For its first season, 30 Rock was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, a trophy it would win multiple times over the course of its NBC run. The fact that the series was able to pull off the victory in its first arc is a testament to how brilliant 30 Rock was, from its first frame all the way through to its seventh season finale.
Over time, though, 30 Rock certainly became much wackier. The later seasons were so absurd (but still funny) that it can be easy to forget some of the more grounded jokes that existed in the series' first episode, "Pilot." There's actually a good amount of "Pilot," jokes or otherwise, that has likely been forgotten over the years.
Hot Dogs
For one, 30 Rock begins with quite the entrance for Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), who kickstarts the series by spreading $150 worth of hot dogs across New York City after her attempt to simply buy one hot dog for herself went awry.
Considering how much of Liz's characterization revolved around food over the course of the show, it's not a surprise that she would be embroiled in this situation. But it is easy to forget how clearly realized she was from the jump.
Burger King And Kmart
When Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is introduced on 30 Rock, he also comes through a fully-realized bluster that would later be toyed with in fun ways. In "Pilot," he starts out with two pretty fun jokes.
When addressing Pete (Scott Adsit), he claims to be the vice president of Kmart, only because he believes that Pete is dressed as if he works there. When Liz bemoans that she's not dressed for lunch at Alfredo's, he proclaims her to be dressed for Burger King. He always had some condescending zingers, even if it's easy to forget Jack's early dialogue.
Trivection Oven
Part of Jack's dialogue also revolved around another food-adjacent motif (it wasn't just Liz, 30 Rock loved to poke fun at the culinary side of life). When mocking the corporatization of television through product placements, Jack practically reads the literal copy of a GE trivection oven.
Of course, while this isn't out of character for 30 Rock, the early reactions to the moment were readily forgotten. Many thought it was indicative of egregious corporate meddling, but later NBC mockery would reveal this was far from the truth.
Rachel Dratch
One aspect of 30 Rock's first batch of episodes, including "Pilot," that was just as forgotten by the series as it was by audiences is the appearance of Rachel Dratch as Greta.
Dratch was initially slated for the role of Jenna (Jane Krakowski) before she was replaced. Instead, Dratch began appearing on 30 Rock in different roles for each episode. By the end of the series, Dratch only ever appeared intermittently.
Tracy Is A Jedi
While 30 Rock certainly spent a lot of time making jokes about food and Kenneth's (Jack McBrayer) immortality, the comedy also came with myriad references to Star Wars, thanks to Fey's nerdy reverence for it.
It has likely been forgotten, however, that Star Wars was imbued into the fabric of the series' dialogue from the first episode. When Tracy (Tracy Morgan) nearly streaks down a highway, he hollers, "I am a Jedi!" long before Liz ever dressed as Princess Leia for jury duty.
Tracy Joins The Cast
When Tracy's moment of weakness is depicted on screen, it's shown as a reason why the staff of T.G.S. is apprehensive about hiring him to join the cast of the show, alongside Jenna.
That's right, one of the easiest aspects of "Pilot" to forget is that Tracy was not actually a T.G.S. cast member at the outset of 30 Rock. His hiring was an idea pitched by executives keen on juicing the series' ratings and the episode revolves around Liz pitching to him.
Strip Club
Part of Liz's pitch takes her eventually to a strip club with Tracy. This is where one of 30 Rock's few heart-to-hearts take place. After all, the show was always known for a mentality of characters who never developed all too much.
However, this moment in the strip club is often forgotten as one of the show's most imperative. In the series finale of 30 Rock, Liz and Tracy return to the strip club with another meaningful conversation in tow. "Pilot" even had implications for the endgame.
Jack Versus Liz
The two characters who did have some clear moments of development in the series were obviously Jack and Liz. They had genuine arcs, as opposed to the laugh factory, misanthropic cartoon characters that Jenna, Tracy, and Kenneth eventually became.
However, while their dynamic was the heart of 30 Rock, they were not actually fast friends. In "Pilot," Jack and Liz are at odds with one another and both harbor at least some animosity for the other. It was a necessary moment of relationship foundation for the two of them.
Pete Fired
One of the aspects of "Pilot" that serves to drive a wedge in between Jack and Liz is that Jack fires Pete from his role as a producer on T.G.S. It's this moment that forces Liz to swallow her pride and make do with the show she shepherds.
This aspect of the first episode is also underscored by a genuine friendship between Liz and Pete. Over time, this dynamic would also fade away, as the two saw their lives drift in different directions, leaving the first episode as an easily forgotten pillar of their friendship.
Sweaty Mess
While there were some clear elements of 30 Rock's "Pilot" that were indicative of the kind of comedy it would become, it was mostly a bit of an awkward first foray into one of this century's finest television shows.
Tina Fey has spoken about this in her seminal memoir, "Bossypants," as she described the episode as being akin to a sweaty mess. It's definitely felt, as the episode does not exist as a standard installment of the show. Fortunately, NBC gave it a chance to grow even further.