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Orgo-Life the new way to the future Advertising by AdpathwayTwenty years ago, 30 Rock debuted starring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer. And throughout the show's seven seasons, many more celebs made guest appearances.
Tina Fey on "30 Rock" Goodbye Speech
Good god, Lemon! It’s been 20 years since 30 Rock premiered.
Debuting Oct. 11, 2006, the show was created by and starred Tina Fey. Loosely inspired from her days at Saturday Night Live, the sitcom followed her character Liz Lemon as she served as head writer of sketch-comedy series TGS—led by unpredictable actor Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan)— while dealing with the demands of NBC executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin).
Also featuring Jane Krakowski as TGS cast member Jenna Maroney and Jack McBrayer as NBC page Kenneth Parcell, the show ran for seven seasons before it ended in 2007.
While the series was beloved by fans and racked up 16 Emmy nominations, it had lower viewership figures than other popular sitcoms like Friends or Home Improvement.
"Though we are grateful for the affection 30 Rock has received from critics and hipsters, we were actually trying to make a hit show," Fey admitted in her 2011 book Bossypants. "We weren’t trying to make a low-rated critical darling that snarled in the face of conventionality. We were trying to make Home Improvement and we did it wrong."
As she put it, "You know those scientists who were developing a blood-pressure medicine and they accidentally invented Viagra? We were trying to make Viagra and we ended up with blood-pressure medicine.”
Still, Fey adored the show just the same. "Would I still rather have a big, strong Two and a Half Men than our sickly little program?" the comedy star later added. "No, I would not, because I love my weird little show."
Art Streiber/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
And many would love a reboot. While there was a special in 2020 as well as an in-person reunion scheduled for the 20th anniversary, Fey has previously shot down revival rumors.
Noting she and fellow showrunner Robert Carlock "would never do a straight reboot because that would be too easy," she said on The Tonight Show in 2018, "we try to think of a way to do something. Should we do a prequel that’s like Muppet Babies? Or, set in a dystopian future where there’s a lot of robot sex and McBrayer comes in and is like, 'Oh no.'"
For now, fans will just have to turn to reruns to watch the cast and many, many celebrity cameos. To look back at a few stars who made guest appearances on the show—including Oprah Winfrey, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Aniston, Matt Damon, Emma Stone and Paul McCartney—scroll on.
Nicole Rivelli/NBC
Jennifer Aniston
Ali Goldstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
Emma Stone
NBC
Oprah Winfrey
NBC
Robert De Niro
Ali Goldstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Michael Keaton
Ali Goldstein/NBC
Stanley Tucci
Ali Goldstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Whoopi Goldberg
Ken Eanes / NBC
Al Gore
NBC Photo: Nicole Rivelli
Edie Falco
Ali Goldstein/NBC
Matt Damon
NBC Photo: Nicole Rivelli
Steve Martin
Ali Goldstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Steve Buscemi
NBC
Tom Hanks
Goldstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Julianne Moore
Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Jerry Seinfeld
Jessica Miglio/NBC
Salma Hayek
Ali Goldstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal
Jim Carrey
NBC/Ali Goldstein
Padma Lakshmi
Ali Goldstein/NBC
Jon Hamm, Dean Winters, Jason Sudeikis
Ali Goldstein/NBC
Susan Sarandon
Ali Goldstein/NBC
Elizabeth Banks
Dana Edelson/NBC
Donald Glover
Ali Goldstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Queen Latifah, Rob Reiner
Dana Edelson/NBC
Paul McCartney
Ali Goldstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Jon Bon Jovi
Dana Edelson/NBC
Will Forte
NBC
Denise Richards
NBC
Will Arnett
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