"The West Wing" ticket of Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme is in the running again at NBC, which outbid CBS late last week for their very expensive drama pilot from Warner Bros. Television.

But instead of probing the corridors of the White House, the hourlong series will be set in what seems a lot like the peacock's own house.

A draft of Sorkin's spec script making the rounds in Hollywood last week depicts the behind-the-scenes tumult of a fictional sketch-comedy show in the mold of "Saturday Night Live," as well as the corporate culture of a TV network not unlike NBC.

The script, titled "Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip," was pitched Oct. 7, igniting a bidding war between NBC and CBS that came to an end Friday. It was the second high-profile script in as many weeks from WBTV to trigger a tug-of-war in the broadcast world and result in a mega-deal, after CBS managed to beat out NBC and Fox for "Class," a spec script from David Crane ("Friends") and Jeffrey Klarik ("Half & Half"), by making a 13-episode commitment.

WBTV and CBS declined comment.

NBC released a statement from president of entertainment Kevin Reilly, hailing "Studio." "Aaron Sorkin's work is truly in a class all its own, and Tommy Schlamme, time and again, has delivered exceptional television. This project is a noisy, compelling combination of bold drama and laugh-out-loud comedy."

While NBC is not believed to be making a multi-episode commitment to "Studio," as CBS did with "Class," the penalty attached to the project is said to be so massive that it virtually assures "Studio" a spot on the fall 2006 schedule.

Sources pegged the license fee for the pilot well north of $3 million, making it one of the most expensive pilots NBC ever has ordered. If the penalty were triggered, sources suggested, it could turn "Studio" into an eight-figure deal.

WBTV is said to have forced NBC's hand Friday by pressing the network to match the terms of a deal it already had on the table with CBS. Terms of the deal could not be determined, but they are said to have been similar in magnitude to that of "Class." The total value of both pacts are considered comparable.

Among the terms of the deal NBC agreed to included ensuring the program was not scheduled in an 8 p.m. time slot or on ratings-troubled nights, and resolving issues related to creative control.

The prospect of NBC being back in business with Sorkin and Schlamme again might have seemed unthinkable back in 2003, when they left "Wing" after reports emerged they butted heads with the network over the direction of the Emmy-winning series. However, sources say the backstage tussling was more internal and not involving the network.

If "Studio" is greenlighted as expected, the series would have a shorter-term deal than the six-year span that has become standard for most primetime programming; "Class" is said also to be a limited-term deal.

With that structure potentially putting networks in the position to negotiate renewals with studios at the height of a show's success, sources say ABC has steered clear of both bidding wars.

The irony of the "Studio" pickup is that the series' subject matter echoes just the kind of network backroom maneuvering NBC engaged in to reach a deal with Sorkin and Schlamme.

Judging from the spec script Sorkin turned in, "Studio" offers an insider's view of the TV industry, complete with headstrong executives and egotistical celebrities. The action takes place at the fictional "Studio 7," a long-running live sketch-comedy series obviously inspired by "SNL."

However, some other aspects of the series might also be inspired by NBC. Although "Studio" centers on a fictional broadcast network called UBS -- a subsidiary of the equally fictional conglomerate Atlantic Media Group -- it depicts a war of wills between its chairman and new network president that feels oddly familiar.

In one scene, the chairman tells the president that he has designs on the chairmanship of Atlantic and needs to prove he can delegate authority -- urging the new president to excel quickly or risk getting fired.

The tense chain of command depicted in "Studio" is shades of a similar power struggle that seems to be playing out at NBC, where recent reports have NBC Uni Television Group president Jeff Zucker keeping one eye on the CEO post at NBC Uni occupied by Bob Wright and the other on Reilly, who in recent months has been subject to rumors of impending job termination. The president of the network in "Studio" however, is a "likable," sexy, thirty-something female.

Sorkin might have even written a thinly veiled version of himself into the script, creating the character of talented TV scribe whose career is compromised by cocaine use. Sorkin has publicly acknowledged his past struggles with drug addiction, including an arrest in 2001 for possessing illegal substances.

For its part, the peacock is believed to be unfazed by Sorkin alluding to "SNL" or the network itself. The network also is considering a pilot from another A-list executive producer, David E. Kelley, that provides an insider take on a morning talk show similar to "Today."

One potential sticking point to the "Studio" deal said to be smoothed over is a separate deal made last May with NBC Uni TV Studio and Broadway Video for a similarly themed pilot executive produced by "SNL" star Tina Fey. But Fey's project is a comedy of a different tone that could co-exist with "Studio."

Schlamme is expected to direct the "Studio" pilot, while Sorkin is on board as showrunner. Both are repped by Endeavor.