Blind Date (30 Rock)

Guest stars in this episode include Brett Baer, Katrina Bowden, Kevin Brown, Grizz Chapman, John Lutz, Stephanie March, Maulik Pancholy, Keith Powell, and Lonny Ross.

The episode focuses on Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) setting up Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) on a blind date with a friend of his (March).

At the same time, Jack infiltrates the TGS with Tracy Jordan writers'—Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit), Josh Girard (Ross), Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander), James "Toofer" Spurlock (Powell), and J. D. Lutz (Lutz)—weekly poker game and starts winning hands until NBC page Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer) joins in and proves to be a surprisingly adept player.

"Blind Date" was nominated for Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular gay character) at the 18th GLAAD Media Awards.

Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is concerned that Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is stressed and underperforming as the head writer of TGS with Tracy Jordan because of a lack of human contact.

When she almost chokes to death alone in her apartment that night, an action that Jack had foreshadowed as "a single woman's biggest worry," she changes her mind.

That season's co-executive producer Brett Baer had a brief appearance in "Blind Date" as a man who hits on Liz after Gretchen leaves.

According to the Nielsen ratings system, "Blind Date" was viewed by 6.01 million viewers upon its original broadcast in the United States.

Robert Canning of IGN praised the episode for "playing to its strengths", and focusing on the series' "most fully realized characters", Liz and Jack.

Canning also enjoyed Kenneth's increased screen time and the lack of the Jenna Maroney character, played by Jane Krakowski.

The reviewer also added that Judah Friedlander, Keith Powell, and Scott Adsit, who play Frank, Toofer, and Pete, respectively, "haven't been given enough to do", and hoped that the show would produce funny moments from the writers' room.