SORKIN HAS FINGER ON PULSE OF POP CULTURE.

Byline: David Kronke Television Critic

Eight years ago, Aaron Sorkin's ``The West Wing'' fairly towered over the rest of network TV's offerings, proffering compelling characters, memorably epigrammatic dialogue and addictive story lines from which viewers were forced to tear themselves.

Today, Sorkin's at it again, though perhaps mining more rarefied territory -- rather than politics, he's casting a magnifying glass upon pop culture -- but he's doing so with the same sense of urgency. His questions are just as important: How do passionate people prevent the stultified masses from tuning out of the day's issues?

I know, I know: I've made ``Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' sound like something medicinal. And, of course, it's not: It focuses, as ``West Wing'' did, on compellingly flawed but no less idealistic characters striving, no matter the means or the medium, to make the world a better place.

Sorkin's new drama is set against the backdrop of a show not unlike ``Saturday Night Live,'' one that once encouraged cagey subversion but has since been lulled into complacency by success and fat paychecks. Its producer (Judd Hirsch), in a last gasp at relevance, delivers a wake-up call, which results in a minor scandal until an idealistic network executive (Amanda Peet) senses the time is right to exploit media cynicism and hires tyro/troubled writers Matt (Matthew Perry) and Danny (Bradley Whitford) to resurrect the show to its celebrated status.

Perry and Whitford, from the outset, convey a beleaguered camaraderie that's both moving and profound -- forget heterosexual ``it'' couples like Ron Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt; these obviously straight guys mesh and rely upon one another like no one else this season.

Matt's still aching to reunite with Harriet (Sarah Paulson), a born-again Christian cast member of the show he thoughtlessly alienated. Paulson has ``Studio 60's'' trickiest assignment -- essaying a character the religious right can wholly embrace -- and she manages a deft tightrope act equating piety with keen intelligence.

Whitford channels Josh, his soulfully acerbic character in ``West Wing,'' while Perry essentially channels himself -- an inspired, hilarious artist bedeviled by painkillers; both do so with obvious insight and astonishing wit.

This is to take nothing away from the rest of the cast, which does exemplary work. Nor does one wish to detract from the studied storytelling. ``Studio 60'' is, yes, about Hollywood, a subject the rest of the country doesn't seem to care about all that much, but it's also about so much more. Sorkin is also keen on examining what makes the rest of us tick. We should welcome his thumb on our pulse.

David Kronke, [phone]

[e-mail]

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP - Three and one half stars

What: Aaron Sorkin ponders what TV should mean to thoughtful viewers in a lobotomized culture while offering wit, heart and tons of great performances.

Where: NBC (Channel 4).

When: 10 tonight.

In a nutshell: What ``The West Wing'' was to politics, this is to pop culture.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

``Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,'' written by Aaron Sorkin, is a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional sketch-comedy TV show. It has its premiere at 10 tonight on NBC.