TWO of NBC’s highly touted shows built around “Saturday Night Live“-type premises will end the season on different paths.
Aaron Sorkin’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” one of TV’s most expensive shows, finally returns May 24 after a three-month layoff to burn off its unaired episodes. It’s not expected to return next fall. (NBC officials yesterday wouldn’t comment on whether the show’s set has been taken down.)
Meanwhile, ex-“SNL”er Tina Fey’s low-rated “30 Rock” has been renewed for another season – and got some added juice with co-star Alec Baldwin’s caught-on-voicemail rant at his 11-year-old daughter.
Ironically, it was “Studio 60” that was supposed to make the big splash with Sorkin going behind-the-scenes at a fictional “SNL”-type comedy show in L.A. with an all-star cast featuring ex-“Friends” star Matthew Perry.
NBC committed to 13 episodes sight-unseen, hoping to feed off Sorkin’s “West Wing” karma, but “Studio 60” struggled from the get-go and now returns May 24.
“30 Rock,” meanwhile, continues along its merry way – critically acclaimed, little-watched but definitely less expensive than its one-hour, star-studded “Studio 60” stablemate.