Cable's haul wasn't as big as last year, but try telling that to executives at HBO, which picked up four statues at 68th annual Golden Globes Awards.
The premium network won four Globes, a pair for freshman series entry Boardwalk Empire, which was awarded the best drama nod and top drama actor for Steve Buscemi's lead, and one apiece for the fronting roles by Clair Danes in telefilms Temple Grandin and Al Pacino in You Don't Know Jack.
Elsewhere, there was a first-time Globe for Katey Sagal as best actress in TV series drama for her portrayal of matriarch Gemma Teller Morrow on FX's motorcycle skein Sons of Anarchy, and Sundance Channel's inaugural trophy for the top miniseries or film made for television, Carlos.
Laura Linney captured cable's other Globe for best actress in a comedy or musical for her role as dying cancer patient Cathy Jamison in Showtime's The Big C.
All told, cable collared wins in seven of the 11 TV categories voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, down from eight with the 2010 event.
Glee was TV's big winner with three Globes. Fox's inclusive, high school performance series repeated as top comedy or musical, while Jane Lynch won for best supporting actress for her hard-ass cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester. Chris Colfer was named the best supporting actress in his role as gay teen Kurt Hummel.
The other TV Globe went to Jim Parsons for best actor in a comedy or musical for his portrayal of the overbearing know-it-all Sheldon Cooper in CBS's hit, The Big Bang Theory. Parsons also won the 2010 Emmy for his work as Cooper.
Boardwalk Empire, HBO's expensive recreation of the corruption that was Atlantic City during 1920s prohibition era, stopped AMC's retro advertising series Mad Men from scoring a best TV drama four-peat. Boardwalk also bested AMC's rookie zombie hit, Walking Dead, Showtime's serial killer skein, Dexter, and CBS's The Good Wife.
Buscemi's role as AC treasurer Nucky Thompson, based on the real-life Enoch (Nucky) Johnson, the political boss who once ruled Atlantic City, thwarted Michael C. Hall's bid to repeat as best actor for his Dexter Morgan. Jon Hamm, for brilliant, but troubled creative director Don Draper in Mad Men, Bryan Cranston, the three-time Emmy winner for his Walt White on AMC's Breaking Bad, and Hugh Laurie, for his portrayal of acerbic doctor on Fox's House, were also nominated.
Danes, for her imagining of autistic animal doctor Temple Grandin, and Pacino, for his take on
controversial suicide physician Jack Kevorkian, backed up their Emmy wins with top acting honors in the movie category on Sunday night.
Sundance Channel took home its first Globe for miniseries Carlos, a look at international terrorist "Carlos The Jackal," in an all cable-nominated category that also included HBO World War II miniseries, The Pacific, the aforementioned telepics, You Don't Know Jack and Temple Grandin, and Starz's Pillars of the Earth.
Click here for a full list of nominees and winners.
