Better late than never for '30 Rock'

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If ever a television season could use a touchstone, it's this one.And rolling out with new episodes after almost every other network series has been back on the air for weeks, NBC's "30 Rock" returns blazing (9:30 p.m. Thursday), if not quite boldly, satisfying if not entirely pronounced.Indeed, "30 Rock," now in its third season, is self-assured, antsy and channeling a workplace weirdness all its own. Like star and head writer Tina Fey, "30 Rock" revels in obvious, big gags, but finds its truth strength through the subtlety. The opening shot is a clever visual send-up of "Sex and the City" with Fey evoking deliciously and awkwardly a flash of Sarah Jessica Parker while Alec Baldwin is driving up in a limo as her Mr. Big.The small aside has no need to be remarked upon. The story keeps on moving, with the implied wink there.That's the magic of "30 Rock," a simple comedy that operates in its own perverse universe, often with blinders attached. The characters don't grow and change and learn. They operate steadily and has unobserved as they did when we met them.TV sketch show producer Liz Lemon (Fey) is hoping for a change in her life. In the opener, she's nervous when a child services official (Megan Mullally) drops by the office to see how Liz manages her day.The day, naturally, is a disaster. One star is roaming the halls in black face. Another is dressed in white face - and drag. Sets are falling apart, and one of her employees has a politically incorrect phrase on his baseball cap.Of course, this plot is as old and predictable as an episode of "Bewitched," except there are no spells going awry, and Larry Tate is no where to be found."30 Rock" knows it's not creating history here. The plot is tongue-in-cheek, a pleasant cheeky tip-of-the-hat to those recycled TV plots.And yet, "30 Rock" is innovative because it retains a flippancy in its recycling. The show doesn't scale new heights. It merely adds a new zip to the climb.During a fall TV season in which that kind of initiative isn't mastered elsewhere, "30 Rock" is a real gem.Other highlights for the week of Oct. 26 to Nov. 1 (all times Eastern; check local listings; listings subject to change):SUNDAY- "Cities of the Underworld" (9 p.m. History). Look down. You'd see history if all that concrete and grass weren't there hiding it.- "My Fair Wedding" (9 p.m. WE). A wedding planner tackles big messes in this reality show.MONDAY- "Lisa Williams: Voices from the Other Side" (11 a.m. Lifetime). The lady who can talk to the dead has her own lively daytime talk show. - "Primal Fear" (9 p.m. History). Experts examine the fear that drives us in our hour of need.TUESDAY- "Hunting the Hidden Dimensions" (8 p.m. PBS). Math whizzes try to decipher the rules that govern fractal geometry. It's TV for smart people. - "Coolio's Rules" (10 p.m. Oxygen). A hit rapper's family life is profiled in this comedy reality series. And we're not talking about Snoop Dogg's show on E!WEDNESDAY- "UFO Hunters" (10 p.m. History). A solid object about 1,500 feet across is seen in Illinois sky.- "Redemption Song" (11 p.m. Fuse). Down-on-their-luck former singing stars compete to get back on track. Among the contestants: Chris Kirkpatrick of N*Sync and Mya.FRIDAY- "Ghost Hunters Live" (7 p.m. Sci-Fi Channel). A seven-hour live event has real-life ghost hunters poking around a Civil War site.- "The Host" (8 p.m. G4). A monster crawls out of a South Korean river and causes all kinds of trouble.- "The Burning" (8:55 p.m. IFC). A disfigured caretaker sees to some fun-loving campers.(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)