ShareThisBy TERRY MORROW
Tina Fey knows of which she speaks on "30 Rock" (premiering 8 p.m., EDT/PDT, Wednesday, NBC).
On the new sitcom, she plays the harried writer of "The Girlie Show," a late-night sketch series. Fey was on the writing staff of "Saturday Night Live" for years and anchored its "Weekend Update" segment.
By no coincidence, Lorne Michaels, creator of "SNL," is executive producer of "30 Rock."
While the opener centers on snaring a big-time (but totally inappropriate) star to join the fictitious show's cast, Fey says "30 Rock" will not primarily focus on the show-within-a-show.
"It's really more about the people and their workplace and their life in and around and outside that workplace," she says.
Fey plays Liz Lemon, a writer who left Chicago to work on "The Girlie Show" in New York. As we get into the first episode, "Girlie" has been on the air for a short time.
"30 Rock" also stars Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan. Rachel Dratch will also have a recurring role.
Now that she has her own series, Fey will not be part of "SNL." She's hoping, though, she can get a little topical on "30 Rock."
"Hopefully, there will be sort of little social (and) political issues that will naturally be dealt with through the stories of the show," she says.
"I think I'm out of the fake news business for a little while."
Highlights for the week of Oct. 8-14 (all times Eastern; listings subject to change; check local listings):
SUNDAY, Oct. 8
_ "Dexter" (10 p.m. Showtime). A murderer tries to frame Dexter for a murder he didn't commit _ for once.
MONDAY, Oct. 9
_ "Engineering An Empire: Egypt" (9 p.m. History Channel). It's just not a country anymore. It's a whole series about how industrious the country has been throughout the centuries.
TUESDAY, Oct. 10
_ "The Journalist and the Jihad: The Murder of Daniel Pearl" (8 p.m. HBO). Christiane Amanpour, a pretty smart lady, narrates this report paralleling the lives of the late reporter Daniel Pearl and Islamic militant Omar Sheikh.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11
_ "Twenty Good Years" (8 p.m. NBC). John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor star as middle-aged guys going through a mid-life crisis. Twenty good years? I'd settle for 20 good minutes of this show.
_ "Sci-Fi Investigates" (10 p.m. Sci-Fi Channel). It's like "Dateline" for the superstitious. This week's hard-hitting report: Voodoo, is it for real?
_ "I Pity The Fool" (10 p.m. TV Land) ... who misses out on this Mr. T advice show.
FRIDAY, Oct. 13
_ "Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film" (9 p.m. Starz). Filmmakers working in the horror genre examine why slasher films were so darn cutting edge. Pardon the pun.
_ "Saxondale" (11 p.m. BBC America). A pest control expert has anger management issues in this new comedy.
SATURDAY, Oct. 14
_ "Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired" (10 p.m. HBO). She's on a rant about getting older, racial profiling and anything else that makes her mad.
