Fed up with New York City after being mugged, Jack sets out to protect the safety of the city's elite by announcing his run for mayor. Meanwhile, Liz revels in sacrificing the good of the city to look out for her own interests, and Jenna and Paul are thrilled by the perversion of acting like a normal couple.
Absurdist momentum drives 73 jokes in 23 minutes—nearly triple the show's baseline density.
Directed by John Riggi · Written by Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
WAR
79.2
Wins Above Replacement
“The Tuxedo Begins” ranks #62 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 85.6 — Elite. The episode packs 73 scored jokes at 3.2 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Liz landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Jenna: It's a whole new fetish called... Normalling.
Jenna Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Liz: Plastic cups go on the top rack of the dishwasher so they don't melt. Otherwise, no rules.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Sam and Diane are the lesbian couple in my building who murdered each other.
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Misdirection ★ Rewatch Kenneth: The gym said the odor was attracting bugs that were attracting bats that were attracting bat-hawks.
Kenneth Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Oh, you smell like when the stone Mountain tire fire joined up with the corpse fire, and then swept through the downtown Manure district.
Kenneth Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 73 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jack: Fifth Avenue is closed for a joint pain walkathon. It's only four blocks but they are so slow.
Jack Observational Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Liz: Next stop, one millionth street and Central Park jogger memorial highway.
Liz Absurdist Observational ★ Rewatch Background character: # Three bucks, two bags, one me #
Unknown: Say, where does a young prostitute get started in this town?
Jack: we live in the world capital of culture, finance and King Kong attacks
Jack Observational Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: she is a thug in a cocktail dress. Alex Mccord, Real housewives of New York
Liz Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Liz: Now, technically that was about Luann being a bitch at Sonia's Art show.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: Am I the only person who saw Obama's press conference on how to sneeze?
Liz Observational Absurdist Kenneth: The gym said the odor was attracting bugs that were attracting bats that were attracting bat-hawks.
Kenneth Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Sam and Diane are the lesbian couple in my building who murdered each other.
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jenna: It's in my contract that I only play blondes, non-Irish redheads, or bald sex robots.
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: And if you take it away from me, I will kill myself. And then you.
Jenna Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: I won an Oscar, so now I get to do real art. Begins no dogs phase.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Okay, I got in trouble the last time I said this, but maybe you were asking for it dressed like that.
Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: How black was this dude? On a scale from Lisa Bonet to dotcom.
Tracy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: My assailant was a middle-aged white man wearing a button down shirt and dockers. Dockers!
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: His knife was from Eddie Bauer.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: How could we pay their salaries without using their money?
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Liz: It's Ghostbusters 2 all over again.
Liz Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Jack: It's the original Ghostbusters all over again.
Jack Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: Concrete bunghole where dreams are made up. There's nothing you can do.
Liz Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: What's a commercial?
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Hopefully it's not an important parg of my blurn.
Liz Wordplay/Pun Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Liz: And his sexpectations will be high.
Liz Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jenna: Looser skin, same underwear.
Jenna Dark/Subversive Observational ★ Rewatch Pete: I can't order you a car unless it's after 9:00, or you have a note from your killer.
Pete Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Toofer: I have a criminal skull shape.
Toofer Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Len: I was part of a special task force of very young-looking cops who infiltrated high schools.
Len Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Len: How do you do, fellow kids?
Len Character Comedy Callback Callback Len: I get all my outfits at Ann Taylor loft. Their clothes fit my body and my budget.
Len Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Len: 40 grand a year. But don't let the woman who's blackmailing me know that.
Len Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Liz: if I sneeze, I'll do it like the president taught me.
Liz Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: I'm pregnant with a kitty cat.
Liz Absurdist Physical/Slapstick Jenna: I'm wearing an edible nightgown. It's breadstick flavor and it comes with a dipping sauce.
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Paul: Like all the Thai STDs my penis is about to give you.
Paul Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Paul: The sex monkey I bought in Jakarta.
Paul Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: Like, Mr. Brady and tiger the dog?
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: It's a whole new fetish called... Normalling.
Jenna Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Jenna: So last night, I napped on you and you liked it, you sick bitch.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna: And I put that Afghan all over you because I thought your feet might get chilly.
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist Callback Jenna: We go out as a couple to bed, bath and beyond and shop for home necessities. In front of everybody.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Well you make your hair every morning by sticking your head in a cotton candy machine.
Jack Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Jack: where the starting salary is... $5 million a year.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Tracy: Plaxico Burress just called our idea 'poorly thought out'. Then hung up by shooting his own phone.
Tracy Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Liz: Turkey, pastrami, Swiss, Russian dressing, Cole slaw and potato chips
Liz Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: Yes, a native American paradise!
Tracy Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Paul: Yeah, easy for the person who never does the dishes.
Paul Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna · Paul: How many times have you climaxed? Zero. Me too.
Tracy: Do you know anyone who wants to be called Daryl Weenus?
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Jack: Jack-Donaghy-is-running for-mayor-2013 new-York-this-is the-website.Com
Jack Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I also got you these goofy water balloons my mom's friend Ron used to always send me out to buy.
Kenneth Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I know they're condoms.
Kenneth Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: All I had was a Chewbacca costume made out of used hair extensions.
Tracy Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Tracy Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: This morning, Paul and I signed up for zipcar. Now it's easier to get to Costco to stock up on cereal.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna · Pete: discuss whether the chair would be better... Over by the window where there's more light?
Jenna Pete Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Pete: That's just couple stuff.
Pete Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Kenneth: Oh, you smell like when the stone Mountain tire fire joined up with the corpse fire, and then swept through the downtown Manure district.
Kenneth Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: It was our fault for letting those high schoolers dance at their prom.
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy Callback Liz: A drawer full of leaky batteries that I don't know what to do with?
Liz Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Liz: Plastic cups go on the top rack of the dishwasher so they don't melt. Otherwise, no rules.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Liz: They keep you dry but it all has to go somewhere.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Liz: Do you want me to go on my antibiotic rant? It's endless. You'll beg for death.
Liz Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Now, I don't cross lines, I just make 'em... disappear.
Liz Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Paul: You know what, you and Jenna should come visit me and my wife in Montclair.
Paul Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna · Paul: Sexual walkabout.
Jenna Paul Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Liz: Talking to myself to seem crazy... moo-goo!
Liz Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Crowd: The worst criminal in # N-Y-C
Crowd Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jack: You're the only woman I could ever fight to regain my manhood.
Jack Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jack: You're the only woman I could ever fight to regain my manhood.
Jenna: 8 million people in this crazy, beautiful city, and I, Jenna Maroney, am going to go to town on every last one of them.
Jenna Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch