On show night, Liz Lemon grows increasingly infuriated when no one seems to remember that it's her 40th birthday. Just before the taping, Tracy Jordan becomes convinced that nothing is funnier than a performer laughing and breaking character, which he elects to do all night, much to Jenna Maroney's chagrin. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy struggles with the consequences of his promise to give up drinking while Avery is pregnant.
The episode was filmed twice. The East Coast version aired for the Eastern, Central and Mountain time zones. The West Coast version was aired in the western, Alaskan and Hawaiian time zones.
Live broadcast format forces slower pacing, but character comedy still lands at 77.9.
Directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller · Written by Tina Fey, Robert Carlock
WAR
139.4
Wins Above Replacement
“Live Show” ranks #11 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 100.0 — Elite. The episode packs 83 scored jokes at 4.3 per minute, averaging 7.7 on craft and 7.6 on impact, with Jack Donaghy landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Tracy Jordan · Liz Lemon: How come you better-looking in your memory? My memory has Seinfeld money.
Dr. Leo Spaceman: Baby, let's take it slow / You know we got all night / Light some candles, draw a bath / Tie me to my radiator and put food just out of reach
Tracy Jordan: [Tracy breaks character mid-sketch, laughing] 'I'm doing something called BREAKING!'
Tracy Jordan Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Dr. Leo Spaceman: Dr. Leo Spaceman erectile dysfunction ad: 'It's not just a dog problem anymore. It also affects millions of men.'
Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: You stole an old cleaning lady's birthday just to make me happy? / In my defense, yes.
All Jokes — 83 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz Lemon: Everything looks like a Mexican soap opera.
Liz Lemon Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz Lemon: You look like a YMCA climbing wall.
Liz Lemon Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy: My face cream was recalled. Apparently it was destroying the lab rats... [pause] ...Brains.
Jack Donaghy · Liz Lemon: Remember what happened that time I tried to give up refined sugars? [cut to Liz attacking someone for donuts]
Unnamed character: 'Looking good, Liz.' [implied during her sugar-withdrawal tirade]
Tracy Jordan · Liz Lemon: How come you better-looking in your memory? My memory has Seinfeld money.
Jack Donaghy: Avery has got me this very nice tea set, some knitting needles and yarn, and a book on sleight-of-hand magic. [long beat] That's as far as I've gotten.
Jack Donaghy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Escalation Jack Donaghy: I'm dreading watching it sober.
Jack Donaghy · Liz Lemon: Jonathan, give me a pen? / Yeah, hurry up, Aladdin. / Before Jasmine is forced to marry Jafar. / Similarities. Lemon, out.
Jack Donaghy: Jack: 'Similarities. Lemon, out.'
Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: Are you turning 1,000? / Really, you want to play this game with a comedy writer?
Tracy Jordan: West Coast Live Show opening rap/song: 'Let's talk about sushi / Portland, Vegas, Glendale / This is 30 Rock'
Jadwiga: Yes, bullet in brain move. Much hospital.
Jadwiga Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jadwiga: Happy Days is my favorite show.
Jadwiga Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jadwiga: I like Fonzi. His office is bathroom, just like Jadwiga.
Jadwiga Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jonathan: A Mr. Brett Favre stopped by, and dropped off this picture of a hot dog.
Jonathan Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy: I guess they're geniuses for getting stuck in a mine.
Jonathan · Jack Donaghy: Also your pharmacy called, apparently you can't get a prescription for ecstasy. / Thanks, Obamacare.
Jonathan: If you need somebody to scream at, I'm right here.
Jonathan Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Pete Hornberger · Liz Lemon · Tracy Jordan: Tracy has come up with a new way to ruin the show. / What? No, I told you, your lizard can't be the musical guest. / Of course not. His album doesn't drop until December.
Tracy Jordan: It was even funnier than the porn version.
Liz Lemon: Stupid lines I wrote, and, no, we're not doing that.
Liz Lemon · Tracy Jordan: The only one I remember is you wanted to hire two strippers to dance behind you. / You should have. Those dudes were awesome.
Tracy Jordan · Liz Lemon: I swear on my mother's grape. / Did you say grave or grape? / Yes, good-bye.
Tracy Jordan · Dotcom: Tonight I'm gonna laugh harder... tonight than I did at Dotcom's play. / It was Angels in America, Tray!
Liz Lemon · Cerie: Why are you giggling? It's very misleading. / It's just... Mr. Lutz is wearing the most hilarious t-shirt.
Cerie · Liz Lemon: Whoever standing next to him, it's stupid! That guy is stupid. / Now, she is. / Now they are. / Now I were.
Liz Lemon: 'It's Your B-Day, Bitch' by Snooki's mom / 'It's Your Birthday, Slut' by Liz Lemon (same melody)
Liz Lemon Setup/Punchline Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: [Jack has visibly knitted something during the short time they were talking] 'Did you just knit that?'
Jack Donaghy: According to a bunch of online questionnaires, I am a problem drinker.
Jack Donaghy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Liz Lemon: Open on the Covent Garden flower market! The year? 1892! Flowers! Flowers for sale! Get out of here!
Liz Lemon Absurdist Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: [Cut back to Liz after the distraction — Jack's face asks 'did he remember your birthday?' and the answer is clearly no]
Tracy Jordan: You're the real stars! / Not really!
Tracy Jordan: Fox News. A division of Fox Nonsense Incorporated.
Jenna Maroney: Welcome back to Fox News. I'm blonde. / President Obama, in your own words, why are you a terrorist who hates America?
Tracy Jordan: [Tracy breaks character mid-sketch, laughing] 'I'm doing something called BREAKING!'
Tracy Jordan Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Dr. Leo Spaceman: Dr. Leo Spaceman erectile dysfunction ad: 'It's not just a dog problem anymore. It also affects millions of men.'
Dr. Leo Spaceman: For too long, erectile dysfunction has been viewed as a physical problem. And it's been treated with pills and ointments and contraptions whose straps break all too easily.
Dr. Leo Spaceman: But couldn't the real cause of E.D. be that we haven't produced a good doing-it song since 'Close the Door' by Teddy Pendergrass?
Dr. Leo Spaceman: Baby, let's take it slow / You know we got all night / Light some candles, draw a bath / Tie me to my radiator and put food just out of reach
Dr. Leo Spaceman: Girl / I've been knowing you a long time / And I think tonight's the night / This time you can be / the man / strap
Tracy Jordan: Really? Jadwiga's birthday? / I look out for her, we're friends with benefits.
Pete Hornberger · Tracy Jordan: You should be ashamed of yourself. / I can't be. I'm missing that part of my brain.
Pete Hornberger · Tracy Jordan: Why are you doing this? / Why does anybody do anything? They're rich and they have attention deficit disorder.
Liz Lemon · Carol: Carol, I knew you wouldn't forget me today. / No nonessential chatter, Liz. I'm having the worst flight of my life. Wind shears, lightning, severe turbulence. The in-flight meal was a frittata. / Oh, my God. At night?
Carol · Liz Lemon: I need you to go to my apartment and just clear out all the porn before my mom gets there. / That's it? / I also need you to TiVo Bones for me in case I survive.
Liz Lemon · Carol: You can't use cell phones on planes. / No, that's just something we tell passengers.
Liz Lemon Carol Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Carol · Kevin (co-pilot): I think I just really screwed up something with my girlfriend. / I have always loved you. / Not now, Kevin. / Copy that.
Jenna Maroney: I was on stage in Pippin with Irene Ryan when she died, and I kept on going.
Jenna Maroney Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jenna Maroney: I will have a wardrobe malfunction. I will slip a nip, Liz. So help me, I will slip a nip.
Liz Lemon · Jadwiga: Hi, Jadwiga. How are you? / Sit on it.
Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: Are you sniffing paint? / Of course I am! Men need alcohol. It gives us the ability to hit on women and later, when we're married, to tune them out.
Liz Lemon: It's my birthday! It's my 40th birthday, and no one remembered! Damn you, she-beasts!
Jack Donaghy: You and Avery. You lay these traps to make me fail!
Jack Donaghy · Liz Lemon: You know where I spent my 40th birthday? In my office. All night long. [beat] You were really fit back then. / Yes, but my penis was smaller.
Jack Donaghy: Yes, but my penis was smaller.
Jack Donaghy Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy: Why are you speaking like a Persian immigrant?
Jack Donaghy: I thought when I turned 40... 40. I could really drink a forty right now.
Jack Donaghy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna Maroney: Oprah, this is what the inside of a child's face looks like.
Jenna Maroney Absurdist Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna Maroney: My Oprah wig is falling off! Exciting mishap! This is live! What the blurg?
Jenna Maroney Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy · Jenna Maroney: Have you been drinking? / I had a bottle of wine with dinner. / May I smell your mouth? / I thought you'd never ask.
Jenna Maroney: Being with Paul has taught me that. It's made me more mature. / [immediately] It is nipple time! Now my mustache is askew!
Jenna Maroney Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna Maroney: I warned you, Liz! And now I'm slipping a nip! The big one!
Dr. Drew Baird (Jon Hamm): Dr. Drew Baird fake PSA: 'Every year, dozens of people lose a hand to a helicopter or fireworks mishap. Or, in my case, both.'
Dr. Drew Baird (Jon Hamm): Number of which became available after a giant explosion at a Josh Groban concert.
Dr. Drew Baird (Jon Hamm): Sorry. I'm trying to do a thumbs-up here. She doesn't always listen. / [hand seduces him] / This is not the time, please, we are in public. / Stop it, Marjory. Obey me! / Please, I'm so tired. / Oh God, please take off your rings.
Jack Donaghy · Pete Hornberger: Never mind how it happened. That's water under the bridge. / I'm sorry, we don't have that expression in Canada. Does it mean that what happened can be used to power a lumbermill?
Pete Hornberger: Not me. I just got my ten-year drunk chip.
Pete Hornberger · Jack Donaghy: I could cut the product placement for Capital One. / You can't do that. The Capital One Venture Card is amazing. They give double miles every day for every purchase!
Pete Hornberger · Jack Donaghy: I've got an idea! What if... we... / You spit it out before I drink you!
Cast member · Jack Donaghy: I've got an idea! What if... we... / You spit it out before I drink you!
Carol: Not like the stuff I saw in the Air Force, of course. Like this one time a bunch of us pilots went to a haunted house in Germany. That was messed up.
Carol Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Jack Donaghy: I was totally in on it. It was really expensive.
Jack Donaghy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: You, you knew all along? / Come on, you didn't think we'd forget your birthday, did you? / [Yes, clearly everyone forgot]
Liz Lemon: Why is Henry Winkler on my cake?
Liz Lemon Callback Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jadwiga · Party guests: I like Fonzi. / [everyone] No, everybody loves the Fonz!
Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: This is supposed to be for Jadwiga. / No, everybody loves the Fonz! / You stole an old cleaning lady's birthday just to make me happy? / In my defense, yes.
Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: You stole an old cleaning lady's birthday just to make me happy? / In my defense, yes.
Jenna Maroney: On behalf of everyone at TGS, we want to... Good night! / Her thumbs are in my eyes!
Jenna Maroney Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon: I got to feel martyred and indignant all day, and I still got to eat the Fonzi face.
Liz Lemon Character Comedy Observational Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Jack Donaghy: I promised Avery I wouldn't, but it's dangerous to deny the wishes of an old spinster. / You may turn me into a crow.
Jack Donaghy Character Comedy Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy: To Liz Lemon. You're halfway to death.
Jack Donaghy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Unknown: You're watching The Office right now.
Unknown Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch 