LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Sopranos became the first cable show to win the Emmy for best drama series Sunday and fellow HBO entry Angels in America received a record 11 awards as Fox's surprise comedy winner Arrested Development proved a rare bright spot for broadcast TV. Broadcast networks also collected performance awards for comedy series, but it was clear that cable's accomplishments were overshadowing the traditional networks. Angels in America, the miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the 1980s AIDS crisis, won seven Emmys on Sunday, including outstanding miniseries and acting trophies for Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeffrey Wright. Kushner received a best writing award and Mike Nichols won best director. "As you know the fight against AIDS isn't over yet and we must do what we can for Africa. ... Let's see what we can do," Nichols said. Angels in America proved a record breaker. With the four Emmys won Sept. 12 at the creative arts awards and the seven it won Sunday, it exceeded the nine awards won by Roots in 1977 to become the most honoured miniseries.

Photo: ''Sex and the City'''s John Corbett flanked by Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon.

It matched the 11 won by Eleanor and Franklin in 1976, the most for any program in one season. The Sopranos finally collected the best drama Emmy in its fifth try. "This is really great and seeing those goodbye episodes before gave me some great ideas how to end the show," series creator David Chase said of The Sopranos, which has one more season ahead of it. Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo, who played a hard-luck mob couple whose relationship ended in betrayal on The Sopranos, won drama series supporting actor and actress Emmys. "There are so many people that are responsible for this, that if I even try to thank any of them right now, I might puke, choke, cry or die. And you've already seen me do that," said de Matteo, whose character was bumped off last season. She's now on NBC's Friends spinoff Joey. In some good news for the broadcast networks, Allison Janney of NBC's The West Wing and James Spader of ABC's The Practice won best actor awards for drama. "You've all made wonderful choices in shoes and dresses tonight and you all look absolutely beautiful," Spader said in a lighthearted acceptance. Fox's Arrested Development proved another broadcast bright spot, winning as best comedy series after a freshman year that was critically acclaimed but low rated. "This is so huge for us. You know what, let's watch it," said series creator Mitchell Hurwitz. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which has spent election year skewering the candidates for tiny Comedy Central, won an award for best variety series for the second year in a row. His writing staff also won an Emmy. Mirroring the concern in Hollywood over the state of situation comedies, the four major comedy acting awards went for work in series that are now off the air. Kelsey Grammer won his fourth Emmy for best actor in a comedy for Frasier and Sarah Jessica Parker won best actress for Sex and the City. "I had the most extraordinary life on television," Grammer said. "Frasier was a gift in my life and the people that I got to meet and work with were the greatest and this is just the cherry on top." Grammer paid tribute to the late John Ritter, who was nominated posthumously for Eight Simple Rules. "He was a terrific guy and his death was a shock to all of us.