<P> I just can't imagine the audience would look at both shows, choose one and cancel the other out . In some ways, why is it any different than when there have been three or four cop shows on any schedule, or Scrubs and ER, which are tonally very different? </P> <P> Evidence of the overlapping subject matter between the shows, as well as the conflict between them, arose when Aaron Sorkin, the creator of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, asked Lorne Michaels to allow him to observe Saturday Night Live for a week, a request Michaels denied . Despite this, Sorkin sent Fey flowers after NBC announced it would pick up both series, and wished her luck with 30 Rock . Fey said, "it's just bad luck for me that in my first attempt at prime time I'm going up against the most powerful writer on television . I was joking that this would be the best pilot ever aired on Trio . And then Trio got canceled ." Fey wound up "beating" Sorkin when Studio 60 was canceled after one season and 30 Rock was renewed for a second . Though 30 Rock's first - season ratings proved lackluster and were lower than those of Studio 60, Studio 60 was more expensive to produce . </P> <P> One early promo for 30 Rock portrayed Alec Baldwin mistakenly thinking he would meet Sorkin, and when asked on her "Ask Tina" space what she thought of the criticism that 30 Rock received, Fey jokingly replied that people who did not like it were probably confusing it with Studio 60 . However, none of 30 Rock's producers have given Studio 60 any serious criticism, positive or negative . In a November 1, 2006 interview, Fey said she had seen the first two episodes of Studio 60 . When asked what her impressions were, she jokingly replied, "I can't do impressions of Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry ." </P> <P> At least five 30 Rock episodes have briefly parodied Studio 60: </P>

Who are the characters in 30 rock based on