Booker Executive Producer on The Gordon Ford Show.

S4E5 - Susie and Sophie meet with Mike at the Stage Deli and convince him to book Sophie on the Gordon Ford Show.

S4E6 - While Midge does warmup for Sophie on Seconds Count!, Susie catches Mike going down the hall and tries to get him to book Midge on Gordon Ford, but she realizes that she doesn’t have anywhere for him to see her.

S5E1 - The day before Thanksgiving, Susie sneaks into a taping of the Gordon Ford Show to try and talk Mike into booking Midge on the show. As Gordon gives the opening monologue, Susie mouths and mimes an extensive conversation across the studio to Mike, who refuses to come over to her. George, who is standing at a podium next to Mike, eventually takes notice and looks mildly irritated. Eventually, Willie the security guard arrives and escorts Susie off the set.

S5E1 - Mike is ecstatic to go Christmas tree-hunting with his kids… until Susie shows up, once again pushing for Midge to be on the show, ruining his favorite day of the year. Shortly afterwards, as Susie walks away, Mike drives up in his car and confronts her about the promise she made to his kids to take them to see Spartacus when she was distracting them earlier to get a window to talk to him. He vows to make sure she never steps foot inside 30 Rock again.

S5E1 - At the Wolford, Susie notices Gordon Ford entering with a pack of guys. She grabs Tawny and asks her to confirm what she’s seeing, then wonders to herself whether the better strategy would be to let Midge know about the visitor or not. Ultimately, time makes the decision for her, as the lights go down for Midge’s set and Susie orders a Scotch with a whiskey in it from Tawny. The set does not start well, but Midge recovers and eventually gets some chuckles from Gordon, which Susie notes approvingly. As Midge wraps up her act, Susie sends Tawny to fetch her and then goes up to talk to Gordon. Susie tries to get Gordon to book Midge on his show, but he won’t bite, so she pivots and pitches him on hiring her as a writer. As he begins to come around to the idea, Midge arrives and Susie introduces her to Gordon. Midge is initially confused and uninterested by the prospect of writing, but Susie pulls her aside and tells her that the job will be a stepping stone, telling Midge to trust her. Thinking back to her vision on the billboard in the snowstorm, Midge acquiesces. Gordon turns to Mike and tells him to set it up, that she’ll start on Monday. To add insult to injury, Susie spits her tooth at Mike and flips him off as she leaves with Midge.

S5E2 - Arriving at her new job, Midge has some difficulty getting in due to the implausibility of her story. Dorie and Marge hold her up at the door, regarding her with extreme skepticism, but luckily Midge spots Mike Carr inside, standing at the talent board near Francie's desk, and calls out to him incessantly. Reluctantly, Mike acknowledges her and lets her in. Midge goes over to him and tries to introduce herself, but Mike is intent on taking his anger at Susie out on her. He briefly rants about his Christmas tree and tells Midge to flip Susie off for him, then leaves without telling Midge where to go.

S5E2 - At The Gordon Ford Show offices, Ralph plays the piano as Mel does a crossword puzzle and Midge reads the newspaper. Midge spots Mike going over to Francie and giving her instructions on handling the car service, and she greets him in an attempt to break the ice. Mike spots George arriving late, hitting on Dorie, and rants to Midge about how much he hates the man. When George comes over, however, Mike is very civil to him. Midge introduces herself, and as he begins to leave, she throws him a compliment about his boat-shoes which doubles as a secret callback to Mike's earlier rant, which ingratiates her ever-so-slightly with Mike. Suddenly, an angry Gordon can be heard from the floor above. Ralph, Cecil, Adam, Mel, Trudy, Dorie, Marge, Midge and Mike watch from below as Gordon emerges at the balcony and angrily throws the script down in pieces.

S5E2 - Outside The Gordon Ford Show set, Mel, Adam, Cecil, Trudy, Ralph and Midge stand waiting to see if the current monologue is a go or a no go. Eventually, they see Teddy the cue card guy leaving, indicating that the monologue is not yet locked. Their fears are confirmed when Alvin emerges with Mike and George and says that Gordon threw the whole thing out.

S5E2 - At the Gordon Ford Show offices, the team waits anxiously for Gordon to do something. Midge, Alvin, Mel, Cecil, Ralph, Dorie and Marge mill about the lobby as Adam is in the audience saying hi to his parents and Mike sits atop the balcony. Eventually, Gordon emerges from his office with George and Trudy runs by exclaiming that he's on the move. Mike is present in the studio as Gordon works out the monologue last-minute with them, and stands next to George during the taping.

S5E3 - On Midge's 30th day of work for the Gordon Ford Show, Gordon gathers Mike, George, Trudy, Alvin, Ralph, Cecil, Adam, Mel, and Midge in his office and provides feedback on the show. First he criticizes the band's timing, and George promises to talk to Tony about it. Mike knows that George won't actually do that, so he silently echoes the promise himself. Next, Gordon criticizes the shrinking size of Teddy's writing on the cue cards, and once again George and Mike offer in turn to deal with it.

S5E3 - Another night, as Maury provides directions to the crowd, George and Mike make their way over to their podium, and the writers linger in their usual spot, Midge goes over to Teddy and asks him if he can save her the card with her joke on it, since it's the first one she got onto the show. Teddy agrees jovially and congratulates her. A moment later, the show begins as the band leader lists the guests and introduces Gordon. The monologue goes well, until he stumbles on “Elmer Fudd” while reading Midge's joke, prompting a loud exclamation from her which causes Gordon, Mike, George, and the writers to look at her disapprovingly. After an awkward moment, Gordon is able to save the joke and get the show back on track.

S5E3 - After the show, Midge meekly follows Alvin, Ralph, Cecil and Mel out of the studio, passing Dorie at the reception desk. Teddy runs up to Midge and gives her the card, but though she has understandably soured on it. She goes over to Trudy's desk and asks if her exclamation was as loud as it seemed, and Trudy tells her it was louder. George comes up to her and tells her that she has nothing to worry about, to simply flash a smile at Gordon and she will be fine. A moment later, however, Mike comes over with considerably less reassuring advice, telling her to grovel hard if she wants a shot at keeping her job.

S5E3 - At Toots Shor's, Ralph, Adam, Mike, George, Mel, and Cecil murmur to each other as they spot Midge entering sheepishly. She looks over at Gordon, who is chatting about sports with Jimmy Breslin, and asks the bartender what he's having. She orders one and brings it over to him, intending to apologize for blurting out a noise during broadcast earlier. Gordon is harsh to her, but she nearly manages to power all the way through the apology and win him over. However, just as she's leaving, he throws in a cut about how her joke would have bombed anyways, and she just can't help herself from turning around and getting into an argument with him. As the argument grows more and more heated, the bar gradually quiets down as people turn and watch the spectacle, including Jimmy, and the aforementioned Gordon Ford Show staff. Eventually, Midge makes a conclusive point, downs the drink that she had bought for him, insults his choice of drink, and leaves. He shouts weakly after her.

S5E3 - On Monday, Midge bashfully slinks into work expecting to be fired, a small box for her stuff cradled in her arms. As she enters the lobby, Ralph is talking to Dorie about a package he was expecting, and the two turn to look at her awkwardly. A few moments later, Alvin also stops to stare at her while descending the stairs, as do Mel, Adam and Cecil on their way into the writers' room. Only Mike actually speaks with her, congratulating her on bringing a box. Before she can respond, Gordon calls out from above for the staff to gather beneath the railing. Midge, Mike, Trudy, Dorie and the writers gather below with the rest, and Gordon tells them that they need to cut back on the number of relatives they've been bringing in as audience members. He then begins to segue into another topic while staring at Midge, but before he can make another announcement, George enters with Charlie, Isaac, and Syd Greenberg, proclaiming a friendly ambush. Gordon postpones further announcements and invites the four up to his office to talk. The office staff scatter back to their work, and Midge is left hanging in limbo.

S5E3 - That evening, at a taping of The Gordon Ford Show, Midge stands apart from the other writers as Gordon wraps up an interview with John Coltrane. Gordon then makes a special announcement - the very thing the executives came to talk to him about earlier - that The Gordon Ford Show has surpassed Jack Paar's show to become the most viewed talk show in the country. The writers exclaim in delight, along with George and Mike at their podium. A tray of champagne is rolled out, and Gordon invites the staff to come join him on camera to celebrate. Alvin, Ralph, Cecil, Adam, Mel, Teddy, Maury, Mike, George, Trudy and Dorie all make their way up, but Midge hangs in the wings, a small spark of hope growing that her job might not be gone just yet. Soon afterwards, they all go out to celebrate on the skating rink at Rockefeller Plaza, but Mike stays behind at the office to keep working.

S5E3 - Away from the party, in the Gordon Ford Production offices, Mike is still hard at work. An office girl runs up and asks Mike for George's signature, which he has apparently been forging for a decade. Susie wanders in, fresh off the bathroom, and congratulates Mike on the show's number one slot and asks why he isn't celebrating with everyone else. Mike opens up about the disastrous state of his talent board, and mentions that he booked Sophie Lennon for later this week. He asks Susie if it's true that she dropped her as a client, and she confirms it, earning a glimmer of respect from him. He invites her to lunch later and returns to his office. Left alone, Susie removes Sophie from the talent board and puts Doris Day in her place.

S5E4 - Midge consults the writers for help punching up the garbage musical, but they just shrug. Trudy bursts in, anxious to get the monologue typed up. After a moment, they all hear Gordon shouting from above and rush out to see what is happening. Dorie also drops what she is doing to watch. Gordon descends from above, fuming about a guest’s sudden disappearance just twenty minutes before the show. George and Tina trail behind him. He takes his anger out on Marge, then apologizes to her a few moments later. He turns to Mike to sort it out, and lashes out at George when he tries to reassure him. Gordon then gathers all the writers in the writers’ room and tells them to find him a new comic - any new comic.

S5E4 - Mike runs down the list of failed guest replacement attempts as Tina does Gordon’s makeup. Gordon reluctantly allows Mike to try Bob Hope, and Mike runs off to do so.

S5E4 - Lacking any replacement for his missing guest, Gordon reluctantly hosts Hart Buckley from the Zoo for a third segment, this one with Cooper the sloth. Maury, Teddy, George and the Band Leader all stand at their posts, and Mike makes his way back in from outside. Just as the segment begins, however, Sophie Lennon appears by the band, surprising Gordon and the audience. Realizing that this was Mike’s doing, George gives him a dirty look for showing him up. Elated, Gordon beckons Sophie over to the couch and sits them next to Hart and Cooper, who he rudely ignores for the rest of the interview. Before Mike can truly savor his moment of triumph, Sophie bursts in and confronts him about Gordon’s rule that nobody who works on the show can be on the show. Mike refuses to help, and Susie leaves, frustrated.

S5E5 - George, Mike, Trudy, Marge, Adam, Ralph, Cecil, Alvin, Mel, and Midge gather in Gordon's office for some notes on what to do with the monologue, and Gordon argues with George over the Diddy Doo Diapers sponsorship.

S5E5 - George holds an emergency meeting at the Gordon Ford production offices to discuss Midge's act of piracy. Susie arrives to find Mike, Alan, Barbara, George and Midge waiting, and Gordon arrives shortly afterwards. George is furious at Midge, but Gordon is amused by the situation. Ultimately, Gordon tasks Alan and Barbara with sorting out the logistics and puts George on notice for his series of recent mistakes. Mike is delighted by George’s sorrow.

S5E6 - (Flashforward) On Saturday, June 2, 1990, The New York Friars Club hosts a “Testi-Roastial” (half testimonial dinner, half roast) in honor of Susie Myerson. Len Blixton reports on the goings-on as the many famous guests pour in, including Stewart Jones, Aaron Lebowitz, Ray Ortiz, Carmine Streeto, Mike Carr, and Benny (who wasn’t invited, but came anyway). Inside the building, two doubtful guys take bets on whether Susie will even show up, and mention the event’s policy that nobody is allowed to mention Midge. Susie does eventually show up (an hour late), and takes her place at the dais alongside Mike, Carmine, Stewart, Aaron, Ray, the older of the two doubtful guys, and one other man. Benny, the younger doubtful guy, Morie and King Swing sit in the audience. Stewart steps up to the podium and kicks off the event, recounting the tale Susie's legendary “triple crown,” in which she got greenlights for three big projects all in a single day at the golf course in 1970. When he finishes the story, Stewart hands the mic off to Aaron, who speaks about Susie’s relationship with Harry Drake, recounting the story of how Susie refused to poach Taylor from Harry. After Aaron comes Ray, who does a set about Susie’s mob connections, then Mike, who begins by eulogizing George Toledano. Mike finishes his set with a heartfelt callback to the rocky start of their relationship, repeating the double middle-finger gesture that he first showed to Susie at the Christmas tree lot in 1960. Carmine does a set about Susie’s sexuality, then introduces the first surprise guest for the evening, Tessie Myerson. Tess thanks Susie for getting her a successful singing career in Indonesia, and attempts to sing her number one hit single “Never Ever Gonna Stop,” seductively leaning into each of the comedians on the dais as she does, but Susie soon gestures to Heather to stop the music, and the performance is unceremoniously cut short. Towards the end of the event, Stewart prepares to throw the mic to Susie for her speech, only to find her missing. Heather fetches her and she grumpily does her speech, roasting Aaron and Carmine, then wrapping up with an (almost) heartfelt moment. As Susie receives a pink box from Heather and prepares to leave, Stewart tells her to hold on just one second for a final surprise. Susie sits back down, and the projector screen lowers to play a special video message from Midge, recorded by Imogene, who can be heard fiddling with the camera equipment throughout. After some initial ice-breaking humor for the room, Midge reminisces with Susie about the good old days, thanks her for giving her her big break, and makes an offer to reconcile on neutral turf. In tears, Susie asks Heather for a number for Midge, only to learn that Midge’s girl just called in and gave it to them. As Susie leaves, Stewart tells the room that they’re all expected to donate to the Jacopo “Jackie” Dellapietra foundation, which Susie echoes.

S5E6 - (Flashforward) Stewart, Carmine, Ray, Aaron, the two doubtful guys, and Benny linger at The Friar’s Club after the event, sitting around a table and exchanging rumors and gossip about Susie. Carmine asks how Susie got all of Harry Drake’s big clients after he died. Aaron claims to know, describing how Susie forcibly kept Harry’s family out of his hotel room as she swindled him into signing the documents. Stewart disputes this, however, claiming that the daughter was in on it, helping Susie to swindle Harry and getting paid in cash right in front of him. Ray claims that both stories are incorrect, that he knows what really happened because his big sister, Linda, was the nurse on duty that night. The table then turns to talking about Susie’s mob connections, leading Carmine to tell one story about how Susie got in deeper with them. Carmine mentions that as thoroughly as Susie was under the mob’s thumb, Midge managed to stay clear of it. The others inquire about how, and Carmine claims to know, but he declines to finish the story until after he’s gone to the bathroom, much to the others’ chagrin. Recalling Mike’s speech from earlier in the evening, Aaron calls bullshit on his eulogy for George Toledano, explaining how much Mike hated George and recounting the story of how Susie got George fired with Mike’s help in April 1961. It began at Toots Shor’s, with Susie pressing Mike for information on the origins of the Gordon Ford Show’s rule against having anyone who works on the show appear on the show. As Mike explained that the rule was George’s, Midge was hanging out just down the bar, discussing semantic satiation with Alvin, Ralph, Cecil, Adam and Mel. Susie was given even more reason to take George down on another day, when George greeted Midge and Susie in the office and failed to remember Susie from the several times he had met her in the past. Susie got her opportunity for revenge one evening, when she was at an office party and overheard Mike arguing with George. With Mike’s help, Susie then broke into George’s office and found proof that he had been holding up Gordon’s contract with the network without his knowledge or permission. One morning, George came into work and cheerfully greeted Dorie, the writers, and Freddie, only to find Alan Young and two other employees packing up his stuff. Alan informed him that he was fired. Mike learned the story from a Variety article, and Susie celebrated with Dinah and her pigeons. As Aaron wraps up his story, Carmine returns from the bathroom and explains how Midge got out from under the mob. After Carmine’s story, the table briefly reminisces about the strangeness of Tess’s performance earlier in the evening, then Aaron tells the Midge Maisel Hawaiian wedding story from 1973. As Aaron finishes the Hawaiian wedding story, the two doubtful guys get up and leave. The rest wonder aloud about how and why Midge and Susie eventually broke up, but none of them know. Overhearing the conversation, Mike wanders over and says that he knows what happened - that he heard it from Susie and Midge separately when each of them was drunk. He then tells the story.

S5E7 - On his first official day as the new showrunner, Mike gathers the staff below the railing for an awkward speech, which Gordon playfully disrupts and makes even more awkward. Nevertheless, the staff applauds earnestly at the end.

S5E7 - Mike plays poker with Susie and some of his fellow bookers. It goes well for Susie, but Mike remains jovial unlike others. He pulls Susie aside and tells her that Jack Paar is doing a showcase, and he got Midge in with a good time slot.

S5E7 - On her way into work, Midge is confronted by Mike about her raise. She has not heard about it, and has little sympathy for his dismay.

S5E8 - Gordon excitedly informs the office that, with Hedy’s help, they have managed to book Princess Margaret for the full hour tonight. He rallies the staff, particularly Mike, to make this the historic occasion that it deserves to be.

S5E8 - Gordon interviews Princess Margaret. During the commercial break, Mike briefly rushes over and says something to Gordon.

S5E8 - At Toots Shor’s, Gordon, Mike, Hedy and the writers celebrate their great success with the Princess Margaret interview.

S5E9 - Arriving back at work, Midge chides Alvin at length in front of the other writers for repeatedly calling her at home, only to learn that it wasn't Alvin calling but Mike, who pops in and informs her that Gordon wants to see her. The two go to Gordon’s office, and Gordon asks Mike to leave them alone. He then informs Midge that she will be on the show tonight.

S5E9 - When Gordon informs Midge that she will not be appearing on the show as a comic, but as a writer, Susie goes to Mike to complain about it, but he is just as confused as her. She begs him to fix it, and he says he’ll see what he can do. He goes to Gordon and brings it up, but Gordon forcefully deflects him and sends him to deliver a cue card change to Teddy.

S5E9 - Mike watches helplessly from the podium as Gordon humiliates Midge by having her on a stool as the show’s “lady-writer.” When Midge hurts Gordon’s ego by getting some good jokes in edgewise, Gordon throws to commercial early, causing Mike to flip out. Gordon says that he wants to end the show early, but Mike forcefully tells him that that will not happen, and makes him do four more minutes with Midge. When Midge takes the opportunity to hijack the show and do a standup set, Mike gestures to Gordon to stand down and let her proceed. Ultimately, the set is so good that it wins Gordon over, and Mike watches in shock with everyone else as Gordon invites Midge over to the couch after the set.

MIKE: Finally. I was about to leave.
SUSIE: You would've missed out on the meeting of a lifetime.
MIKE: When I went to a bullfight with Hemingway, that was the meeting of a lifetime. I don't know what the fuck this is.
– S4E5

SUSIE: Mike, when's your birthday?
MIKE: Day before Christmas. It's a fucking curse.
– S4E5

MIKE: You know something? There is one thing that I look forward to all year long, one thing that brings me pure happiness, and it's this. Christmas tree hunting with my kids. We do it every year, and it's a fucking joy! Now you are going to stay! Right there! And I'm gonna go buy cider for my kids and forget that you ever happened.
– S5E1

MIKE: You will never set foot in 30 Rock again. Do you understand? You won't even be allowed to stand in front of 30 Rock. You're gonna make it to 20 Rock, and then you're gonna have to turn right. You even won't be allowed to walk down 5th Avenue. You won't be able to stand in front of Saks, because it is across the street from 30 Rock on 5th Avenue. If you want to go to Saks, you're gonna have to enter from the 49th Street side.
SUSIE: I don't go to Saks.
MIKE: In fact, stay out of Midtown. You're not allowed in Midtown.
SUSIE: My office is in Midtown.
MIKE: Move your office, and that goes for your girl, too.
SUSIE: She doesn't have an office.
MIKE: She will never set foot in that building either. And I'm betting that she does go to Saks, so that 49th Street entrance is going to fucking kill her. It is miles away from the fucking elevators.
– S5E1

MIKE: Do you know it has no smell?
MIDGE: What? What doesn't?
MIKE: My tree. Because it's a piece of shit tree that I grabbed in haste to get away from your little troll of a manager. My apartment has no Christmassy smell 'cause the goddamn tree is a piece of shit, lifeless tree.
– S5E2

MIKE: That is George Toledano, venerated producer of The Gordon Ford Show.
MIDGE: Oh. I've been hearing about him. Would you mind introducing us?
MIKE: I want him to die.
MIDGE: So, I should introduce myself?
MIKE: A long, painful death. I want him to fall off that stupid tiny dinghy he calls a yacht, but I don't want him to drown. I want him to float on a splintery piece of driftwood. That asinine, condescending, supercilious… George! How are you today?
– S5E2

MIKE: If you want to keep your job, grovel.
MIDGE: But George just said…
MIKE: George is wrong about everything, in the world. I am telling you, grovel. Grovel like you have never groveled before.
– S5E3

MIKE: Been forging George's goddamn signature for ten goddamn years. Illegible G, loopy R.
– S5E3

GEORGE: Don't you laugh. And why are you here?
MIKE: Just really fucking lucky, I guess.
– S5E5

MIKE: Did you see George's face? I wasn't this happy when my kids were born.
SUSIE: You're a sick fuck, Mike.
MIKE: Yeah, okay. I think I'll go home and have dinner with my wife for once.
SUSIE: It's 10:30.
MIKE: It's New York City, Susie. Don't be so suburban.
– S5E5

MIKE: It's George. George made the rule about no one working on the show appearing on the show. It's some dumb superstition of his dating back to, I don't know, when he was a boy in Pompeii.
– S5E6

SUSIE: And to think when I first met you, you were George Toledano's bitch.
MIKE: It said so on my door and everything.
– S5E7

SUSIE: Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike!
MIKE: Oh, my God! What?! What, Susie? What the ever-loving what?!
– S5E9

MIKE: Midge, please. Four more minutes, and then we can all go get drunk or go to bed or drive a car into a wall. Might do all three, myself.
– S5E9

MIDGE: Mike, can I talk to Susie for a second?
MIKE: One second. One literal second.
– S5E9

5. How to Chew Quietly and Influence People
6. Maisel vs. Lennon: The Cut Contest

1. Go Forward
2. It's a Man, Man, Man, Man World
3. Typos and Torsos
4. Susan
5. The Pirate Queen
6. The Testi-Roastial
7. A House Full of Extremely Lame Horses
8. The Princess and the Plea
9. Four Minutes

• Portrayed by the husband of lead actor Rachel Brosnahan.

• List of Characters