....
(
Tina FeyElizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. She has received seven Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards...
) prepares to become the new Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming.
Jack meets with retiring corporate head Don Geiss (
Rip TornRip Torn is an American actor. His work includes the role of Artie on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated for six Emmy awards, winning in 1996. Torn won an American Comedy Awards for Funniest Supporting Male in a Series, two CableACE Awards for his work on The Larry Sanders Show...
), who discloses that he has chosen Jack over his soon-to-be son-in-law Devon to run the company.
"
Succession" is the thirteenth
episode of
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
's
second seasonThe second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007 and May 8, 2008 on NBC in the United States. 30 Rock is centered on TGS with Tracy Jordan, a fictional sketch comedy series, and its head writer Liz Lemon portrayed by Tina Fey...
of
30 Rock30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that currently airs on NBC on Thursday nights. The series takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series depicted as airing on NBC; the name "30 Rock" refers to the address of the GE Building where NBC...
and the thirty-fourth episode overall. It was written by
Andrew GuestAndrew Guest is an American television writer. Guest's most notable works are episodes of Hope & Faith and 30 Rock . Guest was also a member of the production staff on Hope & Faith...
and one of the seasons' co-executive producers,
John RiggiJohn Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
; it was directed by
Gail MancusoGail Mancuso is an American television director.- Select TV work :* 30 Rock * Scrubs * Teachers * Living with Fran * Rodney...
. It first aired on April 24, 2008 in the United States. Guest stars in this episode include
Will ArnettWilliam Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the FOX comedy Arrested Development. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major film roles. He recently played supporting roles in the comedy films Semi-Pro, Blades of...
, Marceline Hugot,
Chris ParnellThomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American actor and comedian who was a Saturday Night Live cast member in 1998-2001 and 2002-2006. He has a recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning 30 Rock and was a supporting cast member of the short-lived 2008 sitcom Miss Guided...
,
Brian StackBrian Stack is an Emmy-winning American writer/actor/comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on the late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien.-Early life:...
, Tom Toner and
Rip TornRip Torn is an American actor. His work includes the role of Artie on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated for six Emmy awards, winning in 1996. Torn won an American Comedy Awards for Funniest Supporting Male in a Series, two CableACE Awards for his work on The Larry Sanders Show...
.
In this episode
Jack DonaghyJohn Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. His character is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric....
(
Alec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in films such as Beetlejuice and The Hunt for Red October, in addition to the Martin Scorsese films The Aviator and The Departed.He was nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild...
) and Devon Banks' (Will Arnett) race to be the new CEO of
General ElectricThe General Electric Company, or GE , is a multinational American technology and services conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York. In 2009, Forbes ranked GE as the world's largest company...
comes to an end;
Tracy JordanTracy Jordan is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:The character is a successful movie star with a reputation for unpredictable, highly erratic behavior...
(
Tracy MorganTracy Morgan is an American actor and comedian, best known for his work on the TV series Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock on which he played Tracy Jordan.-Early life and career:...
) gets the idea to make a pornographic video game, and
Liz LemonElizabeth "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 show runner....
(
Tina FeyElizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. She has received seven Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards...
) prepares to become the new Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming.
Plot
Jack meets with retiring corporate head Don Geiss (
Rip TornRip Torn is an American actor. His work includes the role of Artie on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated for six Emmy awards, winning in 1996. Torn won an American Comedy Awards for Funniest Supporting Male in a Series, two CableACE Awards for his work on The Larry Sanders Show...
), who discloses that he has chosen Jack over his soon-to-be son-in-law Devon to run the company. Jack is overjoyed and chooses Liz to replace himself as Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming. Liz accepts when she learns of the higher salary and tells her staff "Suck it monkeys, I'm going corporate." Meanwhile, Devon returns with intent to sabotage Jack, but Liz attempts to make Devon look bad by forcibly
making outIn human sexuality, making out is a sexual euphemism of American origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used synonymously with the terms "necking" and "petting". Making out covers a wide range of sexual behaviors, and means different things to different age groups in different parts of the U.S...
with him in front of a security camera.
At this time, Tracy begins to feel he is an embarrassment to his son. Hoping to make his family proud, Tracy searches for a legacy and decides to produce the world's first pornographic video game. Despite Frank's skepticism, Tracy has some success in designing the game by conquering the
uncanny valleyThe uncanny valley hypothesis holds that when robots and other facsimiles of humans look and act almost like actual humans, it causes a response of revulsion among human observers...
, a scale on which the strangeness of special effects are measured.
A depressed Devon becomes resigned to the fact that Jack will receive the promotion. Don Geiss, however, goes into a
diabetic comaDiabetic coma is a medical emergency in which a person with diabetes mellitus is comatose because of one of the acute complications of diabetes:#Severe diabetic hypoglycemia...
, despite the efforts of Dr. Spaceman (Chris Parnell), before he can announce his decision. Devon denies knowing that Geiss had chosen Jack as his successor. The next day, Devon appears in Jack's office, revealing he has convinced the board to put Cathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot), his fiancée, in charge, with Devon acting as the
power behind the throneThe phrase power behind the throne refers to a person or group that informally exercises the real power of an office. In politics, it most commonly refers to a spouse, aide, or advisor of a political leader who serves as de facto leader, setting policy through influence or manipulation.The...
. He then kicks Jack out of his office.
Production
Chris ParnellThomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American actor and comedian who was a Saturday Night Live cast member in 1998-2001 and 2002-2006. He has a recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning 30 Rock and was a supporting cast member of the short-lived 2008 sitcom Miss Guided...
, who played Dr. Leo Spaceman in this episode, has appeared in the main cast of
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...
, a weekly
sketch comedySketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
series which airs on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
in the United States. Tina Fey was the
head writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an executive producer.-Overview:...
on
Saturday Night Live from 1999 until 2006. Various other cast members of
Saturday Night Live have appeared on
30 Rock, including Rachel Dratch,
Fred ArmisenFred Armisen is an American actor, comedian, and musician, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Personal life:...
,
Kristen WiigKristen Carroll Wiig is an American comic actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.She is a member of the Groundlings, and also appeared in the first season of Spike TV's The Joe Schmo Show....
,
Will ForteOrville Willis Forte IV, best known as Will Forte is an American actor, writer, and comedian.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of Patricia C. and Orville Willis Forte III. He was raised in Lafayette, California and graduated from Acalanes High School and UCLA with...
,
Jason SudeikisJason Daniel Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian.-Personal life:Sudeikis was born in Fairfax, Virginia, and is of partial Lithuanian descent. He moved to Overland Park, Kansas with his family as a child. Jason considers Overland Park, Kansas to be his hometown...
and
Molly ShannonMolly Helen Shannon is an American actress, comedian and writer. She is best known for her work as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1995-2001, and starred on the NBC sitcom Kath & Kim. She is also well known for appearing in movies with Will Ferrell.-Early life:Shannon was born in Shaker...
. Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan have both been part of the main cast of
Saturday Night Live. Alec Baldwin has also hosted
Saturday Night Live fourteen times, the second highest amount of episodes of any host of the series.
Reception
"Succession" was viewed by an average of 5.5 million American viewers upon its original broadcast. The episode also achieved a 2.8/7 in the key 18–49 year old demographic. The 2.8 refers to 2.8% of all 18–49 years olds, and the 7 refers to 7% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. The episode also ranked first place among males aged 18–34 against episodes of
CSICSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
and
Grey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC...
.
The episode received some positive feedback from critics.
Bob SassoneBob Sassone is an American writer. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Italian and Portuguese parents. He is the youngest of seven children....
of
AOLAmerica Online, LLC is an American global Internet services and media company operated by Time Warner. It is headquartered at 770 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City...
's TV Squad described "Succession" as "a great episode" with "a lot of great lines". Sassone compared the episode to a
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
, and hoped that the pornographic video game storyline would be continued. Robert Canning of
IGNIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
complimented Devon's appearances on
30 Rock, and felt that "Succession" would be the first episode in a new
story arcA story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
, which was a good thing. He rated the episode an 8 out of 10. Alan Sepinwall of
The Star-LedgerThe Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to the Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Star-Ledgers daily...
praised the episode as "fabulous". Sepinwall noted that "Succession" included an "inspired riff on
AmadeusPeter Shaffer's Amadeus is a 1984 musical film directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer. Adapted from Shaffer's stage play Amadeus, the story is based loosely on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, two composers who lived in Vienna, Austria, during the latter...
", and compared Tracy and Frank when they were working on a pornographic video game to Mozart and Salieri. Less positively, he commented on the "one-note-ness of Will Arnett as Devon Banks", and did not like the
Baby MamaBaby Mama is a comedy film from Universal Pictures written and directed by Michael McCullers and starring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Romany Malco and Dax Shepard.-Plot:...
ad that was displayed on screen during the "Mozart montage".
External links
- "Succession," at TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The service was launched on June 1, 2005 and replaced the popular TV Tome website.- Format :...
- "Succession," at the Internet Movie Database
The Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, video games, and most recently, fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media...