Tina Fey and the cast of "30 Rock" did something bold and brave last week -- a live show. The NBC comedy was performed twice Thursday night -- once for the East Coast and once for the West Coast -- in front of a studio audience that provided a laugh track. And I think they nailed it.

NBC / Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin share a scene in the
live episode of "30 Rock."

I'm a casual viewer of "30 Rock" because I miss it more often than I catch it, but I've always enjoyed it. The actors play roles perfectly suited for them and they work quite well together, and that transferred Thursday night in a live setting. The plot was kind of flat, but the excitement from the episode came from the fact that they were filming it in a new way. The half hour was filled with snappy one-liners and enough energy to keep the show moving along, even if the story the characters were telling wasn't that exciting. Maybe my favorite thing about the episode was Julia Louis-Dreyfus playing Fey's Lemon in the show's sidebars. She was funny, clever and unexpected.

Should "30 Rock" try this again? Probably not. The novelty of attempting a live show will be tiring if it's done too frequently, and I can't think of another instance in which it would make sense to do it. But if there is a reason, time and place, Fey will figure out how to make it a success.

If you missed Thursday's episode (or want to catch what happened on the other coast), I've embedded the videos below.

East Coast:


West Coast:



-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com