Sarah Paulson Click photo for larger image.

It's not necessary to know the autobiographical nature of some of the characters in NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (10 tonight ) to enjoy the show, but it can make it that much more fun. Here's a who's (inspired by) who:

Matt Albie (Matthew Perry): "Studio 60's" senior writer shares some traits with series creator Aaron Sorkin and also director Thomas Schlamme.

Kristin Chenoweth Click photo for larger image.

Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford): Perhaps the closer Sorkin stand-in, as both Tripp and Sorkin are recovering drug addicts, although Tripp is a producer/director, not a writer.

"I'm writing more personally than I have before," Sorkin acknowledged in July, adding that the characters are inspired by real people but "by page four it becomes fiction."

Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet): The Entertainment president at a fictional TV network, McDeere was inspired by Jamie Tarses, ABC's Entertainment president in the late 1990s when Sorkin's "SportsNight" aired on ABC.

	Matthew Perry Click photo for larger image.

Though Tarses was the recipient of scads of bad press -- for incidents like making out with one of the stars of "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" at a network press party -- Sorkin evidently liked her. McDeere is one of the heroines of "Studio 60," and Tarses is a consultant on the series.

Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson): The star of the sketch series that's the show featured within "Studio 60," Hayes is a conservative Christian in a largely Godless industry. Her character was inspired by actress/singer Kristin Chenoweth, a devout Christian and one of the stars of Sorkin's "The West Wing" in its latter years. She and Sorkin also dated.

In an upcoming episode, Harriet says, "You're just going to have to believe me that in other parts of the country that aren't New York or Los Angeles, the fact that I believe in God isn't noteworthy."

"I had seen [Kristin] in so many unusual situations in Hollywood that make her not only a minority, but a bit of a pariah," Sorkin said. "I want [Harriet] to be a heroine on this show and I want her to be loved by a guy who is the opposite of all that and let that be the test case to see if we can all get along."