LOS ANGELES, July 24 (UPI) -- NBC is launching a half-hour comedy, "30 Rock," and an hourlong drama, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," that both play off a "Saturday Night Live" concept.
The sitcom, "30 Rock," is being created, written and produced by Tina Fey as a fictional comedy series, "The Girlie Show," the New York Daily News reported. Tracey Morgan will play the comedian and Alec Baldwin the corporate suit overseeing the show.
"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," is created by Aaron Sorkin and stars Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford as co-writers who try to save a network's late-night comedy series after the executive producer has an on-air meltdown. Viewers may recognize the stamp of Sorkin who produced "The West Wing" and weaves social commentary into the weekly scripts.
The two shows are bound to be compared, but the producers say they are not worried.
"They are the hour show and they have a '60' in it and we're the half-hour show and we have a '30' in it," said Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of Tina Fey's "30 Rock."
"So I think people will be able to clearly distinguish which is which," she said.
