If you haven’t already heard, 30 Rock aired two live episodes last night: one episode was filmed for East Coast viewers and the other for West Coast audiences. Narrative television very rarely dips its toe into the live scene and it’s no wonder why: airing an episode live leaves you open to any number of glitches, forgotten lines, bad acting, and mishaps. A few shows have attempted live episodes in the past, most notably ER in 1997, The Drew Carey Show in 1999, 2000, and 2001, The West Wing in 2005, but last night it was 30 Rock’s turn. Because it’s such an ambitious feat, I had to watch not one but both versions, especially because they’re both available to watch online. And what better way to critique than to compare?
Pros
• 
Since the actors can’t move fast enough to allow for the flashback scenes 30 Rock likes to use, other actors filled in during those scenes. Julia Louis Dreyfus played Liz during her flashback scenes and those transitions got some of the biggest laughs of the episode.
• A second chance to run through the dialogue allowed the 30 Rock writers to tweak some of the jokes for the West Coast that did not get a huge laugh the first time around.
• The writers were allowed to write some of the jokes twice for fun. Although the plot was the same, each episode featured different credit sequences, different props, and different lines.
(East Coast) (West Coast)
• It was filmed as if it was a regular episode, including a gag involving a falling poster on cue and interesting camera work. Although not entirely successful, it helped keep the episode feeling fresh and innovative.
Cons
• Some of the lines felt forced and uncomfortable, and the dialogue and jokes did not flow as well as they would with repeated takes. Occasionally the actors also flubbed their lines, although this was more apparent in the West Coast version.
• The writers directly addressed the fill-in actor technique by making jokes about how each character looks different in his or her flashbacks. It disrupted the flow of the storyline and would have been funnier if left unsaid.
• A problem with any live show, the repeated clapping and screaming from the audience required many awkward pauses in the acting.
• The impromptu camera work led to obvious shadows, actors too close to the lens, and an occasional gag off-cue. Nothing terribly obvious, but it did keep the episode from feeling consistent with taped television.
If you want a more detailed list of all the differences between the East & West Coast episodes, be sure to check out this post on New York Magazine, where they break it down by each joke and line change.
What did you think about 30 Rock’s live effort? Were you impressed, or would you rather they stick to their regular programming techniques? Let us know what you think in the comments!
