Tina Fey's beloved 30 Rock is returning to the air for a one-off special that will debut on NBC in July. The one-hour broadcast will be filmed and produced remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will serve as part of NBCUniversal's upfronts, according to Variety.
The special will see the return of all of its key cast members: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer. It will air on Thursday, July 16, at 8 PM ET on NBC.
How the show will play into NBC's upfronts--an event where a network pitches upcoming content to advertisers and media--is unclear, but NBC calls it "a first-of-its-kind all-audience upfront event." Some part of this will apparently involve the aforementioned characters, in role as their characters, promoting "the stories and talent featured in NBCUniversal’s 2020-21 television season." (NBC's lineup of fall shows was also just announced, consisting entirely of shows that haven't filmed new seasons yet.)
It will initially air on NBC before later being rebroadcast one other NBCUniversal-owned channels, not all of which sound like a natural fit for the show--they include USA, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, Syfy, and CNBC. It will also be available on July 17 at 9 PM ET through Peacock, NBC's streaming service, which launches on July 15.
This is one of a number of reunions to happen in recent months, including those for fellow beloved NBC comedies Community and Parks and Recreation. Given the tie-in to upfronts, however, this sounds like it could be a fairly different type of show. It won't be the first experiment for 30 Rock, which aired a live show during its original run.