Christopher Cross Had a ’30 Rock’ Character Named After Him
30 Rock was a beloved TV show largely for its many quirky characters. Even its minor characters made an impact. And one was influenced by singer-songwriter Christopher Cross.
Christopher Cross is an award-winning musician
Cross is a well-known American singer and songwriter. Born in Texas, the musician started his career in 1978 when he signed a contract with Warner Bros. He released his debut album, Christopher Cross, a year later. It was an immediate success, with hit songs “Sailing,” “Ride Like the Wind,” and “Never Be the Same.”
In the early ’80s, Cross produced his second album, which included “All Right” and “Think of Laura.” Some of his music got used on television, including on the soap opera General Hospital. The album, Another Page, did well with regard to sales.
The artist has received several Grammy nominations throughout his career and won a few of them. In 1981, Cross earned awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. He is one of the few artists to have won all four categories. The musician did so in a single night, and the awards were for his first album.
’30 Rock’ references Christopher Cross in an episode
Tina Fey came up with the idea of 30 Rock, and a network picked up the show and aired it in 2006. The series is a comedy that features plenty of talented actors. Fey stars as Liz Lemon while Alec Baldwin is her counterpart, Jack Donaghy. After a while, the show became a hit and received positive critical reviews for the acting and writing.
In the fourth season of the show, one of the episodes makes a reference to singer Cross. The episode is titled “Floyd.” In it, Liz explains that she hopes she and her ex-boyfriend, Floyd, would get back together. She wants it to be like it is in the movies, where a Cross song would be playing. Liz then proceeds to make up lyrics to a nonexistent Cross song.
’30 Rock’ later named a character after Christopher Cross
It is quite common for shows to reference other shows, films, and artists. And sometimes, characters even name-drop celebrities — like when Liz mentioned Christopher Cross.
As it turned out, Cross was a fan of the show, according to Mental Floss. And the musician actually ended up writing a full song based on Liz Lemon’s lyrics.
After Cross finished recording the song, he sent it to the crew of 30 Rock. As a result, the writers came up with a new character and named him after the artist. In a later season, 30 Rock introduces Criss Chros, who becomes Liz’s boyfriend and eventual husband. The character likes to play the guitar and sing just like the real-life artist.
