Emmys: Sony Pictures TV's personal best

Basic cablers weren't the only ones setting personal bests with Thursday's Emmy noms. Sony Pictures Television pulled in the most Emmy bids (29) in a single year in the studio's long history in television.

Appropriately enough for this year, Sony's haul was driven by its embrace of basic cable original series, with strong showings from FX's "Damages" and AMC's "Breaking Bad."

But just as noteworthy are Sony earned three noms for that most rare breed of broadcast TV program these days, longform drama. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron's production of the recent Rialto rendition of "A Raisin in the Sun," starring Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad (who commanded a lead actress nom), proved in its debut on ABC in February (on the night after the Oscar telecast, where it was generously promo'd) that there is hope for weighty longform drama fare on the Big Four, if they aim high enough.