'30 Rock: A One Time Special': NBC stations refuse to air reunion special, furious fans ask 'wtf is this?'

Due to the belief that the reunion special is nothing more than an advertisement for Peacock, many stations aren't airing it, enraging fans
PUBLISHED JUL 17, 2020
(NBC)
(NBC)

Fans have been waiting to see the '30 Rock' reunion for a very long now, and depending on what state they are in, they may have to wait just a little longer to be able to watch it. Many states did not air the special, as many NBC affiliates believe that the special is more of a promotion for the new Peacock streaming service — the competition. 

This, however, has left fans furious. "I’m staying off twt bc i’m not watching the 30 rock special yet bc i’m a) running errands and b) DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT IM SO F***ING MAD CANADA SUCKS IM PIRATING THIS S**T I HATE YALL," writes one user on Twitter. "Why are we getting a travel log in Austin and not the @30Rock special?!?!?!?!" says another.

According to Vulture, "Gray Television, Hearst, Nexstar, Tegna, and Sinclair Broadcast Group — huge TV-station groups whose NBC affiliates reach about half the country’s TV homes — have told NBC that they are planning to preempt Thursday’s remotely filmed hour." 

"Jack Donaghy would have had it airing on all NBC channels. Was this a Devin Banks decision or do you have Kathy Geiss calling the shots over there now?" jokes a fan, but most fans are too mad to joke. "I have waited my lifetime for a moment like this, and for some reason, everything is conspiring against me, (not a Comcast region, Roku TVs, local petty news channels) tell me, how do I get my #30rock now?" asks a fan. "wtf?? 30 rock isnt even streaming on NBC in most states? wtf is this?" asks another. "I wanted to watch #30Rock it's not on it's more Covid-19 coverage. If rather have laughs and not full court press," says this user. 

"@WFLA thanks for not showing @30Rock. More important to shove your local programming down the throat than a new episode of one of the greatest sitcoms ever. Hope Seinfeld ignores you if he does similar," says this tweet, bitterly. "#WPTZ in Plattsburgh NY isn't showing it. #BoycottWPTZ Apparently the network is owned by fragile Right-wing roaches," says one fan, calling for a boycott. "They think that the special promotes Peacock too much, and Gray Media (WSAZ's owners) doesn't make any money from Peacock, so they won't show it. Now the only place for people to watch is, you guessed it, Peacock," says a viewer, pointing out the irony.

WCNC only had this to say: "Thank you for contacting us – you will be able to watch 30 Rock on a variety of cable and satellite stations on Friday, July 17th. You can see it here on Friday night at 9 pm on: USA, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY and CNBC." 

'30 Rock' will be available on digital platforms tomorrow — a day late — proving synergy just isn't for everyone.

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