BROADCAST NETWORKS MAKE STRONG SHOWING AT EMMYS

After being trounced by the cable networks for years, the broadcast networks made a comeback Sunday night, collecting a slew of Emmy awards for such shows as ABC’s Modern Family, PBS’s Downton Abbey, and CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly, and The Good Wife. One would be tempted to add DirecTV’s Friday Night Lights to the broadcast list, since its first run on the satellite service last season was intended to give the critically praised but low-rated NBC series enough backing to keep it going for a final season. In a surprise, the show’s Kyle Chandler was named best lead actor in a dramatic series. (The award surprised Chandler, too; accepting it, he remarked, “I knew for a fact that I would not be standing here.”) FNL‘s Jason Katims received the writing award for a dramatic series.