"STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP" PREMIERES TONIGHT

Aaron Sorkin, Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet return to series television tonight in what is probably the most highly anticipated new drama this season.

"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" premieres tonight at 10/9c on NBC and takes us into the world of an SNL-type sketch show on a fictional (or not so fictional?) NBS television network, desperate to remain dominant in the ratings and not to offend sensitive audiences.

When the show's founder (Judd Hirsch) goes on a live on-air rant to protest the network's decision to cut the segment that the management deemed to offensive for religious audiences, the network president (Peet) steps in to bring back the brilliant writer/director team (Perry, Whitford) that her boss (Steven Weber) forced out.

"Studio 60" is much more than a television show about television. It is a well-written and beautifully-acted drama about relationships among multi-dimensional characters as they cope with pressures and joys of work that brings them together.

The pilot episode was written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Thomas Schlamme. Look for cameo appearance by Felicity Huffman as herself.