"There'll be spinoffs, and she'll go on to produce other stuff, and her loyalty is to NBC," says Hirsch of 30 Rock. A multitalented star who can write, produce, and act on both the small and large screens would be their ace in the hole.

For now, Fey seems poised to expand her entertainment empire indefinitely.

"The critics like her, she's making money, her shows are good, and she was the only funny thing on the Emmys Sunday night," says Peter Gardiner, a partner and chief media officer at Deutsch, an advertising agency in New York. And despite its low ratings, 30 Rock isn't going anywhere. "As NBC knows, to get a show that does okay in ratings, has a young audience, and that people want to download and watch on DVD is the future of TV."

30 Rock, the core of Fey's franchise, only averaged 6.5 million viewers last season. But its audience is relatively young and affluent, and therefore attractive to advertisers. In addition, the show's popularity on DVD and Web outlets like NBC.com and Hulu.com represent additional platforms—and revenue streams—that Ben Silverman, NBC's co-chairman, has publicly said are valuable to the future of the company.

This season may deliver the long-anticipated ratings bump that NBC's been hoping for. After Sunday night's Emmys, the number of episodes of 30 Rock streamed on NBC.com was 250 percent higher than the daily average for the month of September, says an NBC spokesperson, which bodes well for the new season.

So what can't Tina Fey do?

"Comedy is fairly niche when it comes to branding and the relevant partnerships she might be able to bring," says Bateman. "Is anyone going to buy a Tina Fey fragrance?"

Well, perhaps not. But she could earn up to $15 million for writing and acting in any future films; more if she gets a box office cut. There's nothing sweeter than the smell of success.