Tina Fey’s impression of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live is one of the iconic highlights of the 2008 election. But now Palin has flipped the script for the 2016 cycle.
Palin is coming back at Fey with her own impression of the star’s famous “30 Rock” character Liz Lemon in a parody promo for a new show, appropriately titled “31 Rock.”
For the video from the Independent Journal, a fake advertisement for the new show “31 Rock,” Palin mimics the style and quirks of Fey’s classic character with familiar catchphrases from the original show and some excellent cameo work from John McCain and Lindsey Graham.
Fans of “30 Rock” will recognize callbacks to the show throughout the spot. In one scene, Palin charges into a TV writers’ room demanding, “Where’s my Big Gulp?” Later, confronted by unruly employees fighting with toy lightsabers, Palin shakes her fists, crying, “Nerds!”
And just as Liz Lemon turned to Alec Baldwin’s character Jack Donaghy for guidance in the show, Palin’s caricature, “Lynn Melon,” is also forced to call an old friend for advice — only this time, its 2008 running mate McCain. Graham also briefly appears in the role of Jack McBrayer’s beloved character, the soft-spoken, southern page Kenneth Parcell.
Palin’s turn as Lemon isn’t nearly as biting as Fey’s caricature of Palin, and avoids serious criticism or ridicule. The target of the joke, instead, is much-maligned “PC culture” and so-called “safe spaces,” as Palin’s character struggles to write and produce a comedy show when faced with so many sensitivity concerns.
Meanwhile, Fey reprised her Palin caricature this past weekend while hosting Saturday Night Live. In a skit with co-host Amy Poehler, the two brought back their famous impressions of Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.