| "Live Show" | |
|---|---|
| 30 Rock episode | |
 The cast of 30 Rock and their special guests bid goodnight to the live audience at the end of "Live Show" in a tribute to Saturday Night Live | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Beth McCarthy-Miller |
| Written by | Robert Carlock |
| Production code | 504 |
| Original air date | October 14, 2010 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Live Show" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 84th episode overall. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, and co-written by series creator Tina Fey and co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock. The episode originally aired live on the NBC television network in the United States on October 14, 2010, with separate versions for the East and West Coast television audiences. "Live Show" featured appearances by Rachel Dratch, Bill Hader, Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
30 Rock follows the production of the fictional sketch comedy program The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS). In this episode, on the night of a show, head writer Liz Lemon grows increasingly infuriated when no one seems to remember her 40th birthday. Just before TGS's live taping, Tracy Jordan decides to break character, to his co-workers' chagrin. Meanwhile, television executive Jack Donaghy struggles with the consequences of his promise to give up drinking while his girlfriend Avery Jessup is pregnant with their child.
"Live Show" was an experiment for 30 Rock—filming with a multiple-camera setup before a studio audience to broadcast live—and the episode received positive reviews for its boldness as well as the nostalgia it showed for classic sitcom conventions and meta-humor—for instance, guest star Louis-Dreyfus portrays Liz Lemon in some cutaway scenes where it would be physically impossible for series regular Fey to be on two separate stages at once. The episode was also a ratings success, improving upon the audience that 30 Rock had grown since its previous season.
On June 22, 2020, it was revealed that the East Coast version would be one of the episodes being pulled from syndication due to issues with the presence of blackface and other racially insensitive humor, however, the West Coast version would remain since it did not include the offending scene.[1]