Played: Kermit the Frog in "My Whole Life Is Thunder"

Kermit stole the spotlight in an episode that featured big-name guests including Elaine Stritch, Gayle King and an excellent Florence Henderson. Why was Kermit at Jack's mother's funeral? Why wouldn't he be? "30 Rock" always had a warm relationship with Muppets. In "Apollo, Apollo," we learned Kenneth saw the entire cast as puppets. In "I Heart Connecticut," Jenna's movie "Take My Hand" is saved with the addition of a puppet character. In "The Bubble," we learned that Jenna and Miss Piggy wore the same dress at respective premieres. Kenneth was briefly a puppet in "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001." "Reaganing" revealed that nine-year-old Liz had a crush on Kermit. Fake "Sesame Street" muppets appeared in "The Return of Avery Jessup." Oh and Tina Fey's first project after the end of "30 Rock"? That's right. A sequel to "The Muppets."

- Daniel Fienberg