30 Rock was a breath of fresh air for sitcoms in the 2000s. Fans love its inanity and its cast of affable weirdos. Today, new sitcoms have more or less pulled back from being subversive like 30 Rock was. Tina Fey's series would do and say things that other showrunners would never dream of writing.
There were times when 30 Rock was maybe too daring, though. As much as we love Liz and the gang, they had their fair share of messiness. In light of those times, here are some of the worst things the 30 Rock characters have done.
Lutz
Lutz was one of the staff writers for TGS. He should be a pitiable guy because of his overwhelming health problems. Plus the crew treated him like a punching bag. Yet there's something so off-putting about Lutz. He regularly aired his disgusting habits out in the open; he had no sense of boundaries when it came to his life. All in all, Lutz was gross. And one of the grossest things he ever did was call Liz a misogynistic slur behind her back. Or so he thought. Now we know why he's greeted with "Shut up, Lutz" all the time.
Frank
The most prolific writer aside from Liz was Frank Rossitano. He's known for his trucker hats and deadpan delivery. He's more slovenly than Lutz, but Frank was somehow less disgusting. The plain fact is, Frank wasn't an awful person. More like someone who's constantly battling his own past. His family has ties to the mob, and his grandfather was racist. Oh, and he had an affair with a teacher when he was younger. Let's just say the worst thing Frank has done is how he generally treated Jenna. Unsurprisingly, their mutual animosity finally culminated in a brief yet ionate fling.
Josh
Comedian Josh wasn't on the show for long, but he left a lasting impression. Mostly because his gimmick was doing impressions. Josh was presented as a dim-witted guy who needed constant supervision and guidance. He ultimately quit TGS out of frustration.
Although he did return later when TGS was hosting auditions for new talent. As for his worst moment, that's tough as Josh didn't do much, to begin with. Other than breaking into Liz's office and doing a suspiciously accurate impression of Tracy, Josh wasn't interesting enough to do much harm. That being said, his caricatures on TGS were offensive.
Toofer
James "Toofer" Spurlock was the most professional member of the writer staff. Much to his own detriment, his coworkers endlessly mocked him for that very fact. Even his nickname "Toofer" is problematic. As straight-laced as Toofer is, that doesn't make him above being as troublesome as Frank and Josh. In the episode "Jack-tor", Toofer and Frank play a mean prank on Jenna. They trick her into thinking there are going to be layoffs soon. So, Jenna does all she can — which included seducing an extra she thought was an exec — to stay employed. You can bet Jenna got her revenge.
Pete
Liz's good friend and colleague Pete Hornberger was usually the straight man to the show's more eccentric characters. The sound of reason when things got out of hand at work. The truth is, Pete was an unhappy guy who we felt sympathy for. It seems like he was struggling to cope with work and his home life. Especially with his wife Paula. Then again, Pete lost a lot of points for his shocking ission in "The Fabian Strategy". He basically confessed to having relations with his wife while she was asleep. Unsurprisingly, this did not go well with many viewers.
Kenneth
The best word to describe Kenneth Parcell is "bizarre." In the span of the show's seven seasons, audiences slowly pieced together the puzzle that was Kenneth's life. He's a poor bumpkin from rural Georgia. His strange upbringing explains a lot about him, too. Pushing past his quirks, Kenneth was altruistic to a fault. Hence why it's not easy to think of his worst offense.
He hardly had any. If one had to choose, though, it might be Kenneth eating his "father." When Kenneth's biological father died, a pig named Harold became his surrogate. Long story short, Kenneth ate Harold the pig.
Jenna
Oh, where does one start with Jenna Maroney? The list of grievances is long enough to wrap around the entirety of 30 Rock. First off, Jenna has an exaggerated form of a personality disorder. Meaning she seeks attention in obsessive ways. Sounds about right. Jenna would go far and beyond to get a rise out of people. Whether it was faking self-harm to get her way or saying the most racist thing possible, Jenna offended so much and so frequently that she's almost no longer offensive. If one had to narrow it down, let's go with her doing blackface. Twice.
Tracy
In a decision to boost ratings and whatnot, Tracy Morgan was brought in as Jenna's co-star on TGS. During his residency, Tracy became as unpredictable as Jenna. Tracy suffered from an oversized ego that constantly got him into trouble. And as a result, his inflated opinion of his own talent and abilities made Liz's job only harder.
Yet with the show's eventual — and much appreciated — tonal shift, Tracy became bearable for everyone. Including wary viewers. Tracy was known for saying some suspect things, but a sizable wrong was declaring women aren't funny. Of course, Liz challenged that very notion.
Jack
Liz was not happy when Jack Donaghy was put in charge of TGS. To her surprise, he became her mentor, confidante, and most importantly, her best friend. That's not to say Jack doesn't come with his own set of problems. He's capitalistic and speaks unfavorably of all demographics. Jack managed to do right by Liz and other TGS employees from time to time, but he could only be so selfless before he buckled. For instance, when Avery was held captive in North Korea, Jack kissed her mother Diana. Oh, yikes. This was partly why he and Avery didn't stay together.
Liz
While Liz Lemon considered herself to be forward-thinking and decent, she was guilty of acting quite the opposite in the show. As it was revealed at her high school reunion, Liz was a bully. Her sense of charity also flew out the window whenever she wanted to serve her own interest. Case in point — to date Floyd, she tried to get his girlfriend fired. Liz finally showed just how unpleasant she could be in "TGS Hates Women". After hiring a woman writer to counter claims of misogyny, Liz outed a woman who was on the run from her abusive ex.