The crew awaits the arrival of the new cast member. Tracy and Jenna rethink how they treat Kenneth. Jack offers Liz a talk show.
Absurdist chaos peaks: 2.84 jokes-per-minute sustains 88.5 score across 66 total jokes.
Directed by John Riggi · Written by Ron Weiner
WAR
80.2
Wins Above Replacement
“The Problem Solvers” ranks #32 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 88.5 — Elite. The episode packs 66 scored jokes at 2.8 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 7.2 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
Tracy: 'Cause after all, what's a problem but an opportunity disguised as a stripper having a seizure on your boat?
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I feel about as useless as a mom's college degree.
Kenneth Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Kenneth: Who said i've been alive forever?
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: And i didn't get a bathroom door that looks like part of a wall by being bad at business.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: Liz lemon, you are blowing up like a balloon with a grenade in it.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 66 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jack: I was in Beijing this weekend, buying a reality show for a network where criminals dance their way to freedom.
Jack Absurdist Observational ★ Rewatch Jack: dealbreaker: the book for you man no good,by lesbianyellowsourfruit.
Jack Wordplay/Pun Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: I don't think his real name is partybot.
Liz Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement Liz: Just hit your marks, stay in your light, and do the same thing every take for continuity.
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Deadpan/Understatement Kenneth: ♪ makin' a new friend ♪ ♪ sure ain't easy ♪ ♪ and that's how two become one ♪
Kenneth Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Liz: I do, i bought an activia microwavable panini.
Liz Character Comedy Observational Jack: Good god, have dinner with me.
Jack Reaction Beat Character Comedy Frank: I hope he likes janitor hugs.
Frank Character Comedy Absurdist Lutz: What? No, it's me, lutz. I've worked here for three years. I gave you that car i won.
Lutz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Danny · Jack: So guess there's two jacks here now. I don't think there are.
Danny Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Danny: Did he just change my name?
Danny Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Danny: Last week, i was just a street performer making 50 bucks a day and getting memory loss from all the silver paint fumes
Danny Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Danny · Liz: and now i'm... Um... You're on tgs. I'm on tgs?
Danny: All right, hosers, i want all 12 of us fighting for every meter on all three downs! We're gonna make this a boxing day the prime minister will never forget!
Danny Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Yad sdrawkcab tsuj s'ti sseug i,yako.
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: Two questions: must i live by superman's moral code, and will the sex woman get older? Yes and yes. Forget it. No deal.
Jack Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack · Kenneth: What am i going to do next? What am i going to do next?
Liz: Spit take. Are you serious?
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Reaction Beat Jack · Kenneth: i knew you would say yes,lemon. i knew you would say yes,lemon.
Pete: That's why when someone comes to me with something i don't want to deal with, i say,'oh, no, my kid's sick,' and take off. You have any kids? No.
Pete Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Pete Callback Character Comedy Callback Tracy: Liz lemon, you are blowing up like a balloon with a grenade in it.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Do you remember when i was first starting out, and i signed a tenyear deal with that karaoke machine company?
Liz Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: Wade bogg's carpet world. Wade bogg's carpet world. Wade bogg's carpet world.
Tracy Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: He knows you're special, like a black stripper with blue eyes.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: Wade bogg's carpet world.
Tracy Running Gag Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Kenneth: I feel about as useless as a mom's college degree.
Kenneth Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: I was thinking something like this.
Jack Visual Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: My book is number 14 on the nonfiction bestseller chart, right behind the founding fathers' diet.
Liz Absurdist Observational Jack: Raise your hand if you're cool with what's happening. Not too late to raise your hand.
Jack Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz · Cerie: That was no. Just, heh, call him and tell him i'm on my way. Do i look okay? That's exactly how you look.
Liz Cerie Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Simon: until now, i've mainly represented dogs, but seeing as how we're both embarking on a new phase in our career performing, representing humans and monkeys
Simon Character Comedy Absurdist Simon: My clients are more important to me than my own mommy.
Simon Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Simon: a former client of mine once buried a bone in his backyard. We go looking for that bone, it's like, 'oh, mr. Shofar, what's up? My client has got an idea for a talk show.'
Simon Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: Any room you see around here with a door, you make it your bathroom.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Danny: I'm not 'aboot' to... Aboot... Abwah... Out.
Danny Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Frank: So what if kenneth's bitter? He's an underhuman.
Frank Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Tracy · Frank: Kenneth in charge? Crazier things have happened.
Liz Reaction Beat Character Comedy Jack · Liz: I've already spoken to padma lakshmi. Then who's gonna host top chef?
Jack Liz Character Comedy Observational Kenneth: Who said i've been alive forever?
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Just kidding. There won't be a network. But whatever people are watching, i want to be in charge of it.
Kenneth Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Danny: No! I'll brush my own teeth.
Danny Character Comedy Escalation Jack: Never do business with a friend. Never be friends with a woman. And lose the leather bracelet.
Jack Character Comedy Observational Pete: Oh, my kid got hit by a car!
Pete Callback Escalation Callback Frank: You're not really capturing the sexual energy of it, but that was the message.
Frank Callback Character Comedy Callback Liz: I haven't even begun to problem.
Liz Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Simon: Yeah, i've seen some bras.
Simon Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: An wang, the founder of wang computers, is one of the greatest businessmen of the 20th century.
Jack Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Jack: And i didn't get a bathroom door that looks like part of a wall by being bad at business.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz Reaction Beat Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Liz Reaction Beat Character Comedy Tracy: All white people look the same to me, pete.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Pete: That's what danny was saying. We have to be cool to everybody. Because the future is like a japanese game show you have no idea what's going on.
Pete Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Danny: Yyou know, of all the weirdos i've met around here, you're the worst! With your creepy, don knotts face, that ridiculous hitler youth haircut.
Danny Character Comedy Escalation Danny: I've seen bigger chins on a premature baby!
Danny Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Tracy · Frank: Nine hours. A few minutes.
Tracy Character Comedy Callback Callback Scottie: Regular,six. Drunk,seven.
Scottie Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Padma: I mean, men always tell me i'm very funny. Have you heard this one? Knockknock.
Padma Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Scottie: I invented this new bag that you put around a sandwich to keep it fresh. But it's clear, so you still get the full visual of the sandwich.
Scottie Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Scottie: What's up, you tall drink of bitch! You're amazing. No, seriously. Amazing.
Padma: This would change my life,jack.
Padma Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: I don't want to change your life. I want to change lemon's life.
Tracy: 'Cause after all, what's a problem but an opportunity disguised as a stripper having a seizure on your boat?
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch 