After almost a decade off the air, 30 Rock is coming back to NBC. An original, hour-long, remotely-produced special is coming July 16 that will double as a promotion of NBCU’s 2020-21 programming. The episode will premiere on NBC before rebroadcasting the next day across USA, Network, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY and CNBC—along with becoming available for streaming on NBCUniversal’s new service, Peacock.
The special is bringing back Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer and more to reprise their roles in the hit sitcom with Saturday Night Live’s Oz Rodriguez directing.
In a joint statement, Executive Producers Fey and Robert Carlock said, “We’re all happy to have this excuse to (remotely) work together again for NBC. To quote Kenneth the Page, there are only two things we love in this world, television and everyone.”
This announcement is coming shortly after NBC brought back the cast of Parks and Recreation for a remotely-filmed reunion episode back in late April. Unlike that reunion though, this special will be more explicitly aimed at promoting NBCUniversal’s upcoming television season, with Variety reporting that guest appearances are expected from talent across NBCU-owned programming.
The special is officially billed as an Upfront event, where a network advertises their new content to agencies and clients. With everything turned virtual during Covid-19, NBCU is using the change in format to extend the presentation to regular audiences.
Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising and partnerships, NBCUniversal, said, “At NBCUniversal, we’re excited to produce an upfront that reflects a new reality and celebrates our relationship with viewers and advertisers alike. Historically, this event is about the future of programming; this year, it’s about the future of our industry—a future where we can meet audiences wherever they are, with the stories that move them.”