Best 30 Rock Jokes of the Series

30 Rock had its own very particular brand of comedy. It was fast, witty and occasionally sounded like they were just stringing random words together.  It moved from one joke to the next without pausing, barely giving you enough time to process what they said. And that worked really well for them. Ranking the best 30 Rock jokes is particularly difficult as even the most ho-hum episodes had at least one really good one-liner if nothing else. Whether these are running gags or one-liners, these are some of the best 30 Rock jokes of the series.

There, There:

Whether he’s patting Lemon on the back with a broom or handing her a business card, Jack’s comforting words are always heartfelt and sincere.

Sabor De Soledad:

Translates to taste of loneliness. These Mexican cheese curls go from being a minor gag about Liz’s appalling eating habits, to a major plot point and back. They are responsible for Liz Lemon’s season two pregnancy scare because they contain evaporated bull seamen. After she realizes this, Jack asks her if she is still eating them which, of course, Liz answers by pulling the bag out from under the couch and eating more. Jack unfortunately joins in. Bull seamen curls actually make her realize she wants to adopt a kid. Which I’m sure was a great story to tell her adopted kids; you are here because of evaporated bull sperm–and not in the way you’re thinking!

The Hi-Def Camera:

Hi-def does things to people. Jack turns 20 years younger, Liz has hair and god knows what else on her face, Pete is actually shirtless old man, and, surprising no one, Kenneth is a puppet. Seems about right.

Al Gore:

“Quiet! A whale is in trouble. I have to go.” The joke so great they did it twice and then also reminded you to recycle. Comedy is a valuable part of society, people. Otherwise you would probably forget to recycle and then where would we be.

Brian Williams:

“And then I pull off my mask and I’m a Lizard person, too.” The Brian Williams gags are my personal favorite. The first Brian Williams getting angry and trashing his dressing room joke convinced me I needed to keep watching this show. There are several episodes where Brian Williams is the best character. None of his bits fall flat.

Rural Juror:

“These were the best days of my flerm.” Another one that was so good they did it twice. It was a season one joke that they felt would have enough sentimental value to be made into a song in the series finale. No one could understand it. It was great.

Product Placement:

“Can we have our money now?” Whether it’s diet Snapple that tastes just like regular Snapple or Verizon Wireless phones, they seamlessly integrate product placement into the show. They sneak it in there where you won’t notice it until one day you just really want a diet Snapple and you don’t know why. Amazing.