If you've been as disappointed with "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" as we have, then you might be approaching the similarly-themed sitcom "30 Rock," which premieres tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC, with a bit of trepidation. If a so-called "master" like Aaron Sorkin can't write a compelling show about the backstage antics of a late night comedy program, how could a mere "SNL" alum like Tina Fey do any better?

Well, we're here to tell you she can, and did, do better. But let's start off by admitting that yes, both of the programs are indulgent shows about writers who feel they will always know better than the boobs that run the networks, and how dare anyone challenge their genius? It's kind of hard to distinguish where the fictional shows end and real life begins. One of the biggest problems with "Studio 60" is that the show the genius writers are creating is almost as unfunny as the real "Saturday Night Live." Perhaps this is on purpose, and Sorkin is being incredibly po mo. But we doubt it. "30 Rock" has a similar problem in that the show Fey's character is in charge of, called "The Girlie Show," doesn't seem particularity funny. But in this case that works since the premise of the actual show (not the show within a show, got it?) is that network brass comes in--in the form of Alec Baldwin as Jack, "vice president of East Coast television and microwave oven programming"--to shake things up on Fey's precious "Girlie Show" by adding a Martin Lawrence-esque actor to the program (played by Tracy Morgan). We don't want to give anything away but let's just say, sometimes even the clueless can be correct.

Of course, "30 Rock" was also shaken up at the last minute when the decision was made to replace Rachel Dratch as the best friend to Fey, and the star of "The Girlie Show," with Jane Krakowski. (Dratch will instead play a series of minor characters and appears in the pilot as a cat wrangler.) This is a move that worries us a bit as the character as played by Krakowski comes off as someone a little too dumb to be such good friends with Fey. We're willing to cut all of them some slack because the pilot made us laugh. A lot. Admittedly, the majority of that laughter came from watching Baldwin, who can deliver lines like, "I like you. You have the boldness of a much younger woman," with just the right amount of slime and gravitas. Just give him an Emmy right now.

The show's not perfect; it's not this season's "Arrested Development." But it's a hell of a lot better than the other sitcoms being offered this year--including, we are imagining, "Twenty Good Years," which follows at 8:30 p.m. We haven't seen the pilot, but the scenes and previews we've watched don't fill us with confidence. John Lithgow isn't known for his comedic subtlety (and he was one of the reasons we could never get into "Third Rock From the Sun"), and Jeffrey Tambor, while hilarious on "Arrested Development" and "The Larry Sanders Show" seems to be no match for Lithgow's scenery chewing. We just hope the show's weakness doesn't mean doom for "30 Rock."