Okay, so now I'm asking myself why it is bad. I think it's a combination of things. One, is I think Tina Fey is having trouble finding the character she has written for herself. Meaning she tried to write something that is her and isn't her and hasn't yet found the happy - or funny - medium. Two, I think it's way too broad, both in the casting and in the jokes.

A lot of people were concerned that two of NBC new shows, 30 Rock and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip were going to be mining the same ore (90 primetime minutes about a 90 minute late night show. They don't have a lot in common so far. Studio 60 is better and will probably last. They know how to underplay a little.

One problem with both shows is the ersatz comedy that is part of the shows within the shows (ya following me?). Anyway, unless 30 Rock gets good fast, to won't be around long enough to fix itself. And Studio 60 is pretty good, and will at least grip a regular audience. I just wish they would make the show the characters are working on really funny and not ersatz funny.

Ersatz works with pop songs (see Spinal Tap) but it doesn't work with comedy.