‘Office,’ ‘Rock’ mock NBC

NBC has become the punching bag of two of television’s best comedies – and both of them air on the network.

GE’s recent sale of NBC to cable giant Comcast has become recurring fodder for both “The Office” (9 p.m.) and “30 Rock” (9:30 p.m.).

“The Office” takes a relatively benign look at a merger’s culture clash.

The Dunder Mifflin paper firm has been acquired by Sabre, a Florida-based purveyor of cheap Korean printers.

Kathy Bates plays the brash head of Sabre, who neither understands nor cares about the strange office behavior of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch under Michael Scott (Steve Carell).

All of that is rather gentle compared to the treatment the merger receives on “30 Rock.”

Jack (Alec Baldwin), raised in GE’s aggressive corporate culture of manufacturing and acquisition, is suddenly adrift, a figurehead leader for a company named KableTown, which freely admits that 95 percent of its profits come from on-demand pornography channels.

The bitter, biting satire of “30 Rock” hearkens back to a legendary unaired “Saturday Night Live” skit.

Back in 1981, NBC was in the ratings basement, and its failure was linked to network chief Fred Silverman.

John Belushi was reported to have returned for a guest stint on “SNL” to appear in a sketch comparing Silverman’s waning days at NBC to the last days of Hitler in his Berlin bunker, as a raging madman presiding over the ragged remnants of “The Nazional Broadcasting System.”

For legal reasons, the sketch never aired.

It’s interesting to note that both “30 Rock” and “SNL” are produced by Lorne Michaels. Having been denied the chance to bite the hand that fed him then, it appears that Michaels is making up for lost time.

Other highlights

The men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament continues (5 p.m., CBS).

Aaron makes a connection on “FlashForward” (8 p.m., ABC).

Jerry Seinfeld gathers celebrities to offer couples counseling on “The Marriage Ref” (10 p.m., NBC).

Technology is on the menu on “Project Runway” (10 p.m., Lifetime).

Cult choice

Bottled-up emotions are the theme of “Interiors” (5 p.m., TCM), Woody Allen’s 1978 homage to Swedish director Igmar Bergman.

Followed by the equally repressed “Ordinary People” (7 p.m.) and “I Never Sang for My Father” (9:15 p.m.).

Series notes

Pierce has an insight on “Community” (8 p.m., NBC) … Matt’s mother (Melinda Clark) returns on “Vampire Diaries” (8 p.m., CW) … Leslie holds a picnic on “Parks & Recreation” (8:30 p.m., NBC) … Owen’s painful flashbacks on “Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m., ABC) … An undead reunion on “Supernatural” (9 p.m., CW) … End-of-life care on “Private Practice” (10 p.m., ABC).

Late night

Chad Ochocinco and Rodrigo y Gabriela appear on “Lopez Tonight” (11 p.m., TBS) … Jay Leno welcomes Miley Cyrus and Tom Papa on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Pierce Brosnan and Craig Robinson appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (12:05 a.m., ABC) … Jessica Biel, Christoph Waltz and Josh Turner are booked on “Late Show with David Letterman” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r) … Liev Schreiber and Rob Corddry chat on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” (12:35 a.m., NBC).