There's a Good Chance You Won't Be Able to Watch the 30 Rock Special After All

If you've been looking forward to the upcoming 30 Rock reunion special, there is a good chance you might not be able to watch it all. According to Vulture, NBC's biggest local affiliate groups have decided not to broadcast the special, which was filmed remotely and is set to air Thursday at 8/7c. Gray Television, Hearst, Nexstar, Tegna, and Sinclair Broadcast Group, all major TV-station groups whose NBC affiliates reach about half of the homes in the U.S., are apparently planning to preempt the hour.

This is unfortunate, but it doesn't sound like the affiliate groups are Scrooges who want to destroy our Christmas. Sources familiar with the matter told Vulture the reason for the preemption has to do with the fact the special -- which was produced by NBCUniversal's ad sales division and will act as a replacement for the network's annual Upfronts presentation, the event in which networks show off their upcoming lineups for advertisers -- is too much of a promotion for the company's new streaming service, Peacock, which launches Wednesday.

Here's What You Can Watch for Free on Peacock

However, this doesn't mean you won't ever be able to see the special, which will also highlight new and returning shows from NBC, Telemundo, USA, Syfy, E!, Bravo, and more. If you live in an area where NBC own its own stations -- this includes New York and L.A. -- you will be able to tune in at 8/7c for the special. If you happen to live in one of the areas where the special is preempted, you can catch it on NBC.com, video on demand, or Peacock beginning Friday morning. You can also watch it on NBCU's cable networks, which include USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, E!, and CNBC, on Friday at 9/8c. Unfortunately, it will not be streaming on Hulu.