Whitford and Perry both appeared in The West Wing

The show, which looks behind the scenes on a late-night comedy programme, has "as good a cast as you'll find anywhere on TV", writes the New York Daily News.

USA Today said it was "brimming with wit, drama and urgency", while Variety praised its "crackling dialogue".

The show will be broadcast in the UK next year on More4.

Starring Friends actor Matthew Perry and West Wing cast member Bradley Whitford, Studio 60 is Sorkin's first TV show since leaving the award-winning White House drama in 2003.

'Hugely entertaining'

Writing in the Guardian, reviewer Ed Pilkington says the parallels between the lead characters and Sorkin's own experiences give the show "an inescapable element of navel-gazing".

The Hollywood Reporter's critic agrees that "his fingerprints are everywhere".

However, it goes on to praise this "ambitious and hugely entertaining drama" for its "intelligent dialogue, ironic humour and brilliant acting".

"Studio 60 lays claim to being the most exciting new show of the season," it concludes.