When ditzy receptionist Cerie spreads news of her engagement to a filthy rich Greek heir, Liz confronts her own marital and maternal status. Meanwhile, emotionally hardened Jack softens due to "mommy issues."
Network television finally lets Liz Lemon breathe with 64 jokes in 23 minutes.
Directed by Scott Ellis, Michael Engler · Written by Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Dave Finkel
WAR
69.4
Wins Above Replacement
“The Baby Show” ranks #99 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 82.6 — Elite. The episode packs 64 scored jokes at 2.8 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 6.8 on impact, with Jack landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Jack: This is a woman that actually had a heart attack to prevent me from going on my honeymoon.
Jack Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack: My mother tried to send me to Vietnam to make a man out of me. I was 12.
Jack Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Or being chained to a wall in someone's sex dungeon.
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Cerie: If it's a girl, Bookcase. Or Sandstorm. Or maybe Hat. But that's more of a boy's name.
Cerie Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack: Don't put little notes in their lunch bag that say, 'Mommy's watching you.' People find those things.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 64 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Tracy: Hey, this isn't gonna change the way you dress or eat lollipops, is it?
Tracy Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Jack: Area code 407? Oh, no.
Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Jack: Jonathan, these cheap phones keep on shattering!
Jack Physical/Slapstick Escalation Jack: Who let 407 through? Jonathan, we have drills for this!
Jack Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: Business doesn't get me down. Business gets me off.
Jack Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jack: Lemon, do you realize that your little show accounts for 3% of our revenue but takes up 90% of my time?
Jack Observational Irony/Sarcasm Tracy: We must get our freak on while our fruit is a-plentiful.
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: Hi, I'm Liz Lemon! I like to wear man shirts. Watch me skateboard.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Liz Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Liz: Tracy, stop tasering him.
Liz Physical/Slapstick Escalation ★ Rewatch Cerie: Oh, sorry, my babysitter got jury duty. I think I'm going to kill myself.
Cerie Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Cerie: He does this thing where he screams at limo drivers.
Cerie Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Cerie: But we both wanna have babies while it's still cool.
Cerie Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Cerie: If it's a girl, Bookcase. Or Sandstorm. Or maybe Hat. But that's more of a boy's name.
Cerie Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: Like having a career. And working. And...having a job. And working.
Liz Character Comedy Awkward Silence Cerie: You only have a really short period where you can be a young, hot mom. If you wait too long, you could be like...50 at your kid's graduation.
Cerie Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz: 50's not that old, Cerie.
Liz Setup/Punchline Cringe/Discomfort Cerie: Oh, I'm sorry. Are you 50 now?
Cerie Setup/Punchline Cringe/Discomfort Kenneth: Because I enjoy his salad dressings and lemonade.
Kenneth Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz: What if my junk goes bad?
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jenna: Wow, red wine is not your drink.
Jenna Reaction Beat Observational Jenna: Like that hot dancer Madonna used to have Lourdes.
Jenna Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Kenneth: Or being chained to a wall in someone's sex dungeon.
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack: But to that woman... I'm always gonna be the punk kid who cried when Pop was run over by a mail truck.
Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: No, Pop was my dog. My dad left when I was two... so I grew up calling my Collie Pop.
Jack Misdirection Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack: My mother tried to send me to Vietnam to make a man out of me. I was 12.
Jack Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Mama, you carried me for nine months. Let me carry you now.
Kenneth Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: With a tea garden and fake rocks made of foam because she falls down a lot.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Dr. Spaceman: I'm also listed under meth addiction and child psychiatry.
Dr. Spaceman: I should start by saying that I can't personally help you conceive. Something happened to me while scuba diving.
Liz: 'Cause you haven't mentioned it in like three hours.
Liz Observational Irony/Sarcasm Writer: But I do like to get yelled at during sex.
Writer Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Josh: No, I just told my wife I did.
Josh Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Josh Setup/Punchline Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I have a small ferret farm about 60 miles north of the city.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I can get cable if you want, 'cause I know how much you like the TV.
Kenneth Character Comedy Observational Kenneth: Sometimes I watch you watching it.
Kenneth Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: Oprah and Steadman are the same person.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: That's why he/she won't run for president.
Tracy Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: The Mars probe didn't brake. It was attacked by a Martian cougar.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: This is untoward. This is not toward!
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Josh: And then he's gonna fold us up in a pizza and eat us.
Josh Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Sound technician: But do you still want a sound hook-up so you can listen to rehearsal?
Jack: You see, Josh's father's an assassin with the Russian mafia. They call him El Matador.
Jack Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack: I'm sending you our new super top secret invisible motorcycle.
Jack Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Jack Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Jack: I keep pooping during sex.
Jack Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Don't put little notes in their lunch bag that say, 'Mommy's watching you.' People find those things.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: This is a woman that actually had a heart attack to prevent me from going on my honeymoon.
Jack Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack: You carried me for nine months. Let me carry you now.
Jack Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Well, right back at you, Colleen! Yeah, that's right! You cut Pop's balls off! And left him in the street to die!
Jack Escalation Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Russian mobs, invisible motorcycles... Sex pooping.
Tracy Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Josh (as Jack): If in the future... In the future... If I mention anything crazy... Like an invisible motorcycle... It means I'm off my meds... and should be ignored.
Jenna: I just wanted to sound smart.
Jenna Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz: Who's the cutest baby in the world?
Liz Character Comedy Reaction Beat Jack: I just bought the moon.
Jack Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: And she will outlive you. She's like Castro.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: Oh, right right. And you have someone else's baby in your car.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: Well, Anna calls her Isobel, but I call her Nancy.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack: Oh, yes. I'm a big fan of kidnapping. Especially by my middle management.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Kenneth: I was talking about you at work today, Mother. I think my boss, Mr. Jack Donaghy, wishes you were his mother.
Kenneth Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: It's just like Charlie's Angels!
Kenneth: I'm looking at the kooky skeleton right now. I love it! You're the best mother in the whole world!
