Character Profile: Liz Lemon

In my first post for this particular topic I have decided to research the character that keeps the showing going: Elizabeth Lemon. I found the below information on a 30 Rock fan site and was impressed by the wealth of information available on a fictional character.

Likes: An avid television watcher, Liz has a number of programs she enjoys watching: Heroes (especially the Japanese Dude), Lost, Little People Big World (The show about midgets), Ugly Betty, Top Chef and Designing Women. She owns few DVD’s, but those that she does own (Star Wars and Tootsie) she loves. She also enjoys an occasional glass of Pinot Grigio, her wine of choice.

Dislikes: Anything that goes against a social norm or that is even the slightest bit unfair pushes the buttons of Ms. Lemon. She has been known to get overly overemotional and “buy all the hot dogs”. Her maternal instincts and urges have been kicking in as of late, something she does not know exactly how to deal with. Her body tells her one thing, but her mind tells her something else. In addition to these quirks, Liz experiences, more often than not, something she refers to as “white-guilt”, which sometimes makes her seem a tiny bit racist.

Personal Life: Although it is said that Liz has poor social skills and a less than satisfying love life, she does have two people she can count on (most of the time). Jenna Maroney has been Liz’s partner in crime since their “Girlie Show” days at Second City in Chicago. They lived together in Little Armenia before moving to New York City to pursue a larger audience for The Girlie Show. Liz is Jenna’s rock, seeing as Jenna sometimes is overly anxious and paranoid. Her other pal in New York is Pete Hornberger, the producer of TGS. He, out of everyone on the show, knows Liz the best and often acts as her confidant. The two habitually discuss Liz’s poor love life.

Love Life: Many episodes of the show have dealt with Lemon's ongoing search for love. According to Pete, Liz has had some "really terrible boyfriends" in the ten years that he's known her. In the episodes "Believe in the Stars" and "Cooter," Liz states that she lost her virginity at the age of 25. It is implied that she once dated Conan O'Brien when there is obvious romantic tension between them. Conan has told Liz that he wants to forget their brief relationship. He is one of the few people to address her as Elizabeth. It has become apparent that Lemon has very high standards in men, personified in her imaginary perfect husband, "Astronaut Mike Dexter". The three past boyfriends that have been featured most heavily in the show are: beeper salesman Dennis Duffy, 'flower guy' Floyd and very handsome but oh so stupid Dr. Drew Baird.

Below is a video I found on youtube that shows a collection of clips that best represent the character of Liz. It detail key character traits such as: racism, fashion sense, quirky insults and of course her complicated relationship with food.