Ep 5. Jack-Tor

In the fifth episode of Season 1 of 30 Rock, titled "Jack-Tor," Liz Lemon, head writer of the fictional sketch comedy show TGS with Tracy Jordan, is concerned about a live episode they have planned for the following evening. Their guest host is a wildly unpredictable, eccentric New York City politician named Buck Henry, and Liz worries that everything will go wrong.

Adding to her stress, Jack Donaghy, the new Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming (a fictitious division of General Electric), shows up in her office and informs her that due to a fire at TGS' Los Angeles sister show, they will now be broadcasting live across the country - effectively doubling their audience.

Excited at the prospect of wider exposure, Liz begins to see the opportunity for the show to become a phenomenon. But as the preparations for the live broadcast get underway, things quickly start to fall apart. Buck Henry is late arriving to rehearsal, the writers can't agree on a good opening sketch, and Tracy Jordan, the star of TGS, is nowhere to be found.

As the live broadcast begins, Liz is frantically trying to hold everything together while Jack Donaghy is working the publicity angle, making personal appearances and touting TGS as the hottest new show on television. Meanwhile, Buck Henry is making things even more difficult for Liz by behaving wildly and unpredictably, causing her to worry that the show will be a total disaster.

Despite all of the obstacles and setbacks, Liz and her team manage to make it through the live broadcast without any major disasters. But as the credits roll, Liz is exhausted, emotionally spent, and left wondering whether the success of the evening was worth the stress and anxiety it caused her.

"Jack-Tor" is a classic 30 Rock episode that showcases the show's sharp writing, hilarious characters, and penchant for poking fun at the entertainment industry. It captures the frenzied, high-stakes atmosphere of live television, while also skewering the absurdities of network politics and corporate PR. As always, the show is anchored by Tina Fey's performance as Liz Lemon, a character whose perpetual anxiety and wry humor make her both relatable and endlessly entertaining.