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The show was show runner|created by former ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') performer and head writer Tina Fey, who stars in the show and has written numerous episodes, including Pilot (30 Rock episode)|the pilot. Fey is also one of the show's executive producers.

The show's title comes from a nickname for 30 Rockefeller Plaza, also known as the GE Building, home of NBC's New York City headquarters and studios. ''30 Rock'' is a workplace comedy set in that building and it follows the cast and crew of a show within a show|fictional ''SNL''-esque sketch comedy called ''TGS with Tracy Jordan''.

Fey portrays Liz Lemon, the head writer of ''TGS'' and the show's protagonist. Other important characters include her oily boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), ''TGS''s erratic, mentally unstable star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) and Liz's celebrity seeking best friend Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), who is also part of the cast of ''TGS''. The supporting cast of ''30 Rock'' includes Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell, Scott Adsit as Pete Hornberger and Judah Friedlander as Frank Rossitano. Starting with season two, Katrina Bowden as Cerie, Keith Powell as James "Toofer" Spurlock, and Lonny Ross as Josh Girard also became series regulars.

In the show's first year, it ranked a low #102 in the Nielsen Ratings,<ref name="2006-07 primetime wrap">May 25 2007 [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ifbfdd1bcb53266ad8d9a71cad261604f 2006-07 primetime wrap], ''Hollywoodreporter.com''. Retrieved October 14 2007. but managed to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series|Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. In her acceptance speech, Fey jokingly thanked "our dozens and dozens of viewers" for supporting the show.

Typically, the main story arc in each episode centers on Liz and her attempts to steer the show through one crisis or another while she struggles with her social life. ''30 Rock'' typically features Liz and ''TGS''s producer Pete Hornberger as the "straight" or "sane" ones who must deal with the show's cast of eccentric characters.

Its titular setting is a fictional version of the headquarters of General Electric subsidiary NBC. It is based on the real life National Broadcasting Company, which one of NBC's subsidiaries, NBC Universal, produces. Episodes are set more-or-less around the time that they air (for example, the date is given as January 17th, 2007 in "The Head and the Hair", which aired on January 18th). ''30 Rock'' also contains frequent references to contemporary events. For example, when Liz became obsessed with firing her romantic rival in "The Fighting Irish", she and Pete discussed Lisa Nowak's attack on Colleen Shipman. In addition, many references have been made to the approaching United States presidential election, 2008|United States 2008 presidential elections. A reference was also made to the ongoing 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike|WGA strike in the episode, "Somebody to Love", although the strike has apparently not affected the show's fictional writers.

Like the other sitcoms in NBC's Thursday-night lineup (''My Name Is Earl'', ''The Office (US TV series)|The Office'', ''Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs'' and for a brief period ''Andy Barker, P.I.''), ''30 Rock'' uses a single-camera setup and does not have a laugh track or studio audience. The show features a jazzy score that heightens comical moments. The music is composed by Fey's husband Jeff Richmond, who is also a producer for ''30 Rock'' and appears in some episodes as the ''TGS'' piano player. Five episodes ("Pilot (30 Rock episode)|Pilot", "Jack-tor", "Hard Ball", "Cleveland" and "Seinfeld Vision") included short original songs, three of which were performed by Jane Krakowski (Krakowski is a singer as well as an actress) and another performed by Tina Fey and Jason Sudeikis.

The episode "Cleveland" also popularized the now widely used nickname "The Cleve" for the city{{Fact|date=November 2007}}, after Alec Baldwin's character quipped, "We'd all like to flee to the Cleve".

Unlike most television shows set in New York City, ''30 Rock'' is actually filmed in the city. Although establishing shots of GE building|30 Rock are often repeated, outdoor scenes are filmed on location at Rockefeller Center or in other parts of New York City. Most of the indoor scenes are filmed at Silvercup Studios in Queens. In "Cleveland" and "Hiatus", Battery Park City, Manhattan and Douglaston, Queens doubled for Cleveland, Ohio and Needmore, Pennsylvania, respectively.

The first few episodes of season one mainly involved Liz trying to keep Jack from meddling with her show, though as the season progressed, the character of Jack Donaghy became less villainous as the show became more focused on its characters' personal life|personal lives. The origin of this shift can be traced to "Jack Meets Dennis" in which Jack decides to "mentor" Liz and she reluctantly agrees when she finds she has no better alternative. By this point, Jack seems to have gained some respect for Liz's writing abilities and has apparently ceased trying to alter ''TGS''. Nevertheless, ''30 Rock'' continues to satire|satirize the commercialism of the television industry.

There have also been a handful of episodes ("The Break Up", "The Fighting Irish", etc.) in which Liz instead deals mainly with her own weaknesses and insecurities. Liz's love life is particularly unsuccessful and suitable romantic interests have so far proven to be short-lived. The show's self-awareness of this and other sitcom clichés (alternately avoiding and embracing them) has been one of 30 Rock's hallmarks.{{Or|date=October 2007}}