The 30 Rock episode that aired live in separate East and West Coast versions on October 14, 2010, was “Live Show.”
The season-five episode was broadcast twice that evening so viewers in both U.S. time zones could see a genuinely live performance. The Central Time Zone received the East Coast feed, following standard broadcast practice. The cast performed the episode before a live audience, with cameras switching between actors and sets in real time.
The idea grew from live benefit performances of the season-two episode “Secrets and Lies” during the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. “Live Show” also included deliberate variations between broadcasts, including different jokes, lyrics, subtitles, and versions of a fictional commercial. Jane Krakowski sang the East Coast opening, while Cheyenne Jackson performed the West Coast version.
A common mix-up concerns the home-video release. The DVD does not preserve two complete broadcasts: it includes the West Coast version as a bonus and presents a shortened mix of both feeds as its main version. That edited release is not identical to either original telecast.