Kenneth Takes the Midnight Train to Georgia | 30 Rock

[@RobertsonIsland]

I love that after missing the train, Ken just decides to completely abandon the plan to go home

[@prowolf633]

Guess catching the next would be too much of a fuss

[@tosch5274]

I simply adore the fact that Jenna didn't have anything to do with this scene but there is not a chance that they are going to have a musical number and she's not going to get involved

[@stevenzeoli6147]

Especially given the fact that Jane Krukowski is a Broadway star!

[@AndRuff8]

Well, she's the reason I downloaded it.

[@MichaelSnyder1776]

Jenna is involved with everything, always.

[@Lukas-ip1qc]

And the death stare from Tracy because Jenna stole his spotlight

[@non_brewed_condiment]

Especially because she just has those outfits on deck, always ready for a performance.

[@_MSD75_]

Jenna popping up and Tracy's face is an all-time favourite moment in this show

[@karmabum21]

best part

[@pd9662]

Agreed! 😂😂 she stole his thunder 🤣

[@meloso0703]

@@pd9662 her whole life is thunder!! 😂😂

[@meng-hsuanlee8543]

So good

[@suzeb7005]

Haha yeah so cute 🤭

[@andywood5699]

The glare that Tracy gives Jenna when she upstages him and starts singing is hilarious.

[@CC-uc4gq]

Ahhhh, so that's how you turn milk to cheese!!!!

[@johnhowley3149]

“And uh, you shouldn’t torture whales...”

[@tristanandersen4105]

“There was a period of time where you could g...”

[@Jamietheroadrunner]

That really would be a controversial position these days within the GOP 😂

[@purplecrayon7281]

Many thought that this was going to be the very last episode of the show, that 30 Rock won't be back from the hiatus caused by the Hollywood writers' strike. This scene was intended to be open-ended in case it was indeed the last episode, with the suggestion that Liz ran to join Floyd in Cleveland and live happily ever after.

[@zoef6749]

omg WHAT i had no idea 😮

[@Pr0f3_YT]

Remember that writer strike. Wow crazy times. It killed Lost tbh

[@georgealvarado5060]

How do people know all these extra facts?

[@marisadurham4736]

Great and interesting tidbit! Thanks for sharing

[@furretfan450]

wasn’t this a while after that ? Also I’m pretty sure Jack was just making a point about him and cc

[@constancehaisma-kwok2442]

I love that Gladys Knight is there the whole time and she never sings a note. Hilarious!

[@lalauma1]

Constance Haisma-Kwok they didn't have that kind of money. 🤣

[@Tflexxx02]

They should have put her in singing...somehow.

[@jrtg1990]

Gladys Knight was the in-house musician of NBC at that time (as per 30ROCK cinematic universe). Either they were promoting her or whatnot

[@STE3111]

They did it to Paul McCarthy..... twice

[@freethinkr226]

She was trying to take 👏 a 👏 nap. Leave her alone.

[@msredux]

I just love everytime Jenna breaks into a song.

[@ericjamieson]

It was genius finding someone to play Jenna who is genuinely hilarious but also a legit Broadway actress.

[@jrtg1990]

©Eric J thank God they replaced Rachel Dratch as she was the original Jenna. She played her on the pilot. And Rachel Dratch actually had funnier moments palying the blue guy (who appears to someone who is hungry but unaware they are hungry) and many other sideshow characters like the Russian hooker etc. Long story short, Jane Krakowski is Jenna Maroney and she should have gotten an Emmy for it.

[@jbeta4948]

When she whips out a microphone from her purse at her surprise birthday celebration!

[@Icecold1776]

I like her voice even if it's fake

[@timnor4803]

@@Icecold1776 it's not. She has legit Broadway pipes

[@ChickensIsPracticallyPenguins]

It's kind of incredible that this was in the middle of season 2. I remember when this first aired thinking that for as funny as this was, that suddenly inserting a full-blown out of universe musical number still felt like they'd run out of ideas and had maybe jumped the shark. Instead it turned out to just be a show confident enough to do whatever it dang well pleased and they never went back to this well again.

[@brettknoss486]

It's not our of universe, this is a behind the scenes show about artists and creative people. Look at the crew and dancing girls casually eating donuts.

[@ChickensIsPracticallyPenguins]

@@brettknoss486 maybe "out of universe" is the wrong phrase, but it's the show breaking its rules & turning into a musical for a few minutes. @2:11 Jack is watching C.C. on what appears to be a broadcast interview, yet she duets with Jack, while everyone on the way to the TGS studio just stops singing for some reason.

[@brettknoss486]

@@ChickensIsPracticallyPenguins Jack and C.C. is out of universe. You're right about the show being confident, it fits the variety show SNL format and the show has had surrealist elements like when it showed how characters see the world, or cut aways of other shows.

[@RagenRibbonz]

@@ChickensIsPracticallyPenguins definition of “out of universe.”

[@Its__Good]

Tbf - they continually break the 4th wall and speak right to camera continuously after this.

[@CC-uc4gq]

It's 2024 and I have only just discovered this show on streaming......and I LOVE IT!!!

[@Rager473]

"misinformed about the time, didnt get to stand line" got me rolling

[@rr7firefly]

Love the look of extreme irritation on Tracy's face when Jenna pops up from nowhere and hijacks his lead vocal.

[@MegaWesen]

I bet you could weaponize Jane Krakowski's voice.

[@JjjJjj-vr1gw]

You can just try it will work

[@JjjJjj-vr1gw]

@Website guy and it's great

[@dominicellis1867]

And help the people the thing that happened happened to

[@sophiaako7663]

It is so powerful

[@Bowlymania]

“You wanna get drunk?” “No, there’s too many phones here.” 😂😂

[@dayveo]

I love Kenneth's "going to Georgia" outfit!

[@VariationsOnASeam]

This episode cracks me up. They reference Gladys Knight throughout the show and how she's CeCe's favorite singer, they sing her song, and yet she never sings. She just says she's trying to take a nap. Maybe someone who is a student of comedy can explain to me why I find that so hilarious.

[@aliyaist]

One of the fundamental elements of comedy is the subversion of expectations.

[@lonewolf2399]

Finally! A standalone clip of the best clip! :)

[@Thehouseoffail]

When he shows up to say he missed the train.... still one of of funniest bits in anything ever.

[@PeterCacioppi]

It was an 11:45, but he was misinformed about the time.

[@Jevon177]

Sorry I love the part where Liz is like 'If you blow out the Kitchen wall you could make a very nice breakfast nook' and Charlotte just smiles and nods like Okay Crazy.

[@LittleLargeMouth]

“You should have gone for it” breaks my heart every time

[@markjackson6134]

Tracy throwing in that Soul riff (@1:05), "Well, well." but the AI captions went "Wow, Wow":):)

[@penguinboy561]

The key change is the best part of any song. I will die on this hill. 1:40

[@karmabum21]

It is magical indeed

[@paxnorth7304]

Even their tiny side jokes (the news commentator, "And you know, you shouldn't torture whales...There was a time..." ) are better than most show's whole episodes.

[@TorilAzzalini-Machecler]

Brooo that ain't any old news commentator, that's C.C!

[@illneverbeyourdreamgirl]

This is how you incorporate music into a comedy! (I miss this show so much 😭)

[@stevenzeoli6147]

I love how the only thing that Liz can say is, “I’ve got to go!”

[@JordoValentino]

"Oh Grizz... I'll miss you most of all." Said so earnestly.

[@kennethpurscell]

I snorted pop out my nose when I saw it! It's what Dorothy said to the Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz.😅

[@nikhilnair4359]

Jenna can SING!

[@tazochaiguy]

It's a crime that she never won am Emmy for just being so awesome

[@ericjamieson]

@@tazochaiguy Doesn't she have a Tony?

[@mungrafm]

She's a Tony winner.( which is much more prestigious than Emmys)

[@TheJoker1886]

Her singing was always bit of sunshine for me on Ally Mcbeal when I was a kid

[@Nimsshow]

Jenna entering the frame at 1:40 is how a pro does it!

[@BlankRegie]

TV musical magic...they made it happen...and in the midst of a writers' strike no less! Thanks for attending my TED Talk.

[@stephenalberston9108]

Love this!!!!! Gladys Knight appearing at the end.....superb!!!!

[@lisahill1576]

This is so incredibly hilarious, I absolutely love it! Every second is pure magic

[@cfrenchfrye]

the “woo woo” after Kenneth misses the train makes me belly laugh

[@benjaminsamford8328]

When 30 rock goes full musical, they nail it.

[@rc....]

This show was in a class of its own! Nothing like this before and definitely never to be duplicated in the future.👏👍

[@mindy56374]

"Nothing Gladys Knight!"

[@sfreed1989]

I can't explain why, but this is one of my favorite 30 Rock bits

[@AlephYobby]

Jack macbrayers facial expressions always kill me but especially at the end of this song

[@marthabixler1606]

You want to get drunk? No there's to many phones in here.

[@sohanley]

Peak Lemon.

[@HenrysSpiceofLife]

30 Rock will always be one of my mom and I’s favorite shows and this scene is a perfect example of why we love it so much.

[@michaelkeehan8094]

You can definitely tell Troy Barnes wrote this.

[@jakestroll6518]

Yep, smells of Gambino out here

[@christiankrenek7689]

I hadn’t seen this clip! Amazing cover of one of the best songs ever-especially with the surprise appearance of Gladys herself at the end. Incredible! :D

[@strictlyoval3474]

Jenna is just so incredible.

[@fightinphill44]

This is my favorite 30 Rock scene - both hilarious and sweet, it captures the heart of the show and the cast.

[@1cattails]

Kenneth is the best and forever will be

[@kennethpurscell]

As you can tell, I've always been biased in his favor.

[@elizabethsullivan7021]

This was an inspired scene.

[@joesimpson4473]

This show is superbly unpredictable

[@laurairigoitia]

One of my favs 🥰

[@stevenmaza1372]

When Jenna popped up in front of Tracy and started singing, I started crying, I was laughing so hard, The look on his face was priceless. She is what I refer to as a "scene stealer". It's not about her, but she takes over.

[@LegallyDistinctVALISclone]

She was onstage with Irene Ryan when she died and she kept going!

[@philtll]

"What you refer to" as a scene stealer? Are you Peggy Hill?

[@hanksummers1037]

So clever that Gladys is the only one not singing the song.

[@bedlampuhedron]

"And uh, you shouldn't torture whales..." 😂

[@justinduren95]

This is my most favorite episode of 30 Rock. And good god, Jane was gorgeous than ever before in this performance!

[@proudnerd3]

Spotted: legend Edward Herrmann as the Coop Board member.

[@ProfChaos1985]

I almost missed that like a midnight train to Georgia

[@ultraviolettas]

I love him so 🥺😢

[@jrtg1990]

@Elizabeth right? Golden girls A year in the life was so dull without him!

[@ProfChaos1985]

@@jrtg1990 read that again

[@jrtg1990]

@@ProfChaos1985 lol I meant Gilmore girls!! Haha i might have typed on lightning speed, catching up with my brains, corona does that to you, thanks for the tip stay safe

[@ResettisReplicas]

"Schmuck's Bait" at the end is a great touch.

[@makinoahcelloduo9008]

The real Gladys Knight! Looking great.

[@calebduarte5255]

She’s practically ageless, much like this show.

[@thiswayjose]

The budget for this. One of my all time favorite bits on this show.

[@Bobainthome]

what's amazing about this is it could have been a dumb throwaway joke, but instead its a 3 minute crazytrain of stupidity... BRILLIANT

[@brianjackson3212]

Best thing I've seen all day

[@00bikeboy]

Top notch entertainment.

[@laluenbaires]

This is my favorite episode in the show. I love the whole Liz moment with the board as if it was her ex hahaha -Liz! -The board... XD

[@lyssasfaith]

When you know it's Donald Glover singing Tracy's part you can actually hear it quite well at the start of the song

[@agathacrane1297]

Whaaaaat?!!

[@Carcosahead]

No shit

[@tom18a12]

Heh?

[@aresef]

It wouldn’t be the only time he’s doubled for Tracy. If you look up the full version of Werewolf Bar Mitzvah, most of that is him.

[@bjbetti]

I thought it was tracy💀

[@StefveoX]

I missed it (he missed it!)

[@DiscoSamurai]

This show was fucking genius.

[@la_cantina]

Best version of this song

[@spacewiz163]

Dot Com, Griz and Tracy’s in sync vocals are so good😌 plus Tinas I got to go.👌🏼

[@daynamorris2399]

This is the only reason why I know Midnight Train to Georgia

[@rickjamesdos2239]

One of the greatest sitcoms of all time lmao

[@Ruby-eq1qg]

This has been stuck in my head since rewatching this episode recently lol

[@yateswebb]

“I missed it” 😂

[@dondee5439]

At the 1:40 mark, finally someone shows up who can do this wonderful song credit.

[@trollhunter3969]

Absolutely brilliant TV.

[@helpconflict9851]

Great song

[@EMNstar]

2:47 overeager Grizz is so cute

[@ClarenceHW]

The whole cast nailed it but Jenna/Jane owns it, Tracy has a nice baritone. Talented group.

[@jetvulcan2020]

would of loved to have seen Kenneth as Grizz's wingman at speed dating.

[@robbrown6934]

He missed it (he missed the train)

[@IsiahTomas]

Altogether now.

[@jnnnn85]

R.I.P Jim Weatherly

[@SuperFlyinPwrs]

Jane is so great. She deserves her own show.

[@trvman1]

Too bad people have no idea what a really good singer she is. Wish she would do a tour.

[@flapjack6495]

they didnt show it but when credits roll tracy says "Sorry everyone" and i constantly quote that dumb throwaway line

[@geemazande3855]

i missed it 😂😂😂😂😂

[@Gee3Oh]

So few views on one of the most memorable moments of the show. This show really was unpopular, in ratings and online interest. Anyway I loved this.

[@Gee3Oh]

Also did anyone notice the guy Jenna stood on after coming down the stairs was just minding his own business when that happened? He get's up with a what the hell? expression and can be seen getting back to work while Kenneth explains why he missed the train. Great attention to detail by the 30 Rock crew.

[@stephensamuels6775]

I’m late, but this show was on NBC Thursday night that featured The Office, Parks and Rec, and Community…television was at its best back then. In my opinion, 30Rock was the best show every Thursday night.

[@RichMorti]

0:38 songs starts

[@justaguy328]

The best part is that this scene has absolutely nothing to do with her, and she was absent for the entire episode until this moment! hahaha

[@seanbuck156]

"Wanna get drunk?" "No, there are too many phones in here."

[@acesul8811]

Something that's hard to appreciate for people who live outside NYC and can't afford the $200 seats for a show is that Broadway singers really are that good, all the time.

[@Vixen522]

I have been rewatching this since the MySpace days ❤

[@antnam4406]

I learnt about the song in the show.

[@rc-r104]

Loved this 🥰

[@aroha9090]

If Gladys Knight told me to shut up it would be the best day of my life. I'd put it on my resumé.

[@BillMarion]

Favorite Episode!

[@barcelonachair6487]

Jane can sing.

[@sdseals2076]

Why Gladys in the studio taking a nap? I love that they had her in the clip.

[@stephw.7874]

Tracy's hat keeps moving throughout the song

[@richardgonzales8502]

Awesome!

[@Acord718]

Cajun style

[@theleviathan3902]

As a person from stone mountain Georgia, his Kenneth is probably the funniest character on the show to me

[@marcelobertoni2967]

Brilliant

[@Urmom-en3mt]

I miss this show

[@MaskOfAgamemnon]

Tracy Morgan is so good a singer it gives me goosebumps.

[@karmabum21]

i heard Donald Glover actually sang his vocals

[@MrMario2987]

Excellent ending 🤣

[@dashendi6562]

Why wasn't 30 rock bigger? It's a fantastic show.

[@jugazf]

Hey, Gladys Knight is getting the Kennedy Center Honors of 2022!!