Comedian guest-starring in season premiere

Jerry Seinfeld hasn't done much prime-time TV since exiting his iconic NBC sitcom nine years ago -- a guest voice on "Dilbert" here, a "Seinfeld" special there.

And come October, a headline-grabbing (or so NBC hopes) appearance on "30 Rock."

Seinfeld, who's also doing a series of shorts about the making of his "Bee Movie" for NBC, will appear on the season premiere of "30 Rock" on Thursday, Oct. 4. He'll play himself and butt heads with NBC exec Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin).

"I was thrilled to be asked to guest star on NBC's hit comedy '30 Rock,'" Seinfeld says in a statement. "I think it's going to be so refreshing for me to be playing myself in a show that has nothing to do with neurotic, dysfunctional New York characters."

To hear NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman tell it, landing Seinfeld for the guest spot was a matter of timing.

"I reached out to Jerry and had such a fun conversation with him," Silverman said Monday at NBC's press tour sessions. As the two talked about his "Bee Movie" shorts, "I asked him if he'd be part of the show, and he said, 'You know what, I love that show. You hit me on the one thing I'm predisposed to, because I really like the show.' ... It was great. It couldn't have been more positive and exciting, and he also loves the show. I think it was the right call around the right show to the right guy."